Word study
Life
13 Hebrew and 12 Greek words behind this English word
The original-language words that the Berean Standard Bible translates with one of these: life, lives. English often uses one word where Hebrew or Greek has several, each with its own shade of meaning. Under each word are verses where it is translated this way; choose the word itself for its full study: every verse, how else it is translated, the forms it takes and what the dictionaries say.
At a glance
How often each original word is translated “life” or one of its forms.
Compare the Hebrew words side by side Compare the Greek words side by side
Hebrew and Aramaic words (Old Testament)
- חַי chayalive, livingtranslated this way 182 times of its 485 uses · Strong’s H2416Noun · Translated: life 112, lives 62, living 59, live 53Full study and all 441 verses →
Genesis 1:30 And to every beast of the earth and every bird of the air and every creature that crawls upon the earth — everything that has the breath of life in it — I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so.
Exodus 1:14 and made their lives bitter with hard labor in brick and mortar, and with all kinds of work in the fields. Every service they imposed was harsh.
- נֶפֶשׁ nepheshsoul, living being, life, self, person, desire, appetite, emotion, and passiontranslated this way 160 times of its 666 uses · Strong’s H5315Noun · Translated: soul 178, life 119, lives 30, person 22Full study and all 622 verses →
Genesis 9:5 And surely I will require the life of any man or beast by whose hand your lifeblood is shed. I will demand an accounting from anyone who takes the life of his fellow man:
Exodus 21:23 But if a serious injury results, then you must require a life for a life —
- חָיָה châyâhlivetranslated this way 30 times of its 265 uses · Strong’s H2421Verb · Translated: live 96, lived 24, was 17, revive 14Full study and all 254 verses →
Genesis 45:7 God sent me before you to preserve you as a remnant on the earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance.
Deuteronomy 4:42 to which a manslayer could flee after killing his neighbor unintentionally without prior malice. To save one’s own life, he could flee to one of these cities:
- יוֹם yômdaytranslated this way 19 times of its 2,013 uses · Strong’s H3117Noun · Translated: day 1,009, days 524, today 141, time 72Full study and all 1,744 verses →
Genesis 44:32 Indeed, your servant guaranteed the boy’s safety to my father, saying, ‘If I do not return him to you, I will bear the guilt before you, my father, all my life.’
Deuteronomy 22:19 They are also to fine him a hundred shekels of silver and give them to the young woman’s father, because this man has given a virgin of Israel a bad name. And she shall remain his wife; he must not divorce her as long as he lives.
- עוֹלָם ôlâmlong duration, antiquity, futuritytranslated this way 4 times of its 341 uses · Strong’s H5769Noun · Translated: forever 114, everlasting 60, endures forever 43, permanent 38Full study and all 324 verses →
Exodus 21:6 then his master is to bring him before the judges. And he shall take him to the door or doorpost and pierce his ear with an awl. Then he shall serve his master for life.
Leviticus 25:46 You may leave them to your sons after you to inherit as property; you can make them slaves for life. But as for your brothers, the Israelites, no man may rule harshly over his brother.
- יָשַׁב yâshabsit, remain, dwelltranslated this way 4 times of its 1,049 uses · Strong’s H3427Verb · Translated: lived 103, dwell 89, live 84, sit 70Full study and all 960 verses →
- מִחְיָה michyâhpreservation of life, sustenancetranslated this way 3 times of its 7 uses · Strong’s H4241Noun · Translated: new life 2, save lives 1, raw 1, sustenance 1Full study and all 7 verses →
Genesis 45:5 And now, do not be distressed or angry with yourselves that you sold me into this place, because it was to save lives that God sent me before you.
Ezra 9:8 But now, for a brief moment, grace has come from the LORD our God to preserve for us a remnant and to give us a stake in His holy place. Even in our bondage, our God has given us new life and light to our eyes.
- חַי chaylivingtranslated this way 3 times of its 7 uses · Strong’s H2417Adjective · Translated: living 3, lives 2, alive 1, life 1Full study and all 7 verses →
Ezra 6:10 Then they will be able to offer sacrifices of a sweet aroma to the God of heaven and to pray for the lives of the king and his sons.
Daniel 4:34 But at the end of those days I, Nebuchadnezzar, looked up to heaven, and my sanity was restored to me. Then I praised the Most High, and I honored and glorified Him who lives forever: “For His dominion is an everlasting dominion, and His kingdom endures from generation to generation.
- כֹּל kôlthe whole, alltranslated this way 2 times of its 5,107 uses · Strong’s H3605Noun · Translated: all 1,589, and all 471, whole 223, every 196Full study and all 4,112 verses →
Genesis 9:5 And surely I will require the life of any man or beast by whose hand your lifeblood is shed. I will demand an accounting from anyone who takes the life of his fellow man:
- בָּשָׂר bâsârfleshtranslated this way 2 times of its 231 uses · Strong’s H1320Noun · Translated: flesh 91, meat 59, body 22, himself 8Full study and all 212 verses →
Genesis 9:11 And I establish My covenant with you: Never again will all life be cut off by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth.”
Genesis 9:15 I will remember My covenant between Me and you and every living creature of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life.
- עוֹד ôda going round, continuancetranslated this way 2 times of its 390 uses · Strong’s H5750Adverb · Translated: longer 80, still 63, again 52, more 38Full study and all 372 verses →
Genesis 48:15 Then he blessed Joseph and said: “May the God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has been my shepherd all my life to this day,
Numbers 22:30 But the donkey said to Balaam, “Am I not the donkey you have ridden all your life until today? Have I ever treated you this way before?” “No,” he replied.
- יָחִיד yâchîdonly one, solitarytranslated this way 2 times of its 12 uses · Strong’s H3173Adjective · Translated: your only 3, child 3, precious life 2, lonely 2Full study and all 12 verses →
Psalm 22:20 Deliver my soul from the sword, my precious life from the power of wild dogs.
Psalm 35:17 How long, O Lord, will You look on? Rescue my soul from their ravages, my precious life from these lions.
- גּוּר gûrsojourntranslated this way 2 times of its 88 uses · Strong’s H1481Verb · Translated: residing 8, reside 6, living 6, dwell 6Full study and all 85 verses →
Leviticus 18:26 But you are to keep My statutes and ordinances, and you must not commit any of these abominations— neither your native-born nor the foreigner who lives among you.
Ezra 1:4 And let every survivor, wherever he lives, be assisted by the men of that region with silver, gold, goods, and livestock, along with a freewill offering for the house of God in Jerusalem.’”
Greek words (New Testament)
- ζωή zōḗlifetranslated this way 130 times of its 134 uses · Strong’s G2222Noun · Translated: life 129, living 2, lifetime 1, alive 1Full study and all 127 verses →
Matthew 7:14 But small is the gate and narrow the way that leads to life, and only a few find it.
Mark 9:43 If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than to have two hands and go into hell, into the unquenchable fire.
- ψυχή psychḗthe soul, life, selftranslated this way 38 times of its 89 uses · Strong’s G5590Noun · Translated: life 33, soul 24, souls 14, lives 5Full study and all 80 verses →
Matthew 2:20 “Get up!” he said. “Take the Child and His mother and go to the land of Israel, for those seeking the Child’s life are now dead.”
Mark 3:4 And He asked them, “Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy it?” But they were silent.
- ζάω záōI livetranslated this way 22 times of its 140 uses · Strong’s G2198Verb · Translated: live 51, living 28, alive 18, lives 15Full study and all 124 verses →
John 11:26 And everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?”
Romans 6:10 The death He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life He lives, He lives to God.
- ζωοποιέω zōopoiéōI make to livetranslated this way 7 times of its 11 uses · Strong’s G2227Verb · Translated: gives life 4, made alive 2Full study and all 10 verses →
John 5:21 For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom He wishes.
Romans 4:17 As it is written: “I have made you a father of many nations.” He is our father in the presence of God, in whom he believed, the God who gives life to the dead and calls into being what does not yet exist.
- ἐγείρω egeírōI wake, arouse, raise uptranslated this way 4 times of its 144 uses · Strong’s G1453Verb · Translated: raised 53, Get 18, risen 13, got 11Full study and all 138 verses →
Matthew 16:21 From that time on Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests, and scribes, and that He must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.
Luke 9:22 “The Son of Man must suffer many things,” He said. “He must be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and scribes, and He must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.”
- ἀναστροφή anastrophḗbehavior, manner of lifetranslated this way 4 times of its 12 uses · Strong’s G391Noun · Translated: way of life 4, conduct 3, behavior 2, you do 1Full study and all 12 verses →
Galatians 1:13 For you have heard of my former way of life in Judaism, how severely I persecuted the church of God and tried to destroy it.
Ephesians 4:22 to put off your former way of life, your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires;
- βίος bíoslife, manner of life, livelihoodtranslated this way 3 times of its 9 uses · Strong’s G979Noun · Translated: live 2, life 2Full study and all 9 verses →
Luke 8:14 The seeds that fell among the thorns are those who hear, but as they go on their way, they are choked by the worries, riches, and pleasures of this life, and their fruit does not mature.
1 Timothy 2:2 for kings and all those in authority— so that we may lead tranquil and quiet lives in all godliness and dignity.
- ἡλικία hēlikíaage, staturetranslated this way 2 times of its 8 uses · Strong’s G2244Noun · Translated: life 2, stature 2, old enough 2, of 1Full study and all 8 verses →
Matthew 6:27 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?
Luke 12:25 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?
- αἰών aiṓnan age, a cycle of timetranslated this way 2 times of its 108 uses · Strong’s G165Noun · Translated: forever 43, age 22, ever 21, ages 5Full study and all 85 verses →
Matthew 13:22 The seed sown among the thorns is the one who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.
Mark 4:19 but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth, and the desire for other things come in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.
- βιωτικός biōtikósbelonging to ordinary lifetranslated this way 2 times of its 3 uses · Strong’s G982Adjective · Translated: life 1, things of this life 1, everyday matters 1Full study and all 3 verses →
Luke 21:34 But watch yourselves, or your hearts will be weighed down by dissipation, drunkenness, and the worries of life — and that day will spring upon you suddenly like a snare.
1 Corinthians 6:3 Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more the things of this life!
- ἀτάκτως atáktōsin a disorderly mannertranslated this way 2 times of its 2 uses · Strong’s G814Adverb · Translated: undisciplined life 1, undisciplined lives 1Full study and all 2 verses →
2 Thessalonians 3:6 Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to keep away from any brother who leads an undisciplined life that is not in keeping with the tradition you received from us.
2 Thessalonians 3:11 For we hear that some of you are leading undisciplined lives, accomplishing nothing, but being busybodies.
- οἰκέω oikéōI inhabit, dwelltranslated this way 2 times of its 9 uses · Strong’s G3611Verb · Translated: living 3, lives 2, dwells 2, live 2Full study and all 9 verses →
Romans 7:18 I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my flesh; for I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.
Romans 8:9 You, however, are controlled not by the flesh, but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.
How to study a word well
- Start from the verse, not the dictionary. Find which Hebrew or Greek word stands in the verse you are studying. One English word often translates several different original words.
- Read every place the word is used. A word means what its writers used it to mean. The list of verses and the count by book show its range, and who uses it most.
- Look at how it is translated. A word rendered five different ways has a wider meaning than any one English word can carry.
- Notice the form. A command is not a statement, and a passive verb is something done to the subject. The form in your verse is part of the meaning.
- See what it keeps company with. The words that appear beside it again and again show how the Bible itself connects ideas.
- Then read the dictionaries. They give the considered view of scholars, with their evidence.
- Come back to the verse. Context decides. A word does not carry every one of its meanings into every verse, and where a word came from does not settle what it means in a sentence written centuries later.
What the Bible says about life: passages by topic →
Scripture text and translation counts: Berean Standard Bible. Full entry: Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906, public domain), in the digital edition Brown-Driver-Briggs Enhanced by unfoldingWord (Joel Ruark, J. de Joode), based on data by Eliran Wong and Stephen Ku; its additions are used under CC BY 4.0. Strong’s Hebrew Dictionary: Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible Project, CC BY 4.0. Hebrew-to-English verse numbering: original work of the Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible available at https://github.com/openscriptures/morphhb, CC BY 4.0. We reformatted the data, linked the references to this site’s Bible text and left out words in other scripts that the source holds only as images. These are historical reference works; an entry gives its authors’ view, and a word’s meaning in any verse depends on how it is used there.