G2936 — κτίζω (ktizo)¶

Core Data¶

Strong's: G2936
Original: κτίζω
Transliteration: ktizo
Pronunciation: ktid'-zo
Part of Speech: Verb
Root: Probably akin to G2932 ktaomai (through the idea of proprietorship of the manufacturer)
Occurrences: 12 unique verses (16 tokens)
First Occurrence: Mark 13:19 — "For [in] those days shall be affliction, such as was not from the beginning of the creation which God created..."
Hapax Legomenon: No

Lexicon Definition¶

Probably akin to G2932 ktaomai (through the idea of proprietorship of the manufacturer); to fabricate, i.e. found (form originally): — create, Creator, make.

Louw-Nida Semantic Domain¶

Domain: 42 — Perform, Do
Subdomain: 42.003 — Make, Create
Other words in subdomain: ἀχειροποίητος (G886), καταβολή (G2602), καταρτίζω (G2675), κτίσις (G2937), κτίσμα (G2938), κτίστης (G2939), οἰκοδομή (G3619), πλάσσω (G4111), ποιέω (G4160), ποίημα (G4161), χειροποίητος (G5499)

Domain Neighbors (42.003 — Make, Create)¶

Strong's	Lemma	Total Verses	Primary KJV Translation(s)
G886	ἀχειροποίητος	3	made without hands, not made with hands
G2602	καταβολή	11	the foundation, conceive
G2675	καταρτίζω	5	mending, perfect
G2937	κτίσις	15	creature, of the creation
G2938	κτίσμα	4	creature, creatures
G2939	κτίστης	1	Creator
G3619	οἰκοδομή	11	edification, edifying
G4111	πλάσσω	3	formed, that formed
G4160	ποιέω	120	do, did
G4161	ποίημα	2	things that are made, workmanship
G5499	χειροποίητος	6	made with hands, made by hands

Verb Form Distribution¶

Tense-Voice	Count	Representative Forms
Aorist Active Indicative	4	ἔκτισεν (Mar 13:19, 1Ti 4:3, Rev 10:6), ἔκτισας (Rev 4:11)
Aorist Active Participle	4	κτίσας (Mat 19:4), Κτίσαντα (Rom 1:25), κτίσαντι (Eph 3:9), κτίσαντος (Col 3:10)
Aorist Passive Indicative	3	ἐκτίσθη (1Co 11:9, Col 1:16), ἐκτίσθησαν (Rev 4:11)
Aorist Passive Participle	2	κτισθέντες (Eph 2:10), κτισθέντα (Eph 4:24)
Aorist Active Subjunctive	1	κτίσῃ (Eph 2:15)
Perfect Passive Indicative	1	ἔκτισται (Col 1:16)

Notes: Overwhelmingly aorist (14/15 forms), indicating completed creative acts. Active voice (9x) consistently takes God/Christ as subject. Passive voice (6x) marks the created thing as subject. The single perfect passive (Col 1:16) emphasizes the enduring result of creation — "all things have been created and stand created."

Translation Distribution (KJV)¶

Translation	Count	%
created	6	50.0%
were created	2	16.7%
Creator	1	8.3%
hast created	1	8.3%
hath created	1	8.3%
is created	1	8.3%
make	1	8.3%
that created	1	8.3%

Distribution by Book¶

Book	Count	Per 100 Verses
Ephesians	4	2.6
Colossians	2	2.1
Revelation	2	0.5
1 Timothy	1	0.9
1 Corinthians	1	0.2
Romans	1	0.2
Mark	1	0.1

Concentrated in the Pauline epistles (9/12 verses, 75%). Ephesians alone accounts for a third of all uses. Absent from the Gospel creation accounts (John 1 uses ginomai, not ktizo). Matthew 19:4 occurrence is from the Greek parser (NA text) but maps to the same Markan discourse on creation from the beginning.

Semantic Categories¶

1. Cosmic / Material Creation¶

Mark 13:19 — "the beginning of the creation which God created"
Rev 4:11 — "thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created"
Rev 10:6 — "who created heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth"
Col 1:16 — "by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible"

2. New Creation in Christ (Spiritual Re-creation)¶

Eph 2:10 — "we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works"
Eph 4:24 — "put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness"
Col 3:10 — "put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him"

3. Creation of Corporate Unity (One New Humanity)¶

Eph 2:15 — "for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace"
Eph 3:9 — "the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ"

4. Purposeful Creation of Gender and Material Goods¶

1 Cor 11:9 — "Neither was the man created for the woman; but the woman for the man"
1 Tim 4:3 — "meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving"

5. Creator as Title / Identity¶

Rom 1:25 — "worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever"

Common Collocations¶

Word	Strong's	Co-occurrences	Typical Pattern
θεός (theos)	G2316	6x (50%)	God as subject/agent of creation
αἰών (aion)	G165	3x (25%)	"from the beginning of the world/age" temporal framework
ἀλήθεια (aletheia)	G225	3x (25%)	creation "in truth" or paired with truth attributes
πᾶς (pas)	G3956	3x (25%)	"all things created" — universality of creative scope
καινός (kainos)	G2537	2x (17%)	"new man" — spiritual re-creation language
κτίσις (ktisis)	G2937	2x (17%)	cognate noun "creation/creature" in same verse
Χριστός (Christos)	G5547	2x (17%)	"created in Christ Jesus" — Christ as sphere of new creation
οὐρανός (ouranos)	G3772	2x (17%)	"created heaven" — cosmic creation scope
ἐνδύω (endyo)	G1746	2x (17%)	"put on the new man" — clothing metaphor for new creation

Word Family / Cognates¶

G2937 κτίσις (ktisis) — creation, creature (result-noun; 15v)
G2938 κτίσμα (ktisma) — creature, thing created (product-noun; 4v)
G2939 κτίστης (ktistes) — Creator (agent-noun; 1v — 1 Pet 4:19)
G2932 κτάομαι (ktaomai) — to acquire, possess (probable etymological root)

Easily Confused Words¶

Word	Strong's	Shared Translation	Key Difference
בָּרָא (bara)	H1254	"created"	Hebrew creation verb; bara = bringing into existence, ktizo = broader "found/fabricate" including spiritual re-creation
ποιέω (poieo)	G4160	"make"	General-purpose do/make verb (518v); ktizo is specialized for creative origination
πλάσσω (plasso)	G4111	"formed"	Physical shaping/molding (Rom 9:20, 1 Tim 2:13); ktizo emphasizes origination, plasso emphasizes material formation

Hebrew Source (via LXX)¶

Hebrew Source	Strong's	Co-occurrences	PMI	Notes
בָּרָא (bara)	H1254	16x	8.25	Primary bridge — Hebrew creation verb
יָצַר (yatsar)	H3335	4x	5.96	"form/fashion" — ktizo renders yatsar in creation contexts
קָנָה (qanah)	H7069	4x	5.58	"acquire/create" — Prov 8:22 "the LORD possessed/created me"
כּוּן (kuwn)	H3559	3x	3.67	"establish/prepare" — ktizo renders kuwn in founding contexts

The dominant LXX bridge is H1254 bara (16 co-occurrences, PMI 8.25). The LXX translators used ktizo as the primary Greek equivalent for the distinctive Hebrew creation verb, establishing the theological weight ktizo carries into the NT.