γένος G1085
Race, family lineage, offspring; kind or type of thing; an ethnic nation or people group sharing common descent.
The Greek noun genos carries the fundamental idea of shared origin — what people, things, or categories have in common by birth or nature. In the New Testament, its most frequent use (11 occurrences) traces family lineage and descent: Barnabas is a Levite 'by birth' (Acts 4:36), Joseph's 'family' becomes known to Pharaoh (Acts 7:13), and Paul addresses 'men of the family of Abraham' (Acts 13:26). Spanish linaje, French race, and German Geschlecht all gravitate toward the genealogical register. A second sense classifies types or categories — 'every kind of fish' (Matt 13:47), 'kinds of tongues' (1 Cor 12:10) — where Spanish shifts to genero and English to 'kind.' The third sense marks ethnic or national identity: Paul is 'of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin' (Phil 3:5), and he suffers 'danger from my own countrymen' (2 Cor 11:26). These three senses share the root idea of genos as a group defined by common origin, whether biological, categorical, or ethnic.
3. race, nation, people — A race, nation, or people group sharing common ethnic descent or national identity. With 4 occurrences, this sense identifies one's people or countrymen as a collective: the Syrophoenician woman is 'Greek, Syrophoenician by race' (Mark 7:26), Paul lists 'danger from my own countrymen (genous)' (2 Cor 11:26), his zeal surpassed others 'in my race (genei)' (Gal 1:14), and his pedigree is 'of the race (genous) of Israel' (Phil 3:5). Spanish raza, French race, and German Geschlecht here take on a distinctly national-ethnic coloring, distinguishing this sense from individual family descent (sense 1) by its collective, people-group scope. 4×
AR["جِنسي","جِنْسي","جِنْسِ"]·ben["জাতিতে","জাতির","বংশের"]·DE["Geschlecht"]·EN["countrymen","nation","race"]·FR["race"]·heb["מוֹצָא","עַם","עַמִּי","שֶׁבֶט"]·HI["जति","जाति-से","बच्चों-को","वनश"]·ID["bangsa","bangsa-sendiri","bangsaku","bangsanya"]·IT["genei","genous","stirpe"]·jav["bangsa","bangsa,"]·KO["동족의","민족","족속"]·PT["linhagem","nação"]·RU["рода","роде","родом"]·ES["de-raza","linaje","mi-raza","raza"]·SW["kabila","taifa","taifa-langu,"]·TR["soydan","soyumda","soyundan"]·urd["قوم","نسل","نسل-سے"]
▼ 2 more senses below
Senses
1. family, lineage, offspring — Family lineage, descent, or offspring — the group of people related by birth, parentage, or ancestral line. With 11 occurrences, this is the dominant NT sense, covering Barnabas as 'a Levite, a native of Cyprus' (Acts 4:36), Joseph's family being revealed (Acts 7:13), Pharaoh's command against the Israelite race (Acts 7:19), and Paul's appeal to 'sons of the family of Abraham' (Acts 13:26). Spanish linaje and de origen, French race, and German Geschlecht all center on genealogical descent. The high priest's household is identified as 'of the high-priestly family' (Acts 4:6), showing genos as a marker of institutional as well as biological kinship. 11×
AR["الجِنْسِ","جِنسٌ","جِنسِ","جِنْسِ","ـالأَصْلِ","ـالْأَصْلِ","نَسلٌ","نَسَبُ","نَسْلُ","نَسْلِ"]·ben["জাতির","বংশ","বংশে","বংশের"]·DE["Geschlecht"]·EN["birth","family","of-race","offspring","race"]·FR["race"]·heb["מִין","מִשְׁפַּחַת","מוֹצָא","עַמֵּנוּ","צֶאֱצָא","צֶאֱצָאִים","שֶׁבֶט"]·HI["जाति","जाति-से","तारा","वंश","वंश-के"]·ID["asal","asalnya,","bangsa","keluarga","keturunan"]·IT["genos","stirpe"]·jav["asal","asal.","bangsa","kulawarga","turun","turunan","énggal"]·KO["족속","종족-으로부터","종족-을","종족-이","태생의","혈통","후손이","후손이다","후손이도다"]·PT["da-linhagem","descendência","família","geração","linhagem","nascimento","raça"]·RU["Род","потомок","род","рода","родом","родом,"]·ES["Linaje","de-linaje","de-origen","linaje"]·SW["kizazi","ukoo","uzao","wa-uzao"]·TR["-o","nesli","soyca","soyu","soyundan","soyunun"]·urd["خاندان","نسل","نسل-سے","نسل-کے"]
2. kind, type, class — A kind, type, or class of things — a categorical grouping based on shared characteristics rather than biological descent. Found in 6 occurrences, this sense classifies varieties: 'every kind (genos) of fish' gathered in the dragnet parable (Matt 13:47), 'kinds of tongues' among spiritual gifts (1 Cor 12:10, 28), and 'this kind (of demon) does not go out except by prayer' (Matt 17:21; Mark 9:29). Spanish genero/generos and the shift away from lineage vocabulary confirm that translators recognize a genuinely taxonomic sense here, distinct from familial descent. 6×
AR["أنواعَ","أنواعُ","الجِنْسُ","جِنْسُ","نَوعٍ"]·ben["জাত","জাতি","ধরনের","প্রকারভেদ"]·DE["Geschlecht"]·EN["kind","kinds"]·FR["race"]·heb["מִין","סוּג","סוּגֵי-"]·HI["जअत","जाति","प्रकर-से","प्रकार"]·ID["berbagai-jenis","ini","jenis"]·IT["genos","genous","stirpe"]·jav["jinis","punika","warna-warna","warni"]·KO["종류-는","종류는","종류들이","종류의"]·PT["espécie","gênero","tipo","variedades"]·RU["род","рода","родов","роды"]·ES["género","géneros"]·SW["aina"]·TR["tür","türler","türlü"]·urd["قسم","قسم-کے","قسمیں"]
BDB / Lexicon Reference
γένος, εος or ους, τό, race, stock, kin, ἀμφοτέροισιν ὁμὸν γ. ἠδ᾽ ἴα πάτρη Refs 8th c.BC+ from Ithaca I am by race,Refs 8th c.BC+; in Attic dialect frequently with the Article, ποδαπὸς τὸ γένος εἶ ; Refs 5th c.BC+: so in dative, γένει πολῖται Refs 4th c.BC+; γένει υἱός, opposed to an adopted son, Refs; οἱ ἐν γένει, ={συγγενεῖς}, Refs 5th c.BC+ to be of his race, ἄναγνος καὶ γένους τοῦ Λαΐου Refs…