# G2222 - zoe **Strong's:** [G2222](https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g2222/) · BLB lookup **Pronunciation:** dzo-ay' **Part of speech:** feminine noun **Root:** from [G2198 - zao](/codex/g2198-zao/) (ζάω, "to live") **Hebrew equivalent (LXX):** [H2416 - chay](/codex/h2416-chay/) (חַי, "living"), and the noun *chayyim* (חַיִּים). **NT occurrences:** ~135 ## Semantic range (Thayer / BDAG) 1. **Physical / biological life**, the state of being animate; the breath of life ([James 4:14](/codex/james-4-14/), [Acts 17:25](/codex/acts-17-25/), [Luke 16:25](/codex/luke-16-25/)). Often paired with or contrasted to *bios* (G979, physical existence, lifestyle, livelihood). 2. **Eternal / divine life**, the dominant theological sense in the NT, especially in Johannine usage. Real, vigorous, authentic life devoted to God; both present possession and future consummation. ## *Zōē* vs *bios*, the technical distinction Greek has two main "life" words; the NT uses them with theological precision: - **βίος (*bios*, G979)**, bodily life, lifespan, livelihood, way of living. Used for the *what-of-life*: the things that fill and characterize physical existence ([Mark 12:44](/codex/mark-12-44/) widow's mite "all the *bios* she had"; [Luke 8:14](/codex/luke-8-14/) "pleasures of *bios*"; [1 John 2:16](/codex/1-john-2-16/) "the boastful pride of *bios*"). - **ζωή (*zōē*)**, life itself, vitality, life-as-such. Used for the *fact-of-life*. In Johannine and Pauline usage, especially the *divine life* God shares, eternal life, abundant life, life in Christ. The contrast: *bios* is what you have *while* you live; *zōē* is *that you live at all*. The NT presses *zōē* as the gift of God, not a creaturely property. ## Theological force, life in God / eternal life Three claims travel with NT *zōē*: 1. **Life is in God's nature.** [John 5:26](/codex/john-5-26/): "as the Father has *zōē* in Himself, even so He gave to the Son also to have *zōē* in Himself." God *has life as His own being*; everything else *has life by gift*. This is the metaphysical foundation: only the God who *is* life can give life. 2. **Life is in Christ specifically.** [John 1:4](/codex/john-1-4/) "in Him was *zōē*"; [John 11:25](/codex/john-11-25/) "I AM the resurrection and the *zōē*"; [John 14:6](/codex/john-14-6/) "I am the way and the truth and the *zōē*"; [1 John 5:11-12](/codex/1-john-5-11-12/) "this *zōē* is in His Son. He who has the Son has the *zōē*." 3. **Eternal life is present possession + future consummation.** [John 5:24](/codex/john-5-24/) "he who hears My word and believes Him who sent Me, *has* eternal *zōē*… *has passed* out of death into life" (perfect tense, completed reality). Yet John also speaks of the future consummation ([John 6:39-40](/codex/john-6-39-40/), [1 John 3:2](/codex/1-john-3-2/)). The NT structure is "already / not yet", the believer *has* eternal life now, awaiting fuller manifestation. ## Eternal life, *zōē aiōnios* The compound *zōē aiōnios* ([G0166 - aionios](/codex/g0166-aionios/)) appears ~46 times in the NT, overwhelmingly in John (17×) and the Pauline corpus (10×). It is the dominant NT vocabulary for the Christian's eschatological hope and present reality. The *aiōnios* qualifier carries dual sense: "of the age (to come)" and "without end", see [G0166 - aionios](/codex/g0166-aionios/) for the eternal-vs-age-long debate. ## Notable verses ### Christ as life - **[John 1:4](/codex/john-1-4/)**, "in Him was *zōē*, and the *zōē* was the Light of men" - **[John 11:25](/codex/john-11-25/)**, "I AM the resurrection and the *zōē*" - **[John 14:6](/codex/john-14-6/)**, "I am the way and the truth and the *zōē*" - **[John 10:10](/codex/john-10-10/)**, "I came that they may have *zōē*, and have it abundantly" - **[John 6:35](/codex/john-6-35/), [48](/codex/john-6-48/), [51](/codex/john-6-51/)**, "I AM the bread of *zōē*" - **[Colossians 3:4](/codex/colossians-3-4/)**, "Christ, who is our *zōē*" - **[1 John 5:20](/codex/1-john-5-20/)**, "the true God and eternal *zōē*" ### Eternal life as gift / promise - **[John 3.16](/codex/john-3-16/)**, "whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal *zōē*" - **[John 5:24](/codex/john-5-24/)**, "has passed out of death into *zōē*" - **[John 17:3](/codex/john-17-3/)**, "this is eternal *zōē*: that they may know You" - **[Romans 6.23](/codex/romans-6-23/)**, "the gift of God is eternal *zōē* in Christ Jesus our Lord" - **[1 John 5:11-13](/codex/1-john-5-11-13/)**, "God has given us eternal *zōē*" - **[Titus 1:2](/codex/titus-1-2/)**, "God, who cannot lie, promised long ages ago" ### Life in opposition to death - **[John 5:24](/codex/john-5-24/)**, "passed out of death into *zōē*" - **[Romans 5:18](/codex/romans-5-18/)**, "justification of *zōē*" - **[Romans 8:6](/codex/romans-8-6/)**, "the mind set on the Spirit is *zōē* and peace" - **[1 John 3:14](/codex/1-john-3-14/)**, "we have passed out of death into *zōē*, because we love the brethren" - **[Revelation 21:6](/codex/revelation-21-6/)**, "I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of *zōē* without cost" ### Physical life - **[Acts 17:25](/codex/acts-17-25/)**, "He Himself gives to all *zōē* and breath" - **[James 4:14](/codex/james-4-14/)**, "what is your *zōē*? You are just a vapor" - **[Romans 8:38](/codex/romans-8-38/)**, "neither *zōē* nor death" (general human life as a category) ## Patristic / scholarly note Athanasius (*On the Incarnation* 4-7, c. AD 318) develops a profound *zōē*-Christology: humans were created for *zōē* through union with God; sin brought corruption-to-death; only the eternal *Logos* (in whom is *zōē*) could rescue us by uniting Himself to mortal flesh and conferring His own *zōē* on us. This becomes the foundation of Eastern Orthodox *theosis* theology, believers participate in divine life through union with Christ. Augustine (*Confessions* 7; *City of God* 22) develops the parallel Western reading: God *is* life; we *have* life only by participation; eternal life is restored participation in God's own being. Modern evangelical scholarship (D. A. Carson, *The Gospel According to John*, 1991; Andreas Köstenberger, *A Theology of John's Gospel and Letters*, 2009; Sinclair Ferguson, *Devoted to God*, 2016) develops the Johannine *zōē*-theology as the heart of NT soteriology, eternal life is not just "life that goes on forever" but "the life of God shared with us" through union with the Son. ## Verses in this codex _See Obsidian's backlinks pane for every verse page linking here._ ## See also - [G2198 - zao](/codex/g2198-zao/), the cognate verb "to live" - [G0166 - aionios](/codex/g0166-aionios/), paired with *zōē* (*zōē aiōnios*) - [G2288 - thanatos](/codex/g2288-thanatos/), antonym - G0979 - bios, the contrasting "life" word - [H2416 - chay](/codex/h2416-chay/), Hebrew equivalent