Lexical Summary genos: Kind, race, family, offspring, nation, kindred Original Word: γένος Strong's Exhaustive Concordance race, kind, nation, offspring. From ginomai; "kin" (abstract or concrete, literal or figurative, individual or collective) -- born, country(-man), diversity, generation, kind(-red), nation, offspring, stock. see GREEK ginomai NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom ginomai Definition family, offspring NASB Translation birth (2), countrymen (2), descendant (1), descent (1), family (2), kind (3), kinds (3), nation (1), native (1), race (3). Thayer's Greek Lexicon STRONGS NT 1085: γένοςγένος, γένους, τό (ΓΑΝΩ, γίνομαι), race; a. offspring: τίνος, Acts 17:28f (from the poet Aratus); Revelation 22:16. b. family: Acts (Acts 4:6, see ἀρχιερεύς, 2 at the end); c. stock, race: Acts 7:19; 2 Corinthians 11:26; Philippians 3:5; Galatians 1:14; 1 Peter 2:9; (Genesis 11:6; Genesis 17:14, etc. for עַם); nation (i. e. nationality or descent from a particular people): Mark 7:26; Acts 4:36; Acts 18:2, 24. d. concrete, the aggregate of many individuals of the same nature, kind, sort, species: Matthew 13:7; Matthew 17:21 (T WH omit; Tr brackets the verse); Mark 9:29; 1 Corinthians 12:10, 28; 1 Corinthians 14:10. (With the same significations in Greek writings from Homer down.) STRONGS NT 1085a: ΓερασηνόςΓερασηνός, Γερασηνου, ὁ, Gerasene, i. e. belonging to the city Gerasa (τά Γέρασα, Josephus, b. j. 3, 3, 3): Matthew 8:28 (Lachmann); Mark 5:1 (L T WH Tr text); Luke 8:26 and 37 (L Tr WH) according to very many manuscripts seen by Origen. But since Gerasa was a city situated in the southern part of Peraea (Josephus, the passage cited, cf. 4, 9, 1), or in Arabia (Origen, Works, iv. 140, De la Rue edition), that cannot be referred to here; see Γαδαρηνός, and the next word. γένος gathers within one word the ideas of lineage, ethnic origin, species, and class. Scripture uses it for human ancestry (Acts 18:2), angelic or demonic kinds (Matthew 17:21; Mark 9:29), fish species (Matthew 13:47), spiritual gift-categories (1 Corinthians 12:10, 28; 14:10), and even the messianic pedigree of Jesus Christ (Revelation 22:16). By the Spirit’s design, the term therefore moves from biology to theology, from sociology to soteriology, binding the metanarrative of creation, fall, redemption, and new creation into a unified testimony. Jewish and Gentile Lines in Salvation History Luke’s writings stress hereditary identity to highlight grace that transcends it. Joseph Barnabas was “a Levite, a native of Cyprus” (Acts 4:36), and Apollos was “an Alexandrian by birth” (Acts 18:24), yet both stand shoulder-to-shoulder in gospel service with Paul, a “Hebrew of Hebrews” (Philippians 3:5). Conversely, Paul’s speech on the Areopagus unites every listener under one human stock: “We are His offspring” (Acts 17:28). Thus γένος affirms ethnic reality while demolishing ethnic pride. Chosen Race and the New Covenant People Peter proclaims to largely Gentile believers: “You are a chosen race (γένος ἐκλεκτόν), a royal priesthood” (1 Peter 2:9). The title Israel once carried now crowns the multinational church. Election, therefore, is no longer delimited by Abrahamic blood but defined by union with Christ. The ministry implication is profound: evangelism invites the nations not merely into a community but into a new kind of humanity (Ephesians 2:15). Diversity of Spiritual Gifts Paul presses γένος into service for charismata: “to another various kinds of tongues” (1 Corinthians 12:10) and “God has appointed in the church… various kinds of tongues” (12:28). The plural “kinds” underscores that even within one gift there is varietal richness. Speech by the Spirit resists monoculture; it flourishes in multiple linguistic strains, foreshadowing the eschatological multitude from “every tribe and tongue and people and nation.” The War Against Unbelief When the disciples failed to expel a demon, Jesus explained, “This kind cannot come out, except by prayer and fasting” (Mark 9:29; cf. Matthew 17:21). γένος here nuances stratified opposition in the unseen realm. Different orders of darkness demand correspondingly deep dependence on God. Pastoral application: discipleship must cultivate spiritual disciplines robust enough to face each “kind” of resistance. Missional Encounters in Acts Acts highlights geographical and cultural migration of the gospel by repeatedly noting the origin of key figures: a Cypriot Levite (Acts 4:36), a Pontian Jew in Corinth (Acts 18:2), an Alexandrian apologist in Ephesus (Acts 18:24). Luke’s catalog of γένος underscores the centrifugal spread of the word “to the ends of the earth,” demonstrating that the Spirit redeems every stratum of society and every strand of ethnicity for Christ’s mission. Christ, Root and Race of David “I am the Root and the Offspring (γένος) of David” (Revelation 22:16). The resurrected Lord closes Scripture by claiming both primal source and genealogical descendant of David. γένος gathers the miracle of the incarnation—God entering a human bloodline—into a single term. Every promise to David’s house therefore reaches its ‘Yes’ and ‘Amen’ in Jesus. From Fishnets to Fellowship Matthew 13:47 pictures the kingdom as a dragnet gathering fish “of every kind.” Eschatologically, γένος foretells the culmination of global harvest: the gospel draws in every ethnic group, yet final judgment will sort the catch. The church’s present task is thus inclusive proclamation, while trusting God for ultimate separation of the righteous and the wicked. Pastoral and Ecclesiological Implications 1. Unity without Uniformity: Because the body of Christ contains many γένη of gifts and people, leadership must honor diversity while guarding doctrinal purity. Summary γένος threads through Scripture as a reminder that God created variety, permitted it to fracture through sin, redeemed it in Christ, and will consummate it in a multinational kingdom. Whether marking a Levite from Cyprus, defining gifts that speak many tongues, or naming Jesus as David’s very stock, γένος calls the church to cherish heritage, renounce pride, engage the nations, and depend upon the Spirit until every tribe confesses, “Jesus Christ is Lord.” Englishman's Concordance Matthew 13:47 N-GNSGRK: ἐκ παντὸς γένους συναγαγούσῃ NAS: and gathering [fish] of every kind; KJV: of every kind: INT: of every kind having gathered together Matthew 17:21 Noun-NNS Mark 7:26 N-DNS Mark 9:29 N-NNS Acts 4:6 N-GNS Acts 4:36 N-DNS Acts 7:13 N-NNS Acts 7:19 N-ANS Acts 13:26 N-GNS Acts 17:28 N-NNS Acts 17:29 N-NNS Acts 18:2 N-DNS Acts 18:24 N-DNS 1 Corinthians 12:10 N-NNP 1 Corinthians 12:28 N-ANP 1 Corinthians 14:10 N-NNP 2 Corinthians 11:26 N-GNS Galatians 1:14 N-DNS Philippians 3:5 N-GNS 1 Peter 2:9 N-NNS Revelation 22:16 N-NNS Strong's Greek 1085 |
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