γῠνή G1135
Woman, adult female; wife or spouse in marital contexts. Greek gynē covers both gender identity and conjugal relationship.
Gynē is the standard Greek word for an adult woman, used both as a general term and as the normal word for 'wife.' Jesus addresses his mother and other women with the respectful vocative gynai (John 2:4; 19:26), and Paul uses it extensively for wives in marriage teaching (1 Cor 7; Eph 5). Most modern languages — Spanish mujer, French femme, German Frau — mirror this same ambiguity, using one word for both 'woman' and 'wife,' with context determining the meaning. The 219 NT occurrences span healing narratives, parables, genealogies, and household codes.
1. woman, adult female — An adult female human being, without specific reference to marital status. Used generically of women encountered by Jesus — the hemorrhaging woman (Matt 9:20-22), the Canaanite woman (Matt 15:22), the woman with leaven (Matt 13:33) — and as a form of address (gynai). Spanish mujer, French femme, and German Frau all serve this general sense. The vocative use in John 2:4 and 19:26 is respectful, not dismissive, closer to 'dear lady' in tone. 190×
AR["إِلَى-امْرَأَةٍ","المَرأَةُ","المَرْأَةُ","الْمَرْأَةِ","امرَأَةٌ","امرَأَةٍ","امْرَأَةٌ","امْرَأَةُ","اِمرَأَةٌ","اِمرَأَةُ","مَرأَةَ","مَرأَةِ"]·ben["নারী","নারীকে","নারীর","মহিলা","মহিলাকে","স্ত্রী","স্ত্রীও","স্ত্রীকে"]·DE["Frau"]·EN["a-woman","woman"]·FR["femme"]·heb["אִשָּׁה","הַ-"]·HI["उसने","उससे","डरती-हुई","पत्नी","स्त्रि","स्त्री","स्त्री-को","स्त्रेए-ने"]·ID["istri","itu","perempuan","seorang-perempuan"]·IT["donna"]·jav["garwa","satunggaling-wanita","tiyang-estri","tiyang-èstri","tiyang-èstri,","wanita","wanita,","wong-wadon,","èstri"]·KO["여인이","여인이여","여자","여자-가","여자-는","여자-를","여자-에게","여자가","여자가,","여자도","여자를","여자에게"]·PT["mulher","mulher,","mulher.","uma-mulher"]·RU["жена.","женщина","женщине","женщине,","женщину","на-женщину"]·ES["mujer","una-mujer"]·SW["katika","mke","mwanamke","mwanamke,"]·TR["kadın","kadın,","kadına","kadına,","kadını?"]·urd["-کے","اُسے","شمعون-سے","عورت","عورت-","عورت-نے","عورت-کو"]
Matt 5:28, Matt 9:20, Matt 9:22, Matt 13:33, Matt 15:22, Matt 15:28, Matt 22:27, Matt 26:7, Matt 26:10, Mark 5:25, Mark 5:33, Mark 7:25 (+38 more)
▼ 1 more sense below
Senses
2. wife, spouse — A married woman in relation to her husband, emphasizing the conjugal bond. 'A man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife' (Matt 19:5; Gen 2:24 LXX). Spanish esposa sometimes disambiguates from mujer, and Korean uses the distinct 아내 for 'wife.' Paul's extended discourse on marriage in 1 Corinthians 7 and the Sadducees' riddle about the woman married to seven brothers (Luke 20:33) depend entirely on this spousal sense. 29×
AR["أَيَّتُها-الزَّوْجَةُ","الزَّوْجَةَ","الزَّوْجَةُ","الزَّوْجَةِ","النِّساءَ","النِّساءُ","النِّساءِ","زَوجاتِكُم","زَوجاتِهِم","زَوجَةً","زَوْجَةً","واحِدَةٍ"]·ben["স্ত্রী,","স্ত্রী।","স্ত্রীকে,","স্ত্রীকে।","স্ত্রীদের","স্ত্রীর","স্ত্রীর;","স্ত্রীরা","স্ত্রীরূপে","হে-স্ত্রী,"]·DE["Frau"]·EN["a-wife","as-wife","wife","wives"]·FR["femme"]·heb["אִשְׁתּוֹ","אִשָּׁה","אִשָׁה","לְ-אִשָּׁה","נְשֵׁיהֶם","נָשִׁים"]·HI["पतनि","पतनियअन","पतनियोन","पत्नियों","पत्नियों-के","पत्नी","पत्नी-को","स्त्रेए-क","स्त्रेए-के"]·ID["Para-istri,","hai-istri,","istri","istri,","istri-istri","istri-istri,","istri.","istri;","para-istri"]·IT["donna"]·jav["garwa","garwa,","garèm","wanita","wanita,","èstri","èstri,","èstri.","èstri;"]·KO["아내","아내-의","아내는","아내들-도","아내들-을","아내들-이여","아내들아","아내들을","아내들의","아내들이여","아내로","아내를","아내에게","여자-의","여자여"]·PT["esposas","esposas,","mulher","mulher,","mulher.","mulher;","mulheres","mulheres,","por-mulher"]·RU["Жена,","Жене,","Жёны","Жёны,","жена,","жена.","жене.","жене;","женою","жену,","жены","жены.","жён","жён,","жёны","жёны,"]·ES["esposas","mujer","por-mujer"]·SW["-","kama-mke","kwa-mke,","mke,","mke.","mke;","ninyi","wake"]·TR["Kadinlar","dolaştırmaya","kadinlar","kadinlarini","kadinlarinizi","kadın","kadınlar","kadınların","kadının","karı","karı-olarak","o-"]·urd["اے-عورت","بیوی","بیوی-کا","بیوی-کو","بیوی-کے","بیویاں","بیویاں،","بیویو","بیویوں","بیویوں-سے","بیویوں-کے"]
Matt 19:5, Matt 19:8, Mark 12:23, Luke 14:20, Luke 20:33, 1 Cor 7:3, 1 Cor 7:4, 1 Cor 7:4, 1 Cor 7:14, 1 Cor 7:16, 1 Cor 7:27, 1 Cor 7:27 (+17 more)
Related Senses
H0376 1. man, person, human male (2130×)H0001 1. father, immediate male parent (1031×)H0251 1. brother (blood sibling) (573×)H0120 1. man, human being (individual/generic) (527×)H0802 1. woman, female person (519×)G0444 1. human being, person (469×)G3962 1. father or divine Father (413×)G0080 1. brother, fellow believer (343×)H0802 2. wife, spouse (255×)H0517 1. mother, female parent (217×)G0435 1. man, male person (202×)H2233 1. offspring, descendants (172×)H0001 2. ancestor, forefather (146×)H5288 1. Youth, young man (122×)H0269 1. sister (female sibling) (113×)H1755 1. generation, contemporaries (96×)G5043 1. child, offspring (89×)G0444 2. people, humankind (86×)H3206 1. child, boy, youth (86×)H2145 1. male (human being) (79×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
γῠνή, Doric dialect γυνά, Boeotian dialect βανά (see entry), ἡ, genitive γυναικός, accusative γυναῖκα, vocative γύναι (γυνή Refs 6th c.BC+: Aeolic dialect dative plural γυναίκεσσι Refs 7th c.BC+:—woman, opposed to man,Refs 8th c.BC+ substantive, γ. ταμίηRefs 8th c.BC+; γρηΰς (which see), ἀλετρίς (which see), δμῳαὶ γυναῖκες Refs 8th c.BC+: vocative, as a term of respect or affection, mistress,…