# G2198 - zao **Strong's:** [G2198](https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g2198/) · BLB lookup **Pronunciation:** dzah'-o **Part of speech:** verb (active) **Hebrew equivalents (LXX):** חָיָה (*ḥayah*, "to live"); [H2416 - chay](/codex/h2416-chay/), the adjective "living"; the broader root cluster. **NT occurrences:** 140, distributed across the Gospels (esp. John), Acts, Pauline epistles (esp. Romans, Galatians, Corinthians), Hebrews, 1 Peter, Revelation. ## Semantic range (Thayer / BDAG) 1. **To be alive (physically / biologically)**, the standard medical-physical sense. To draw breath; to function biologically. 2. **To return to life / be raised**, the resurrection sense; passive constructions (cf. *zaō* used of Christ post-resurrection: [Luke 24:5](/codex/luke-24-5/), [23](/codex/luke-24-23/), "He is alive"; [Acts 1:3](/codex/acts-1-3/), [25](/codex/acts-1-25/):19; [Rom 6:10](/codex/romans-6-10/)). 3. **To live (spiritually / eschatologically)**, the qualitative-life sense; *zōē* / *zaō* as the redeemed life shared with God. Distinct from *bios* (the everyday physical life), *zaō* / *zōē* often denote the higher / divine / eternal life. 4. **To live (manner of life)**, to conduct oneself, to walk in a particular way ([Rom 14:7-8](/codex/romans-14-7-8/), "none of us lives for himself... whether we live or die, we are the Lord's"). 5. **To live forever / eternally (present-active force when applied to God / Christ)**, the divine-eternal-life sense (the "living God" idiom; Christ as "the living one"). ## Theological force, the resurrection-side word *Zaō* is the verb *on the other side of the cross*, the verbal correspondent to [G3498 - nekros](/codex/g3498-nekros/) in the resurrection-axis word-pair. Where *nekros* names the state Christ entered and overcame, *zaō* names the state Christ now occupies and shares. **Christ as "the living one."** The post-resurrection idiom is consistently in the present-active: Christ *lives*. The angel at the empty tomb: "why do you seek the *living* (*zōnta*) among the *dead* (*nekrōn*)?" ([Luke 24:5](/codex/luke-24-5/)). Christ to John on Patmos: "I was *dead* (*egenomēn nekros*), and behold, I am *alive forever and ever* (*zōn eis tous aiōnas tōn aiōnōn*)" ([Rev 1:18](/codex/revelation-1-18/)). The grammatical present captures the *enduring* state of resurrection-life, not a one-time event in the past but the *standing reality* of the risen Christ. **The "I AM the life" claim.** Jesus's *egō eimi* sayings (cf. [G1510 - eimi](/codex/g1510-eimi/)) include "I am the resurrection *and the life* (*hē zōē*)" ([John 11:25](/codex/john-11-25/)). The verbal *zaō* is intimate with the substantive *zōē* (life). The whole Christ-as-life Christology in the Gospel of John (1:4, "in Him was life"; 5:26, "as the Father has life in Himself, so He gave to the Son also to have life in Himself"; 14:6, "I am the way, the truth, and the life") sits on this lexical-conceptual base. **The believer's life "in Christ."** Paul's most concentrated treatment is **[Galatians 2:20](/codex/galatians-2-20/)**: "I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live (*zō*), but Christ lives in me (*zē en emoi Christos*); and the life (*zōē*) which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God." The *zaō* verb here carries the entire Pauline-mystical-union doctrine: the Christian's continuing existence is *Christ-living-in-the-Christian*, life in the resurrected sense, not merely biological subsistence. **The "living God" idiom.** *Theos zōn*, the *living God*, distinguishes the God of Israel from idols (which are *dead*, [Ps 115:4-7](/codex/psalms-115-4-7/); [Jer 10:5](/codex/jeremiah-10-5/)). This OT idiom ([1 Sam 17:26](/codex/1-samuel-17-26/), [36](/codex/1-samuel-17-36/); [Pss 42:2](/codex/psalms-42-2/), [84](/codex/psalms-42-84/):2; [Hos 1:10](/codex/hosea-1-10/); [Dan 6:20](/codex/daniel-6-20/)) carries directly into the NT ([Mt 16:16](/codex/matthew-16-16/), Peter's confession, "the Christ, the Son of the *living* God"; [Heb 9:14](/codex/hebrews-9-14/), [10](/codex/hebrews-9-10/):31, 12:22; [Rev 7:2](/codex/revelation-7-2/)). The living God *gives* life; the dead idols *cannot*. ## Notable verses ### Christ as the living one - **[Luke 24:5](/codex/luke-24-5/)**, "why do you seek the living (*zōnta*) among the dead (*nekrōn*)?" - **[Acts 1.3](/codex/acts-1-3/)**, "He also presented Himself alive (*zōnta*) after His suffering, by many convincing proofs" - **[Romans 6.10](/codex/romans-6-10/)**, "the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives (*zēi*), He lives to God" - **[Romans 14:9](/codex/romans-14-9/)**, "to this end Christ died and lived again, that He might be Lord both of the dead and of the living" - **[Hebrews 7.25](/codex/hebrews-7-25/)**, "He always lives (*pantote zōn*) to make intercession for them" - **[Revelation 1.18](/codex/revelation-1-18/)**, "I was dead, and behold, I am alive forever and ever (*zōn eis tous aiōnas tōn aiōnōn*); and I have the keys of death and of Hades" ### "I am the life" / Christ-as-life Christology - **[John 5:21](/codex/john-5-21/)**, "as the Father raises the dead and gives them life (*zōopoiei*), even so the Son also gives life to whom He wishes" - **[John 5.26](/codex/john-5-26/)**, "as the Father has life (*zōēn*) in Himself, even so He gave to the Son also to have life in Himself" - **[John 6.51](/codex/john-6-51/)**, "I am the living bread (*ho artos ho zōn*) which came down out of heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever" - **[John 6.57](/codex/john-6-57/)**, "as the living Father (*ho zōn patēr*) sent Me, and I live (*kagō zō*) because of the Father" - **[John 11.25](/codex/john-11-25/)**, "I am the resurrection and the life (*hē zōē*); he who believes in Me will live (*zēsetai*) even if he dies" - **[John 14.6](/codex/john-14-6/)**, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life (*hē zōē*)" - **[John 14:19](/codex/john-14-19/)**, "because I live (*zō*), you will live also" ### The believer's life in Christ - **[Galatians 2.20](/codex/galatians-2-20/)**, "I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God" - **[Romans 6:11](/codex/romans-6-11/)**, "consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive (*zōntas*) to God in Christ Jesus" - **[Romans 14:7-8](/codex/romans-14-7-8/)**, "for none of us lives for himself, and not one dies for himself; for if we live, we live for the Lord, or if we die, we die for the Lord" - **[2 Corinthians 5:15](/codex/2-corinthians-5-15/)**, "He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf" - **[Philippians 1:21](/codex/philippians-1-21/)**, "for to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain" ### The living God - **[Matthew 16.16](/codex/matthew-16-16/)**, Peter's confession: "You are the Christ, the Son of the *living God*" - **[Matthew 26:63](/codex/matthew-26-63/)**, the high priest: "I adjure You by the *living God*" - **[John 6:69](/codex/john-6-69/)**, "we have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God" - **[Acts 14:15](/codex/acts-14-15/)**, Paul to the Lystrans: "turn from these vain things to a *living God*" - **[Romans 9:26](/codex/romans-9-26/)**, "they shall be called sons of the *living God*" - **[1 Thessalonians 1:9](/codex/1-thessalonians-1-9/)**, "you turned to God from idols to serve a *living and true God*" - **[Hebrews 9.14](/codex/hebrews-9-14/)**, "the blood of Christ... will cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the *living God*" - **[Hebrews 10:31](/codex/hebrews-10-31/)**, "it is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the *living God*" ### Eternal-life / eschatological - **[John 5.24](/codex/john-5-24/)**, "he who hears My word and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life... he has passed out of death into life" - **[John 6:51](/codex/john-6-51/), [58](/codex/john-6-58/)**, "he who eats this bread shall live forever" - **[Romans 8.13](/codex/romans-8-13/)**, "if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live" - **[1 Thessalonians 5:10](/codex/1-thessalonians-5-10/)**, "who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we will live together with Him" ## Patristic / scholarly note The Gospel of John's Christ-as-life Christology is the dominant patristic lens for *zaō* / *zōē*. **[Cyril of Alexandria](/codex/cyril-of-alexandria/)** (*Commentary on John*) develops the *life-from-life* tradition: the Father has life *aseity* (in Himself), and grants the Son to have life in Himself ([John 5:26](/codex/john-5-26/)), an eternal-generation pattern that secures Christ's full deity while preserving the Father-Son relation. **Athanasius** (*De Incarnatione* 33-44), Christ's resurrection is the *enduring* state of life that defeats death once for all. In Reformed theology, **John Murray** and **Anthony Hoekema** develop the *zaō* / *nekros* contrast in the *ordo salutis*: the spiritually-dead are made spiritually-alive (*zōopoieō*) by monergistic divine action; this is regeneration. **Sinclair Ferguson** (*The Christian Life*), the believer's continuing experience of *Christ-living-in-me* ([Gal 2:20](/codex/galatians-2-20/)) is the daily working out of the resurrection-life. The *theos zōn* tradition (the *living God*) is one of the OT's strongest polemics against idolatry: idols are *dead* ([Ps 115:4-7](/codex/psalms-115-4-7/); [Jer 10](/codex/jeremiah-10/)), they have eyes that don't see, ears that don't hear, mouths that don't speak. The *living God* is the antithesis: the God *who is and acts* in the present tense. The Christian apologetic appeal to the resurrection trades on this: the *living* Christ is the proof that the *living* God acted in history ([Acts 17:31](/codex/acts-17-31/), "He has furnished proof... by raising Him from the dead"). ## Verses in this codex _See Obsidian's backlinks pane for every verse page linking here._ Central anchors: [John 11.25](/codex/john-11-25/), [John 14.6](/codex/john-14-6/), [Galatians 2.20](/codex/galatians-2-20/), [Romans 6:10-11](/codex/romans-6-10-11/), [Hebrews 7.25](/codex/hebrews-7-25/), [Revelation 1.18](/codex/revelation-1-18/), [Matthew 16.16](/codex/matthew-16-16/) (Peter's confession of the living God), [Hebrews 10:31](/codex/hebrews-10-31/) ("the hands of the living God"). ## See also - [G3498 - nekros](/codex/g3498-nekros/), *nekros* (dead), the antonym; the resurrection-axis pair - [G2222 - zoe](/codex/g2222-zoe/), *zōē* (life), the noun correspondent - [G2288 - thanatos](/codex/g2288-thanatos/), *thanatos* (death), the abstract antonym - [G0386 - anastasis](/codex/g0386-anastasis/), *anastasis* (resurrection), the act - [G1453 - egeiro](/codex/g1453-egeiro/), *egeirō* (to raise), the resurrection-verb - [H2416 - chay](/codex/h2416-chay/), *ḥay* (living), Hebrew correspondent - [Argument from the Resurrection](/codex/argument-from-the-resurrection/), the apologetic frame - [Christology](/codex/christianity/), Christ-as-life Christology - Passages: [John 11.25](/codex/john-11-25/), [John 14.6](/codex/john-14-6/), [Galatians 2.20](/codex/galatians-2-20/), [Romans 6](/codex/romans-6/), [Revelation 1.18](/codex/revelation-1-18/)