αὐτό-μᾰτος G0844
by itself, of its own accord, spontaneously
An adjective meaning self-acting or spontaneous, often used adverbially. Jesus describes seed sprouting and growing automatically in Mark 4:28 - the earth produces crops 'by itself.' In Acts 12:10, the prison gate opens 'of its own accord' as Peter is led out by the angel. Classical usage included self-moving tripods, automatic gates of Olympus, and plants growing wild without cultivation. The term emphasizes action without external human agency.
Senses
1. sense 1 — Both New Testament occurrences involve processes happening without human intervention: crop growth (Mark 4:28) and miraculous gate-opening (Acts 12:10). Mark's parable emphasizes the mysterious autonomy of growth - farmers plant and harvest but cannot control the growth process itself. Acts emphasizes divine action making the gate open on its own. Cross-linguistic glosses uniformly use 'of itself/by itself' constructions, preserving the auto- (self) semantic core across all languages. 2×
AR["تِلْقائِيًّا", "تِلْقَائِيًّا"]·ben["আপনি-থেকে", "স্বয়ংক্রিয়ভাবে"]·DE["von-selbst", "αὐτομάτη"]·EN["by-itself", "of-its-own-accord"]·FR["d'elle-même", "de-soi-même"]·heb["מֵאֵלֶיהָ", "מֵאֵלָיו"]·HI["अपने-आप-से", "आप-से-आप"]·ID["Dengan-sendirinya", "dengan-sendirinya"]·IT["automate", "da-se"]·jav["dhéwé", "piyambak"]·KO["저절로"]·PT["Por-si-mesma"]·RU["сама-собою", "сами-собой"]·ES["por-sí-misma"]·SW["yenyewe"]·TR["kendiliğinden"]·urd["خود-بخود"]
Related Senses
H1961 1. be, exist, was (Qal copular/existential) (3505×)G1510 1. copulative, linking predication (2095×)G1096 1. become, change state (421×)G1096 2. happen, occur, take place (158×)G1510 2. participial, being (circumstantial/attributive) (157×)H3426 1. there is, there are (existence) (129×)G1510 3. infinitival, to be (128×)H1934 1. to be, exist (65×)H1961 2. become, come to be (Qal inchoative) (55×)G5225 1. to be, to exist (45×)H0194 1. (45×)G1096 3. come, arrive, appear (28×)G1096 4. let it be, may it be done (22×)H0383 1. there is/are, to exist (Aramaic existential particle) (19×)G1096 5. may it never be! (16×)G2673 1. abolish, bring to an end (16×)G1510 5. existential, there is/exists (15×)G5225 2. possessions, property, goods (14×)G1096 6. be, exist, find oneself (13×)H7136a 1. happen, occur, befall (12×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
αὐτό-μᾰτος, η, ον, Refs 8th c.BC+ and Attic dialect; ος, ον Refs 8th c.BC+. __1 of persons, acting of one's own will, of oneself, αὐ. δέ οἱ ἦλθεRefs 8th c.BC+ __2 of inanimate things, self-acting, spontaneous, of the gates of Olympus, αὐτόμαται δὲ πύλαι μύκον οὐρανοῦRefs 8th c.BC+; of the tripods of Hephaistos, which ran of themselves, ὄφρα οἱ αὐτόματοι.. δυσαίατ᾽ ἀγῶναRefs 5th c.BC+marionettes,…