Lexical Summary zóopoieó: To make alive, to give life, to quicken Original Word: ζῳοποιέω Strong's Exhaustive Concordance make alive, give life, quicken. From the same as zoon and poieo; to (re-)vitalize (literally or figuratively) -- make alive, give life, quicken. see GREEK zoon see GREEK poieo HELPS Word-studies 2227 zōopoiéō (from 2221 /zōgréō, "alive" and 4160 /poiéō, "make") – properly, make alive (zōos); i.e. "quicken," vivify ("animate"); (figuratively) cause what is dead (inoperative) to have life; empower with divine life. 2227 /zōopoiéō ("make alive, enliven") is particularly used of God infusing His life in the believer. The Lord infuses eternal life (zōē) into us each time we receive (obey) faith from Him. This enables living with God – not just for Him (cf. Gal 2:20; Ro 8:28-30; 1 Jn 5:4). His self-existent, all-powerful life overcomes all the deadly effects of sin. (1 Cor 15:36,38) seed, come to life – The resurrection-body of the believer will be characterized by continuity with diversity – i.e. reflecting the physical-spiritual life we lived here on earth in a supra-physical fashion (Phil 3:11-21). Both of these aspects of glorification are illustrated in 1 Cor 15 by the metaphor of seeds. NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom the same as zóon and poieó Definition to make alive NASB Translation come to life (1), give life (1), gives...life (1), gives life (4), impart life (1), life-giving (1), made alive (2). Thayer's Greek Lexicon STRONGS NT 2227: ζοωποιέωζοωποιέω; ζοωποιῶ; future ζοωποιήσω; 1 aorist infinitive ζωποιησαι; passive, present ζοωποιοῦμαι; 1 future ζοωποιηθήσομαι; 1 aorist participle ζοωποιηθεις; (ζοωποιος making alive); 1. to produce alive, beget or bear living young (Aristotle, Theophrastus). 2. to cause to live, make alive, give life: τά πάντα, of God, 1 Timothy 6:18 R G (cf. Nehemiah 9:6; 2 Kings 5:7; Diogn., epistle 5 [ET] at the end); by spiritual power to arouse and invigorate, 2 Corinthians 3:6; Galatians 3:21; to give ζωή αἰώνιος (in the Johannine sense), John 6:63; of the dead, to reanimate, restore to life: 1 Corinthians 15:45; τινα, John 5:21; Romans 4:17; Romans 8:11; passive 1 Corinthians 15:22; equivalent to to give increase of life: thus of physical life, πρῶτον τό παιδίον μέλιτι, εἶτα γάλακτι ζοωποιειται, the Epistle of Barnabas 6, 17 [ET]; of the spirit, ζοωποιηθεις πνεύματι, quickened as respects the spirit, endued with new and greater powers of life, 1 Peter 3:18, on which cf. Lechler, Das apost. u. nachapost. Zeitalter, p. 182 edition 2; (Zezschwitz, De Christi ad inferos descensu (Lipsius 1857), p. 20). metaphorically (Geoponica 9, 11, 7) of seeds quickening into life, i. e. germinating, springing up, growing: 1 Corinthians 15:36. (Compare: συζοωποιέω.) ζωοποιέω appears whenever Scripture attributes the impartation or restoration of life directly to God. Whether the Father (Romans 4:17), the Son (John 5:21), or the Spirit (Romans 8:11), the verb underscores that life—physical or spiritual—remains God’s prerogative. The repeated distribution among the three Persons offers a text-built Trinitarian frame: the Father “gives life to the dead” (Romans 4:17), the Son “gives life to whom He wishes” (John 5:21), and the Spirit “will also give life to your mortal bodies” (Romans 8:11). Christ’s Resurrection and the Believer’s Hope 1 Peter 3:18 presents the crucified Messiah “made alive in the spirit,” the lone New Testament instance that applies the verb to Jesus Himself. This divine act authenticates His sin-bearing work and anticipates the believer’s bodily resurrection. Paul draws the direct line in 1 Corinthians 15. “For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive” (1 Corinthians 15:22). The same chapter climaxes with “the last Adam became a life-giving spirit” (1 Corinthians 15:45), uniting Christ’s resurrection with His ongoing power to animate His people both now and at the last trumpet. Spirit-empowered Regeneration John 6:63 links ζωοποιέω with the Holy Spirit’s inward ministry: “The Spirit gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life.” Here the verb overlaps the new-birth motif of John 3, highlighting that eternal life is bestowed by the Spirit through Christ’s word. This regenerative theme is echoed in 2 Corinthians 3:6: “For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life,” contrasting an external, death-dealing legalism with an internal, life-imparting ministry of the New Covenant. Eschatological Vivification Paul speaks of future bodily resurrection in Romans 8:11, promising that the Spirit who indwells believers now will “give life to your mortal bodies.” Similarly 1 Corinthians 15:36 explains the resurrection with an agricultural image: “What you sow does not come to life unless it dies.” The verb thus spans the timeline from initial regeneration through final glorification. Covenantal Contrast: Law and Promise Galatians 3:21 asks rhetorically, “If a law had been given that could impart life, then righteousness would certainly have come from the law.” The negative answer reinforces that no legal code can perform what only divine grace can accomplish—making spiritually dead people alive in Christ. ζωοποιέω therefore anchors Paul’s doctrine of justification by faith. Historical and Doctrinal Impact Early creeds echo this vocabulary when confessing the Spirit as “the Lord and Giver of Life.” Reformation theology seized upon these texts to guard sola gratia, affirming that the new birth and final resurrection are acts of free, sovereign grace, not human merit. Ministry and Pastoral Application 1. Evangelism: Preachers depend on God to quicken hearers; faithful proclamation aligns with John 6:63. Associated Themes and Cross-References Regeneration (John 3:3–8), Resurrection (1 Thessalonians 4:13–18), New Covenant (Jeremiah 31:31–34; Hebrews 8), Divine Omnipotence (Ezekiel 37:1–14). Summary ζωοποιέω traces a single redemptive thread: the God who created life restores it through the death-and-resurrection of Christ, applies it by the Spirit, sustains it in the believer’s walk, and consummates it at the resurrection of the body. Englishman's Concordance John 5:21 V-PIA-3SGRK: νεκροὺς καὶ ζωοποιεῖ οὕτως καὶ NAS: the dead and gives them life, KJV: and quickeneth [them]; even INT: dead and gives life thus also John 5:21 V-PIA-3S John 6:63 V-PPA-NNS Romans 4:17 V-PPA-GMS Romans 8:11 V-FIA-3S 1 Corinthians 15:22 V-FIP-3P 1 Corinthians 15:36 V-PIM/P-3S 1 Corinthians 15:45 V-PPA-ANS 2 Corinthians 3:6 V-PIA-3S Galatians 3:21 V-ANA 1 Peter 3:18 V-APP-NMS Strong's Greek 2227 |
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