WG: Life
Overview
The NT life-concept involves a cluster of words that distinguish kinds and qualities of life — divine/eternal vs. biographical/material vs. soul-life — and define life against its antithesis, death.
Word Group Members
| Strong's |
Word |
Transliteration |
POS |
Occurrences |
Role in Concept |
Library Entry |
| G2222 |
ζωή |
zōḗ |
noun |
126 |
Life as divine gift / eternal quality |
G2222-zoe.md |
| G2198 |
ζάω |
záō |
verb |
127 |
To live, be alive |
TODO(need G2198 study) |
| G5590 |
ψυχή |
psychē |
noun |
94 |
Individual soul/personal life |
G5590-psyche.md |
| G979 |
βίος |
bíos |
noun |
11 |
Biographical life, livelihood |
TODO(need G979 study) |
| G2288 |
θάνατος |
thánatos |
noun |
106 |
Death — the primary antithesis |
G2288-thanatos.md |
| G166 |
αἰώνιος |
aiṓnios |
adj |
69 |
Eternal — the characteristic qualifier of ζωή |
G166-aionios.md |
Relationships
Shared Roots
- ζωή (G2222) and ζάω (G2198) share the root ζα- (live); ζωή is the noun from the verb
- ψυχή (G5590) derives from ψύχω (to breathe); βίος (G979) is a primary word with no clear root relation
Co-occurrence (same distinct verses)
| Word A |
Word B |
Shared Verses |
Typical Context |
| G2222 ζωή |
G166 αἰώνιος |
45 |
"eternal life" — the dominant NT phrase |
| G2222 ζωή |
G2288 θάνατος |
19 |
antithesis: "from death unto life", "wages of sin is death / gift of God is life" |
| G5590 ψυχή |
G2288 θάνατος |
5 |
"my soul is sorrowful unto death" (Matt 26:38); soul endangered by death |
| G5590 ψυχή |
G2198 ζάω |
5 |
"a living soul" (1 Cor 15:45); soul as the living principle |
| G2222 ζωή |
G2198 ζάω |
3 |
"living bread...he shall live forever" (John 6:51) |
| G2288 θάνατος |
G2198 ζάω |
3 |
"delivered unto death...the life also of Jesus" (2 Cor 4:11) |
| G2222 ζωή |
G5590 ψυχή |
1 |
John 12:25 — the key contrast passage |
Shared Hebrew Sources
| Hebrew |
Strong's |
Bridges |
| חַי (chay) |
H2416 |
→ ζωή (136 co-occ), → ζάω (195 co-occ), → θάνατος (31 antithetic), → ψυχή (62 co-occ) |
| נֶפֶשׁ (nephesh) |
H5315 |
→ ψυχή (599 co-occ), → ζωή (22 co-occ) |
| מָוֶת (mâveth) |
H4194 |
→ θάνατος (97 co-occ), → ζωή (12 antithetic) |
Roles in the Concept
- Divine quality: ζωή (G2222) — life as God's own attribute, given through the Son
- Verb: ζάω (G2198) — the act of living, being alive
- Personal soul: ψυχή (G5590) — the individual's life-self (risked, saved, lost)
- Material/biographical: βίος (G979) — earthly lifespan, livelihood, possessions
- Qualifier: αἰώνιος (G166) — eternal, age-lasting; transforms ζωή into the eschatological promise
- Antithesis: θάνατος (G2288) — death; defines ζωή by contrast throughout Paul and John
Key Passages Where Multiple Members Appear Together
- John 5:24 [ζωή + θάνατος + αἰώνιος] — "hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life"
- John 12:25 [ζωή + ψυχή + αἰώνιος] — "He that loveth his life (ψυχή) shall lose it...shall keep it unto life eternal (ζωὴν αἰώνιον)" — the clearest NT distinction between the two words
- Rom 5:21 [ζωή + θάνατος + αἰώνιος] — "as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign...unto eternal life"
- Rom 6:23 [ζωή + θάνατος + αἰώνιος] — "the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life"
- 2 Cor 4:11 [ζωή + θάνατος + ζάω] — "delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh"
Generated from: gather_word_data.py, gather_word_group_data.py
Last updated: 2026-04-01