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).
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"]
▼ 2 more senses below
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"]
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…