ἄνω G0507
Above, upward; an adverb of spatial position or direction, often extended to mean heavenly or spiritually higher.
This adverb conveys the basic spatial idea of 'up' or 'above,' but in the New Testament it frequently carries theological weight. Jesus tells the servants to fill the jars 'to the top' (John 2:7), a purely spatial use. Yet in John 8:23 he declares 'I am from above' (ego ek ton ano eimi), contrasting the heavenly realm with the earthly—a distinction Paul echoes in Galatians 4:26, 'the Jerusalem above is free.' Colossians 3:1-2 urges believers to seek 'the things above.' Spanish 'arriba/de-arriba' and French 'en-haut' preserve this dual spatial-and-spiritual sense, while German 'oben' captures the straightforward directional meaning.
Senses
1. above, upward (spatial/directional adverb) — Adverb indicating spatial position ('above,' 'at the top') or upward direction, frequently extended to denote the heavenly or divine realm in contrast to the earthly. In John 2:7 it is purely spatial ('to the brim/top'), but in John 8:23 Jesus contrasts being 'from above' with being 'from below,' and Galatians 4:26 speaks of 'the Jerusalem above.' Acts 2:19 uses it for celestial signs, and Colossians 3:1-2 exhorts seeking 'the things above.' The theological extension from physical height to divine origin is the word's most distinctive NT contribution. 9×
AR["إِلَى-أَعْلَى", "العُليا", "العُلْيا", "الفَوقِيّاتِ", "فَوق", "فَوْقُ"]·ben["উপরে", "উপরের"]·DE["oben"]·EN["above", "top", "up", "upward"]·FR["en-haut"]·heb["לְמַעְלָה", "מַעְלָה", "עֶלְיוֹנָה"]·HI["उउपर", "ऊपर", "ऊपर।", "चिह्न"]·ID["atas", "atas.", "di-atas,", "ke-atas", "yang di atas", "yang-di-atas"]·IT["ano", "anō", "sopra"]·jav["inggil", "nginggil", "nginggil,", "nginggil."]·KO["그리고", "위", "위-로", "위로", "위에서", "위의", "위의-것들을"]·PT["de-cima", "do-alto", "em-cima", "em-cima.", "para-cima", "suprema"]·RU["вверх", "вверху,", "верху", "вышнего", "вышнее", "вышний"]·ES["arriba", "de-arriba"]·SW["juu", "ya-juu"]·TR["yukardaki", "yukari", "yukarida", "yukarı", "yukarıda", "yukarıdaki", "yukarıdan", "yukarıya"]·urd["اوپر", "اوپر-کی", "اوپر۔", "اُوپر"]
Related Senses
H8033 1. There (locative adverb) (835×)H7760a 1. put, place, set physically (444×)H8064 1. heavens / sky (329×)H5439 1. around, all around (spatial) (319×)H4057b 1. wilderness, desert region (270×)H3220 1. sea, body of water (269×)H0520a 1. cubit (unit of length) (246×)H0127 1. ground, land (territory) (210×)H3383 1. Jordan River (proper noun) (183×)G1093 1. earth, the world (176×)H5800a 1. forsake, abandon (Qal active) (166×)H8121 1. sun (celestial body) (133×)H7126 1. offer, present sacrificially (122×)H6828 1. north, cardinal direction (120×)H2351 1. outside, exterior space (119×)H5104 1. river, stream (119×)H7341 1. width, breadth (101×)G1563 1. there (95×)H7126 2. draw near, approach (95×)G2281 1. sea, large body of water (91×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
ἄνω, __BAeolic dialect ὄνω, adverb, (ἀνά): __I with Verbs implying Motion, upwards, ἄ. ὤθεσκε ποτὶ λόφονRefs 8th c.BC+; ἄ. ἀπὸ θαλάσσης ἀναπλεῖν up stream, Refs 5th c.BC+; ἡ ἄ. ὁδός the upward road, Refs 5th c.BC+; ἄ. ἰόντι going up the country (i.e. inland, seeRefs 5th c.BC+; πέμπειν ἄ., i.e. from the nether world, Refs 5th c.BC+ __II with Verbsimplying Rest, aloft, on high, Refs, etc.; τὸ…