Original Word: γεννάω
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: gennaó
Pronunciation: ghen-nah'-o
Phonetic Spelling: (ghen-nah'-o)
KJV: bear, beget, be born, bring forth, conceive, be delivered of, gender, make, spring
NASB: born, father, became the father of, begotten, bear, bearing children, became father
Word Origin: [from a variation of G1085 (γένος - kind)]

1. (properly, of the father) to procreate
2. (by extension, of the mother) to conceive
3. (figuratively) to regenerate

bear, beget, conceive.

From a variation of genos; to procreate (properly, of the father, but by extension of the mother); figuratively, to regenerate -- bear, beget, be born, bring forth, conceive, be delivered of, gender, make, spring.

see GREEK genos

1080 gennáō – properly, beget (procreate a descendant), produce offspring; (passive) be born, "begotten."

Word Origin
from genna (descent, birth)
Definition
to beget, to bring forth
NASB Translation
bear (1), bearing children (1), became the father of (4), became...father (1), begotten (4), bore (1), born (41), Child (1), conceived (1), father (37), Father (1), gave (1), gives birth (1), produce (1).

STRONGS NT 1080: γεννάω

γεννάω, γέννω; future γεννήσω; 1 aorist ἐγέννησα; perfect γεγέννηκά; (passive, present γεννάομαι, γεννωμαι); perfect γεγέννημαι; 1 aorist ἐγεννήθην; (from γεννᾷ, poetic for γένος); in Greek writings from Pindar down; in the Sept. for יָלַד; to beget;

1. properly: of men begetting children, Matthew 1:1-16; Acts 7:8, 29; followed by ἐκ with the genitive of the mother, Matthew 1:3, 5, 6; more rarely of women giving birth to children, Luke 1:13, 57; Luke 23:29; John 16:21; εἰς δουλείαν to bear a child unto bondage, that will be a slave, Galatians 4:24 ((Xenophon, de rep. Lac. 1, 3); Lucian, de sacrif. 6; Plutarch, de liber. educ. 5; others; the Sept. Isaiah 66:9; 4 Macc. 10:2, etc.). Passive, to be begotten: τό ἐν αὐτῇ γεννηθέν that which is begotten in her womb, Matthew 1:20; to be born: Matthew 2:1, 4 (Winers Grammar, 266 (250); Buttmann, 203 (176)); ; Mark 14:21; Luke 1:35; John 3:4; (Acts 7:20); Romans 9:11; Hebrews 11:23; with the addition εἰς τόν κόσμον, John 16:21; followed by ἐν with the dative of place, Acts 22:3; ἀπό τίνος, to spring from one as father, Hebrews 11:12 (L WH marginal reading ἐγεννήθησαν see Tdf. at the passage); ἐκ τίνος to be born of a mother, Matthew 1:16; ἐκ πορνείας, John 8:41; ἐξ αἱμάτων, ἐκ θελήματος ἀνδρός, John 1:13; ἐκ τῆς σαρκός, John 3:6 (Rec.elz γεγενημένον); ἐν ἁμαρτίαις ὅλος, John 9:34 (see ἁμαρτία, 2 a.); εἰς τί, to be born for something, John 18:37; 2 Peter 2:12 (Tdf. γεγενημένα so Rec.st bez); with an adjective: τυφλός γεγέννημαι, John 9:2, 19f, 32; Ῥωμαῖος to be supplied, Acts 22:28; τῇ διαλέκτῳ, ἐν ἡ ἐγεννήθημεν, Acts 2:8; γεννηθείς κατά σάρκα begotten or born according to (by) the working of natural passion; κατά πνεῦμα according to (by) the working of the divine promise, Galatians 4:29, cf. Galatians 4:23.

2. metaphorically,

a. universally, to engender, cause to arise, excite: μάχας, 2 Timothy 2:23 (βλαβην, λύπην, etc. in Greek writings).

b. in a Jewish sense, of one who brings others over to his way of life: ὑμᾶς ἐγέννησα I am the author of your Christian life, 1 Corinthians 4:15; Philemon 1:10 (Sanhedr. fol. 19, 2 "If one teaches the son of his neighbor the law, the Scripture reckons this the same as though he had begotten him"; (cf. Philo, leg. ad Gaium § 8)).

c. after Psalm 2:7, it is used of God making Christ his son;

a. formally to show him to be the Messiah (υἱόν τοῦ Θεοῦ), viz. by the resurrection: Acts 13:33.

b. to be the author of the divine nature which he possesses (but compare the commentaries on the passages that follow): Hebrews 1:5; Hebrews 5:5.

d. peculiarly, in the Gospel and First Epistle of John, of God conferring upon men the nature and disposition of his sons, imparting to them spiritual life, i. e. by his own holy power prompting and persuading souls to put faith in Christ and live a new life consecrated to himself; absolutely 1 John 5:1; mostly in passive, ἐκ Θεοῦ or ἐκ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐγεννήθησαν, γεγέννηται, γεγεννημένος, etc.: John 1:13; 1 John 2:29 (Rec.st γεγένηται); ; also ἐκ τοῦ πνεύματος γέννασθαι, John 3:6 (Rec.elz γεγενημένον), ; ἐξ ὕδατος καί πνεύματος (because that moral generation is effected in receiving baptism ((?) cf. Schaff's Lange, Godet, Westcott, on the words, and references under the word βάπτισμα, 3)), John 3:5; ἄνωθεν γέννασθαι, John 3:3, 7 (see ἄνωθεν, c.) equivalent to τέκνον Θεοῦ γίνεσθαι, . (Compare: ἀναγεννάω.)

Overview

Strong’s 1080 gathers every New Testament use of the verb that describes the act of bringing forth life—whether physical birth, spiritual regeneration, or the unique begetting of the Messiah. The contexts cluster around four great themes: (1) covenant genealogy, (2) the Incarnation and exaltation of Jesus Christ, (3) the new birth of believers, and (4) spiritual parenthood in ministry.

Covenant Genealogy and Historical Continuity

Matthew opens his Gospel with a deliberate, rhythmic repetition of the verb (Matthew 1:2-16) to trace the royal line from Abraham to “Jesus, who is called Christ.” Each “he begat” ties the Lord to Israel’s story, underscoring God’s unbroken faithfulness. Stephen’s speech mirrors this concern for covenant continuity, noting that Jacob “became the father of the twelve patriarchs” (Acts 7:8) and that Moses was “born” as God’s chosen deliverer (Acts 7:20). Hebrews recalls Abraham, who, “though as good as dead, was father of many nations” (Hebrews 11:12), proving that divine promise overrides human limitation.

Messianic Begetting: Incarnation and Exaltation

1. Incarnation: The angel assures Joseph that the Child “conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 1:20), while Gabriel tells Mary, “the holy One to be born will be called the Son of God” (Luke 1:35). The virgin birth is thus a supernatural begetting, safeguarding both Christ’s true humanity and His sinless divinity.
2. Exaltation: Three New Testament texts (Acts 13:33; Hebrews 1:5; Hebrews 5:5) quote Psalm 2:7, “You are My Son; today I have begotten You,” applying it to Jesus’ resurrection and enthronement. The verb therefore anchors both the cradle and the empty tomb, testifying that the One uniquely begotten in time is eternally begotten of the Father.

Spiritual Rebirth and the Life of God in Believers

Jesus declares, “Unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3); “unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter the kingdom of God” (John 3:5). John contrasts “what is born of the flesh” with “what is born of the Spirit” (John 3:6), shifting the conversation from biology to regeneration. The Apostle’s first letter applies the same verb to every believer:

• “Everyone who practices righteousness has been born of Him” (1 John 2:29).
• “No one born of God keeps on sinning” (1 John 3:9).
• “Everyone who loves is born of God and knows God” (1 John 4:7).
• “Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God” (1 John 5:1).
• “Whatever is born of God overcomes the world” (1 John 5:4).
• “The One born of God keeps him, and the evil one cannot touch him” (1 John 5:18).

New birth is thus simultaneously a decisive act of God and the beginning of a transformed life characterized by faith, righteousness, love, victory, and preservation.

Apostolic Fatherhood and Disciple-Making

Paul appropriates the language of begetting for pastoral ministry: “In Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel” (1 Corinthians 4:15). Writing from prison, he calls converted Onesimus “my child whom I have begotten while in chains” (Philemon 1:10). Making disciples is seen as the spiritual counterpart to physical procreation; preaching the gospel births new believers.

Ethical and Redemptive Contrasts

• Flesh versus promise: Ishmael was “born according to the flesh,” Isaac “through the promise” (Galatians 4:23, 29).
• Divine mercy versus human merit: Believers are “born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God” (John 1:13).
• Light versus darkness: Peter warns that false teachers are “creatures of instinct, born to be captured and destroyed” (2 Peter 2:12), a stark inversion of the new-birth motif.

Eschatological Dimension

Jesus tells Pilate, “For this reason I was born, and for this reason I came into the world—to testify to the truth” (John 18:37). His mission, rooted in a unique begetting, secures the new creation into which every regenerate person is born. The consummation of that creation is foreshadowed in the triumph of those “born of God” who already overcome the world.

Practical Ministry Applications

1. Evangelism aims at spiritual birth; preaching is a midwife’s work (1 Corinthians 4:15).
2. Discipleship nurtures the newborn, moving them from milk to maturity.
3. Holiness flows from new life; those begotten of God bear the family likeness.
4. Assurance rests on divine, not human, origin: the believer’s birth is God-wrought and therefore secure.

Selected Reference Index

Matthew 1:2-20; 2:1, 4

Luke 1:13, 35, 57; 23:29

John 1:13; 3:3-8; 9:19-34; 16:21; 18:37

Acts 2:8; 7:8, 20, 29; 13:33; 22:3, 28

Romans 9:11

1 Corinthians 4:15

Galatians 4:23-29

Philemon 1:10

Hebrews 1:5; 5:5; 11:12, 23

1 Peter 1:3 (conceptually related)

1 John 2:29; 3:9; 4:7; 5:1-18

2 Peter 2:12

Revelation 12:5 (conceptually related to Messianic birth)

Strong’s 1080 thus charts the sweep of Scripture from promise to fulfillment, from earthly genealogy to heavenly family, and from the cradle of Bethlehem to the new birth of every child of God.

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