[B-Greek] Matt 1:20 to gennethen: Beget or conceive?

Anthony Buzzard anthonybuzzard at mindspring.com
Fri Dec 15 13:48:29 EST 2006


Thanks so much. I note that Thayers renders "that which is begotten in her".
And the RV tells us in the margin of Matt. 1:20 that the "Greek = begotten"
In your citation of the NIDNTT I see no example of "gennethen" (ie 
gennao) for conception.
Yes, of course, gennao as the causal form of ginomai means to bear of 
the mother and to beget of the father, but where is the evidence for 
gennao as "conceive" of the mother?
I was wondering if we can find any examples in the literature of 
gennao = conceive.
Anthony Buzzard


At 01:25 PM 12/15/2006, Bryant J. Williams III wrote:
>Dear Anthony,
>
>BDAG, 2nd Edition, page 155, 2nd column, top of page, translates MT 1:20,
>"TO EN AUTHi GENNHQEN EK PNEUMATOS ESTIN that which is conceived in her is
>of the Spirit Mt 1:20 (TO GENNHQEN of that which is yet unborn: Diod. S. 17,
>77, 3).
>
>NIDNTT, Colin Brown, Volume 1, pp. 176-179, article, "Birth," by A.
>Ringwald, states the following regarding the use of GENNAO,
>     "CL GENNAO is a causal form of GINOMAI (Liddell-Scott, 344).Cf. the
>back-formation GENNA, origin race, birth. It belongs to the same root GEN-
>which appears in various Lat. words like GENUS (race), Old High German KIND,
>(child) and various derivatives via Lat. such as pregnant, malignant (cf.
>Lat. (G)NASCOR, to be born; NATUS, born, birth; NATURA, birth, nature;
>NAEVUS,  birth mark, mole).
>     Like>TIKTO and TEKNOO, GENNAO IS USED OF BEGETTING by the father and
>bearing by the mother as in the Heb. equivalents, the LXX, and the NT. The
>is certainly the case in later Gk. literature (Apollodorus, Lucian,
>Plutarch). In the secular world of the NT times GENNAO has the meaning of
>"come into being" as well as "produce" in a metaphorical or vague general
>senses (cf. 2 Tim. 2:23 of quarrels; Gal. 4:24 of the covenants). (p. 176)
>
>"The actual meaning of GENNAO must be determined by the context in both its
>active and passive forms, as it is used of both of the father and the mother
>as in cl. Gk. (cf. Matt. 1:3, 5f.; 2:1, 4; 19:12; Lk. 1:13; Jn 9:34; 16:21;
>Gal. 4:23). It is, however, used in a fig. or extended sense as follows:
>..." (p. 178).
>
>En Xristwi,
>
>Rev. Bryant J. Williams III
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "Anthony Buzzard" <anthonybuzzard at mindspring.com>
>To: <b-greek at lists.ibiblio.org>
>Sent: Friday, December 15, 2006 9:27 AM
>Subject: [B-Greek] Matt 1:20 to gennethen: Beget or conceive?
>
>
> > In Matt. 1:20 TO GENNETHEN is rendered generally as "what is conceived in
>her"
> > Can anyone comment on that translation? Is not GENNAO really a
> > begetting here, the action of the father?  Is GENNAO elsewhere ever
> > translated "conceive"?
> > Anthony Buzzard
> >
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Anthony Buzzard
www.restorationfellowship.org 


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