Lexicon
βίος
bios
G0979
G:N-M Greek

life

10
Occurrences
5
Books
Greek
Language

bios denotes the resources, livelihood, or course of earthly life described in its biblical contexts.

The attested uses most often concern a person's material means or livelihood, whether divided, spent, possessed, or given away. Other verses place the term in descriptions of a quiet earthly existence and of the concerns, pleasures, or boasting associated with life in the world.

Senses in use

  1. Material means and livelihood · dominant

    The accusative singular form occurs where resources are divided, consumed, spent, possessed, or surrendered. In Luke 15:12 the APB renders the father's division as “his living,” while Luke 21:4 and Mark 12:44 describe a woman giving all that she had; Luke 8:43 likewise describes money spent on physicians.

  2. Earthly life and its concerns · common

    The term appears in descriptions of how life is lived and of concerns attached to it. In 1 Timothy 2:2 the APB renders a “tranquil and quiet life”; in 2 Timothy 2:4 it speaks of “the affairs of life,” and Luke 8:14 names cares, riches, and pleasures that choke those who have heard.

In the Anselm Project Bible: The APB varies its presentation, using “living,” “life,” “property,” and “the affairs of life” in the supplied verses. These renderings show the clauses' differing contexts rather than fixed English equivalents for the term.

Passages featuring this word

Across Scripture