ἄνωθεν G0509
From above, from heaven; from the beginning, from of old; anew, again
An adverb carrying layers of meaning that converge memorably in Jesus' words to Nicodemus about being born 'from above' (John 3:3, 7)—or is it 'again'? The deliberate ambiguity between spatial origin ('from above/heaven') and repetition ('anew') is precisely the hinge of that famous dialogue. In its dominant spatial sense, it describes the temple veil torn 'from top to bottom' (Matt 27:51; Mark 15:38) and divine gifts coming 'from above' (John 3:31; 19:11; Jas 1:17; 3:15, 17). Spanish consistently renders it 'de arriba / desde arriba,' while Luke uses it temporally for investigating things 'from the beginning' (Luke 1:3). Paul repurposes it for 'anew' when warning the Galatians against returning to bondage all over again (Gal 4:9).
Senses
1. from above, from heaven — Spatial: from above, from on high, from heaven. The primary NT sense, covering the temple curtain torn 'from top' downward (Matt 27:51; Mark 15:38), Jesus' authority given 'from above' (John 19:11), wisdom 'from above' (Jas 3:15, 17), and the famous birth 'from above' in John 3:3, 7. Spanish 'de arriba / desde arriba,' French 'd'en haut,' and German 'von oben' uniformly point upward, confirming the heavenly-origin reading. 11×
AR["أَعْلَى", "فَوْقَ", "فَوْقِ", "مِن-فَوقُ", "مِنَ-الْأَوَّلِ", "مِنْ-فَوْقُ"]·ben["উপর-থেকে", "উপর-থেকে।", "প্রথম-থেকে"]·DE["von-oben", "ἄνωθεν"]·EN["above", "from-above", "top"]·FR["d'en-haut"]·heb["לְמַעְלָה", "מִלְמַעְלָה", "מֵ-רֵאשִׁית", "מַעְלָה"]·HI["ऊपर-से", "ऊपर-से,", "ऊपर-से।"]·ID["atas", "dari-atas", "dari-atas,", "dari-atas.", "dari-awal"]·IT["dall'alto"]·jav["nginggil", "saking-nginggil", "saking-nginggil,", "saking-nginggil.", "saking-wiwitan"]·KO["위-에서", "위로-부터", "위로부터"]·PT["cima", "de-cima", "de-cima,", "de-cima.", "desde-cima"]·RU["Свыше", "верха", "донизу", "сверху", "свыше", "свыше.", "сначала"]·ES["arriba", "de-arriba", "desde-arriba"]·SW["juu", "kutoka-juu", "tangu-mwanzo", "tena-kutoka-juu"]·TR["baştan", "yukarıdan"]·urd["اوپر", "اوپر سے", "اوپر-سے"]
2. from the beginning, from of old — Temporal: from the beginning, from the first, from of old. In Acts 26:5, Paul says the Jews have known him 'from the beginning'—that is, from his earliest life. Luke 1:3 also uses it for tracing things 'from the very first.' The temporal sense is distinguished in Spanish by 'desde el principio,' shifting from spatial height to chronological priority. 1×
AR["مِنْ-قَدِيمٍ"]·ben["উপর-হইতে"]·DE["ἄνωθεν"]·EN["from-the-beginning"]·FR["d'en-haut"]·heb["מִקֶּדֶם"]·HI["शुरुसे"]·ID["dari-dahulu,"]·IT["dall'-alto"]·jav["saking-wiwitan,"]·KO["위로부터"]·PT["de-antes,"]·RU["издавна"]·ES["desde-el-principio"]·SW["tangu-zamani"]·TR["başından-beri"]·urd["شروع-سے"]
3. anew, again, once more — Iterative: anew, again, once more. In Galatians 4:9, Paul asks why the believers want to serve the weak elemental forces 'all over again.' This sense overlaps with the spatial meaning in John 3:3 (born 'from above' or 'again'), creating the productive ambiguity Nicodemus stumbles over. Spanish 'desde arriba' here blurs the line, but the context demands repetition. 1×
AR["مِن-جديدٍ"]·ben["নতুন-করে"]·DE["von-oben"]·EN["anew"]·FR["d'en-haut"]·heb["מֵ-רֹאשׁ"]·HI["से-फिर"]·ID["dari-awal"]·IT["dall'alto"]·jav["saking-ngajeng"]·KO["새로이"]·PT["de-novo"]·RU["заново"]·ES["desde-arriba"]·SW["upya"]·TR["yeniden"]·urd["نئے-سرے-سے"]
Related Senses
H3808 1. simple negation (not) (4839×)G1722 1. locative: in, within (2442×)H1004b 1. house, dwelling, building (2015×)G3756 1. not (negation particle) (1635×)H4480a 1. source or separation (1198×)H5892b 1. city, town (1093×)G1519 1. direction: into, to, toward (1061×)H3427 1. Qal: to dwell, inhabit (937×)G1537 1. from, out of (source/origin) (886×)H8034 1. Name (designation / identifier) (856×)H8033 1. There (locative adverb) (835×)G3361 1. subjective negation (not) (834×)G1909 1. on, upon (spatial surface) (757×)H0369 1. existential negation: there is not (738×)H5869a 1. in the eyes/sight of (evaluative) (734×)H5650 1. Servant, attendant, subject (723×)H0408 1. prohibitive negation do-not (712×)G2443 1. so that, in order that (purpose/result) (665×)G0575 1. from (649×)G1223 1. through, by means of (582×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
ἄνωθεν and ἄνωθε Refs 5th c.BC+, Doric dialect ἄνωθα Refs: (ἄνω):—adverb of Place, from above, from on high, θεοὺς ἄ. γῆς ἐποπτεύειν ἄχηRefs 5th c.BC+; from the interior of a country, Refs 5th c.BC+; especially from inner Asia, Refs 1st c.AD+; from the north, Refs 5th c.BC+ __2 like{ἄνω}, above, on high, opposed to κάτωθεν or κάτω, Refs 4th c.BC+: of the gods, Refs 5th c.BC+; of men on earth, οἱ…