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Bible Lexicons
Old & New Testament Greek Lexical Dictionary Greek Lexicon
Strong's #1103 - γνήσιος
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- legitimately born, not spurious
- true, genuine, sincere
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γνήσι-ος, α, ον, (γένος)
1. belonging to the race, i. e. lawfully begotten, born in wedlock, νόθον καὶ γνήσιον Il. 11.102, cf. Od. 14.202, Hdt. 3.2, Leg.Gort. 10.41, Ar. Av. 1665, And. 1.127, D. 44.49, etc.; παίδων ἐπ' ἀρότῳ γνησίων Men. Pk. 435; ἀδελφός Ar. Av. 1659; νόθος.. γνησίοις ἴσως σθένει S. Fr. 87; φρονοῦντα γνήσια E. Hipp. 309; γ. φρόνημα S. Fr. 307.
2. generally, genuine, legitimate, φίλος Phoc. 2 A; γ. γυναῖκες lawful wives, opp. παλλακίδες, X. Cyr. 4.3.1; πολῖται Arist. Pol. 1278a30, cf. 1319b9; γ. τῆς Ἑλλάδος true Greeks, D. 9.30; ἀκουστής D.H. Isoc. 18 (Sup.); μήτηρ τῶν ἐρωτικῶν λόγων, of Aphrodite, Luc. Am. 19; γ. ἀρεταί real, unfeigned virtues, Pi. O. 2.11; γ. ὕμνοι inspired song, B. 8.83; of fevers, γ. τριταῖος a genuine tertian, Hp. Prog. 24; γ. ὄξος genuine vinegar, Eub. 65; of writings, genuine, Gal. 15.748, Harp. s.v. Ἀλκιβιάδης. Adv. -ίως genuinely, truly, E. Alc. 678, Lys. 2.76, D. 3.32, etc.; γ. φέρειν bear nobly, Antiph. 281, Men. 205; lawfully, τοῖς γ. συμβιώσασιν Phld. Piet. 93. II γνήσια, τά, charges on land, γ. δημόσια PAmh. 86.15 (i A. D.), cf. PLond. 3.1157.4 (ii A. D.).
γνήσιος, γνησια, γνήσιον (by syncope for γενησιος from γίνομαι, γένομαι (cf. Curtius, § 128)), legitimately born, not spurious; genuine, true, sincere: Philippians 4:3; 1 Timothy 1:2; Titus 1:4; τό τῆς ἀγάπης γνήσιον equivalent to τήν γνησιοτητα (A. V. (the sincerity), 2 Corinthians 8:8. (From Homer down.)
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** γνήσιος , -α , -ον
(< γίγνομαι ),
[in LXX: Sirach 7:18, 3 Maccabees 3:19 *;]
1. prop., lawfully begotten, born in wedlock (in Papyri, γυνὴ γ ., a lawful wife; MM, s.v.).
2. true, genuine, sincere: Philippians 4:3, 1 Timothy 1:2, Titus 1:4; as subst., τὸ γ . = ἡ γνησιότης , sincerity, 2 Corinthians 8:8.†
Copyright © 1922 by G. Abbott-Smith, D.D., D.C.L.. T & T Clarke, London.
The primary sense, ";born in wedlock,"; is overshadowed by derived applications, but it survives in occasional formulae : thus even P Flor III. 294.12 (iv/A.D.) (see p. ix.) has καὶ γνησίων τέκνων σπο [ρᾷ in a marriage contract. In the earliest dated Greek papyrus, P Eleph 1.3 (B.C. 311–10) (= Selections, p. 2), a marriage contract begins λαμβάνει Ἡρακλείδης Δημητρίαν Κώιαν γυναῖκα γνησίαν , ";as his lawful wedded wife"; : cf. PSI I. 64.4 (? i/B.C.) where a woman promises a man to live with him as long as he lives, ὡ ]ς γνησ ̣[ία ] γαμετή , and P Oxy X. 1267.15 (A.D. 209) τοῦ Ζωίλου γνήσιον υἱὸν Ὡρ ̣είωνα , ";Zoïlus’ legitimate son Horion."; In P Amh II. 86.15 (A.D. 78) we have χωρὶς γνησίων δημοσίων , ";apart from the legal public charges"; : cf. P. Oxy VII. 1031.21 (A.D. 228) γνη [σ ]ίοις τελέσμασι , P Lond 1157.4 (? A.D. 197–8) (= III. p. 62) ἐστὶ δὲ ἀριθμήσεως Φαῶφι εἰς Ἀθὺρ γνησ (ίων ), P Strass I. 2.13 (A.D. 217) ἐ ̣κ ̣τὸς τῶν σιτικῶν γνησίων . From this it is an easy transition to the sense of ";suitable,"; ";fitting,"; as in P Giss I. 47.4 (Hadrian) ἐπὶ τῶι κατὰ τὰς [ε ]ὐ ̣χὰς ̣ γνη ̣σία καὶ λείαν ἄξια εὑρῆσθαι and .15 παραζώ [ν ]ιον γὰρ πρὸς τὸ παρὸν γνήσιον οὐχ εὑρέθη . Close to this lies its use for ";genuine"; as an epithet of φίλος or the like, as in Philippians 4:3 : so BGU I. 86.19 (A.D. 155) τὸν γνήσιον αὑτοῦ φίλον . Thus it becomes an epithet of affectionate appreciation : so P Oxy I. 48.12 (A.D. 86) τοῦ μετηλλαχότος αὐτῆς γνησίου ἀδελφοῦ . Cf. 1 Timothy 1:2 Τιμοθέῳ γνησίῳ τέκνῳ ἐν πίστει : in 2 Timothy 1:2 ἀγαπητῷ is substituted for γνησίῳ Cf. the use of the adverb, as in Philippians 2:20, = ";honestly, sincerely"; : so P Lond 130.3 (i/ii A.D.) (= I. p. 133) γ ]νησίως τε περ [ὶ ] τὰ οὐράνια φιλοπονήσαντες , P Tebt II. 326.11 (c. A.D. 266) προ [στ ]ήσεσθαι γνησίως τοῦ παιδίου , ";will honourably protect the child"; (Edd.), BGU I. 248.21 (ii/A.D.) τὰ ἔργα τῶν ἀμπέλων ἰδίων γνησίως γενέσθωι . Add from the inscriptions Syll 722.41 (ii/B.C.) φανερὰ ἦι ἁ εὔνοια τοῖς γνησίως καὶ ἐνδόξως τῶν καλλίστων ἐπιταδουμάτων προεστακόσι , Michel 544.28 (B.C. 114) γνησίως στοιχῶν ἐν πᾶσιν τῇ ἑαυτοῦ κα [λοκ ]ἀγαθίαι , and for the adj. OGIS 339.7 (Sestos, c. B.C. 120) πρὸ πλείστου θέμενος τὸ πρὸς τὴν πατρίδα γνήσιον καὶ ἐκτενές , which is a good illustration of 2 Corinthians 8:8. Note also Michel 394.48 (middle i/B.C.) γ ]νησ [ί ]αν ἔχοντι πρὸς πάντας φιλοστοργίαν , and Syll 365.13 (A.D. 37) οὐχ ὡς εἰς φίλην μόνον ἀλλὰ καὶ ὡς εἰς γνησίαν πατρίδα . It seems from the record that Lightfoot rather overdoes the consciousness of the word’s ultimate origin when he paraphrases (on Philippians 2:20) ";i.e. as a birth-right, as an instinct derived from his spiritual parentage."; It is by no means clear that γνήσιος was still felt to be normally the antithesis of νόθος , and most of its usages are wide of this.
Copyright © 1914, 1929, 1930 by James Hope Moulton and George Milligan. Hodder and Stoughton, London.
Derivative Copyright © 2015 by Allan Loder.