κτίζω G2936
To create, found, or bring into being; as a substantive participle, the Creator — the one who originates all things.
A verb rooted in the Greek tradition of founding cities and settling lands, κτίζω takes on immense theological weight in the New Testament, where it speaks of God's act of bringing all things into existence. Paul uses it to describe both the original creation (Col 1:16) and the new spiritual creation of believers (Eph 2:10, 4:24). The substantival participle 'the one who created' becomes a title for God himself, as in Rom 1:25, where Paul contrasts worshipping the creature with worshipping the Creator. Spanish 'Creador' and German 'erschaffen' both capture this weighty, originating force.
Senses
1. create, bring into being — Denotes the divine act of creating or bringing something into existence, whether the physical cosmos (Mark 13:19), humanity (1 Cor 11:9), or the new spiritual person in Christ (Eph 2:10, 4:24). Multilingual glosses converge on a single concept — Spanish 'creado,' French 'créer,' German 'erschaffen' — confirming a unified semantic core of origination. The passive forms ('having been created') emphasize the creature's dependence on the Creator's initiative. 11×
AR["المَخلوقَ","خَلَقَ","خَلَقَها","خَلَقَهَا","خَلَقْتَ","خُلِقَ","خُلِقَتْ","قَدْ-خُلِقَ","مَخلوقينَ","يَخلُقَ","يُخلَق"]·ben["সৃষ্টি-করেছ","সৃষ্টি-করেছিলেন","সৃষ্টি-করেছেন","সৃষ্টি-করেন","সৃষ্টি-হয়ে","সৃষ্টি-হয়েছিল","সৃষ্টি-হয়েছিল।","সৃষ্টি-হয়েছে"]·DE["erschaffen"]·EN["created","have-been-created","having-been-created","he-might-create","was-created","were-created"]·FR["créer"]·heb["בָּרָא","בָּרָאתָ","יִבְרָא","נִבְרְאוּ","נִבְרָא","שֶׁנִּבְרְאוּ","שֶׁנִּבְרָא"]·HI["बनये","बनाया","रचा","रचित","रचित-हुअ","रचित-हुअअ","वे-रचे-गए।","वोह-रच","सृजा","सृजा-गया"]·ID["Allah-ciptakan","Dia-ciptakan","diciptakan","diciptakan.","menciptakan","telah diciptakan"]·IT["creare"]·jav["Panjenenganipun-damel","dipun-ciptakaken","dipun-damel","dipuntitahaken","ingkang-dipundamel","kadadosaken","katitahaken","nitahaken","sampun-kadadosaken"]·KO["지음받지","창조되었다","창조된","창조하셨다","창조하시려","창조하신","창조하였으니","창조했다"]·PT["criado","criados","criasse","criaste","criou","foi-criado","foram-criadas"]·RU["созданного","созданные","создано","создать","сотворено.","сотворил","сотворён"]·ES["creado","creados","creaste","cree","creó","fue-creado","fueron-creadas","han-sido-creadas"]·SW["aliaumba","aliiumba","aliyeumba","aliyeumbwa","awaumbe","hakuumbwa","tulioumbwa","uliumba","viliumbwa","viliumbwa.","vimeumbwa"]·TR["-o","insana","yaratildi","yaratilmis","yarattı","yaratıldı"]·urd["بنائا-گیا","بنائے","بنائے-گئے","بنایا-گیا","تخلیق-کیا","پیدا-کی-گئی","پیدا-کی-گئیں","پیدا-کیا","پیدا-ہوئیں"]
2. Creator (substantival) — The participial form used as a substantive to designate God as 'the Creator' or 'the one who created.' In Matt 19:4 Jesus appeals to 'the one who made them from the beginning,' and in Rom 1:25 Paul draws the fundamental Creator-creature distinction. Spanish 'Creador' and German 'erschaffen' used substantivally reflect this shift from action to agent. This usage functions as a divine title grounding theological arguments in God's sovereign originating power (Eph 3:9; Col 3:10). 4×
AR["الخالِقِ","الخَالِقَ","خالِقِهِ"]·ben["যিনি-সৃষ্টি-করেছেন","সৃষ্টি-করলেন","সৃষ্টিকর্তার,","সৃষ্টিকারী-র"]·DE["erschaffen","κτίσας"]·EN["Creator","having-created"]·FR["créer"]·heb["בּוֹרֵא","שֶׁבָּרָא"]·HI["रचने-वअले","रचनेवल-ने","सृजनहार"]·ID["Pencipta,","menciptakan","menciptakan,","yang menciptakan"]·IT["creare"]·jav["Nitahaken,","ingkang-ndamel","ingkang-nitahaken","sampun-nitahaken,"]·KO["창조주","창조하신,","창조하신-분의","창조하신-분이"]·PT["Criador","criou,","que-criou"]·RU["Создавшего","Сотворившего","Сотворивший","сотворившем,"]·ES["Creador","habiendo-creado","que-creó","que-lo-creó"]·SW["Muumba,","aliyemuumba","aliyeviumba","tangu"]·TR["-yi-","Yaratıcı'nın","yaratan","yaratanin"]·urd["بنانے-والے","بنایا","خالق-کے","پیدا-کرنے-والے-کی"]
Related Senses
G0846 1. third-person pronoun reference (5552×)H???? 1. (4670×)H6213a 1. do, perform, act (2383×)G4160 1. do, act, perform (473×)H5221 1. Hifil: to strike in battle, smite enemies (362×)H0899b 1. garment, article of clothing (216×)H6213a 2. make, construct, fabricate (148×)H3772 1. cut a covenant / make a pact (97×)H5060 1. touch physically (Qal) (96×)H3615 1. complete a task (Piel) (85×)H3772 2. cut off / destroy (Hifil causative) (81×)H3920 1. capture, seize (Qal) (76×)H???? 12. (76×)H3772 3. be cut off / be eliminated (Niphal) (74×)H6213a 3. be done, be made (Niphal) (73×)G4160 2. make, construct, create (62×)H3847 1. Qal: put on, wear (60×)H8210 1. pour out (liquid/libation) (59×)G2440 1. garment or clothing (general) (54×)H4191 4. kill / put to death (Hifil causative) (50×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
κτίζω, Refs 5th c.BC+: future -ίσω Refs 4th c.BC+: aorist ἔκτῐσα Refs 8th c.BC+: perfect ἔκτῐκα Refs 1st c.BC+:— middle, poetryaorist ἐκτίσσατο Refs 5th c.BC+:— passive, future κτισθήσομαι Refs 1st c.BC+: aorist ἐκτίσθην Refs 5th c.BC+: perfect ἔκτισμαι Refs 5th c.BC+:—people a country, build houses and cities in it, κτίσσε δὲ Δαρδανίην Il.[same place]; κ. χώρην, νῆσον, Refs 5th c.BC+ __2 of a…