Original Word: νέος
Part of Speech: Adjective
Transliteration: neos
Pronunciation: NEH-os
Phonetic Spelling: (neh'-os)
KJV: new, young
Word Origin: [a primary word]

1. "new"
2. (of persons) youthful
3. (of things) fresh
4. (figuratively) regenerate

new, young.

Including the comparative neoteros neh-o'-ter-os; a primary word; "new", i.e. (of persons) youthful, or (of things) fresh; figuratively, regenerate -- new, young.

3501 néos – new ("new on the scene"); recently revealed or "what was not there before" (TDNT), including what is recently discovered.

3501 /néos ("new on the scene") suggests something "new in time" – in contrast to its near-synonym (2537 /kainós, "new in quality").

STRONGS NT 3501: νέος

νέος, νέα, νεσον (allied with Latinnovus, German neu, English new; Curtius, § 433), as in Greek authors from Homer down,

1. recently born, young, youthful: Titus 2:4 (for נַעַר, Genesis 37:2; Exodus 33:11); οἶνος νέος, recently made, Matthew 9:17; Mark 2:22; Luke 5:31-39 (but 39 WH in brackets) (Sir. 9:10).

2. new: 1 Corinthians 5:7; Hebrews 12:24; equivalent to born again, ἄνθρωπος (which see 1 f.), Colossians 3:10. (Synonym: see καινός, at the end.)

STRONGS NT 3501: νεώτεροςνεώτερος, νεωτέρα, νεώτερον (comparitive of νέος, which see) (from Homer down), younger; i. e., a. younger (than now), John 21:18.

b. young, youthful (A. V. younger (relatively)): 1 Timothy 5:11, 14; Titus 2:6; opposed to πρεσβυετεροι, 1 Timothy 5:1; 1 Peter 5:5.

c. (strictly) younger by birth: Luke 15:12f (4 Macc. 12:1).

d. an attendant, servant (see νεανίσκος, at the end): Acts 5:6; inferior in rank, opposed to ὁ μείζων, Luke 22:26.

Semantic Range and Contexts

The term embraces two closely related ideas: (1) youthfulness in the sense of age or generational status, and (2) newness in the sense of something recent or fresh. Context determines the nuance, yet both ideas converge on vitality, promise, and that which has not yet reached full maturity.

Youth in Family and Society

Luke’s parable of the prodigal son pivots on “the younger son” (Luke 15:12-13) who prematurely claims his inheritance. His immaturity contrasts with the father’s patient love, reminding parents and children that youth is a season designed for growth under godly oversight. A similar domestic picture appears in John 21:18 where Jesus foretells Peter’s martyrdom: “When you were younger, you dressed yourself and walked where you wanted; but when you are old…”. Youth enjoys liberty but must learn submission so that later obedience will not be burdensome.

Discipleship of Younger Believers

“Likewise, you younger ones, submit yourselves to the elders” (1 Peter 5:5). The verse places younger believers within a structure of humble discipleship. Spiritual formation is accelerated when the vibrancy of youth is yoked to the wisdom of proven shepherds. Local churches must cultivate environments where younger members are heard, loved, and challenged, yet willingly defer to scriptural leadership.

Pastoral Charge Toward Younger Women and Men

Paul’s instructions to Timothy and Titus elevate pastoral care beyond mere age management to covenantal family life:
• “Do not rebuke an older man harshly, but exhort him as you would a father. Treat… younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity” (1 Timothy 5:1-2).
• “So I resolve to instruct the younger women to be loving wives and mothers, to be self-controlled, pure, managers of their households, kind, and subject to their own husbands” (Titus 2:4-5).
• “Likewise, urge the younger men to be self-controlled” (Titus 2:6).

Biblical discipleship is always relational and covenantal, steering youthful energy toward holiness rather than repression or indulgence.

New Wine and the Nature of the Gospel

Jesus’ twin parables in Matthew 9:17, Mark 2:22, and Luke 5:37-39 use “new wine” to illustrate that the gospel cannot be contained by old covenant structures: “Nor do people pour new wine into old wineskins… but they put new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved” (Matthew 9:17). The emphasis is not novelty for novelty’s sake but the incompatibility between unregenerate forms and Spirit-given life. Ministry that clings to dead ritual will burst; new covenant realities require Spirit-formed containers—renewed hearts and flexible communities.

The New Covenant Reality

Hebrews 12:24 celebrates “Jesus the mediator of a new covenant,” highlighting the term’s theological weight. The covenant is “new” not because the old was defective in origin but because Christ’s once-for-all sacrifice surpasses and completes it. Believers minister from a position of consummated redemption, proclaiming what is forever fresh and life-giving.

New Creation and Sanctification

Colossians 3:10 speaks of having “put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.” Here νέος depicts the regenerated person introduced into God’s family. The participle “being renewed” shows continuing transformation; thus, sanctification is the progressive unfolding of that initial newness. Likewise, 1 Corinthians 5:7 urges the church to “cleanse out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump,” connecting Passover imagery with moral purity. Newness must be guarded by continual repentance.

Humility and Order in Church Life

Luke 22:26 records Jesus’ counter-cultural call: “The greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who leads like the one who serves.” The youth imagery underscores humility. Leadership in Christ’s kingdom rejects self-promotion; it prizes service equivalent to the low social standing of the younger.

Practical Ministry Applications

1. Inter-generational Fellowship: Congregations should design mentorship paths where elders invest in the spiritual, vocational, and familial development of the younger.
2. Purity Culture Grounded in Grace: 1 Timothy 5:2 frames relational boundaries in terms of familial honor, offering an antidote to both permissiveness and legalism.
3. Flexibility in Methods, Fidelity in Message: The “new wine” passages permit methodological creativity while anchoring content in apostolic doctrine.
4. Continual Renewal: Personal and corporate life must reject complacency. Because the covenant is new, worship, preaching, and service should pulsate with present-tense reliance upon the Spirit.

Christological Implications

Christ is the eternal yet ever-fresh source of life. In Him the church embodies perpetual youthfulness—never juvenile, always vibrant. Every occurrence of the term, whether describing persons, wine, covenant, or creation, ultimately points to Jesus who makes “all things new” and shepherds His people from immaturity toward conformity to His mature stature.

Theological Reflection

The word instructs believers to prize youth without idolizing it, to embrace newness without discarding continuity, and to steward vitality under the Lordship of Christ. Scripture’s seamless portrayal of νέος—from practical household concerns to sweeping redemptive themes—confirms the unity of God’s revelation and its sufficiency for guiding every generation.

νέα Νεαν Νέαν νεας νέας νεον νέον νεος νέος νέου νέω νεών νέων νεωτέρα νεωτέραις νεωτέραν νεωτερας νεωτέρας νεωτεροι νεώτεροι νεώτερον νεωτερος νεώτερος νεωτέρου νεωτερους νεωτέρους νεωτέρω νεωτέρων Nean Néan neas néas neon néon neos néos neoteras neotéras neōteras neōtéras neoteroi neōteroi neṓteroi neoteros neōteros neṓteros neoterous neotérous neōterous neōtérousInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts