Thayer's Greek Lexicon STRONGS NT 509: ἄνωθενἄνωθεν (ἄνω), adverb; a. from above, from a higher place: ἀπό ἄνωθεν (Winer's Grammar, § 50, 7 N. 1), Matthew 27:51 (Tdf. omits ἀπό); Mark 15:38; ἐκ τῶν ἄνωθεν from the upper part, from the top, John 19:23. Often (also in Greek writings) used of things which come from heaven, or from God as dwelling in heaven: John 3:31; John 19:11; James 1:17; James 3:15, 17. b. from the first: Luke 1:3; then, from the beginning on, from the very first: Acts 26:5. Hence, c. anew, over again, indicating repetition (a use somewhat rare, but wrongly denied by many (Meyer among them; cf. his commentary on John and Galatians as below)): John 3:3, 7 ἄνωθεν γεννηθῆναι, where others explain it from above, i. e. from heaven. But, according to this explanation, Nicodemus ought to have wondered how it was possible for anyone to be born from heaven; but this he did not say; (cf. Westcott, Commentary on John, p. 63). Of the repetition of physical birth, we read in Artemidorus Daldianus, oneir. 1, 13 (14), p. 18 (i., p. 26, Reiff edition) (ἀνδρί) ἔτι τῷ ἔχοντι ἐγκυον γυναῖκα σημαίνει παῖδα αὐτῷ γεννήσεσθαι ὅμοιον κατά πάντα. οὕτω γάρ ἄνωθεν αὐτός δοξειε γέννασθαι; cf. Josephus, Antiquities 1, 18, 3 φιλίαν ἄνωθεν ποιεῖσθαι, where a little before stands πρότερα φιλία; add, Martyr. Polycarp, 1, 1 [ET]; (also Socrates in Stobaeus, flor. cxxiv. 41, iv. 135, Meineke edition (iii. 438, Gaisf. edition); Harpocration, Lex., see under the words, ἀναδικάσασθαι, ἀναθέσθαι, ἀναποδιζομενα, ἀνασυνταξις; Canon. apost. 46 (others 39, Coteler. patr. apost. works, i. 444); Pseudo-Basil, de bapt. 1, 2, 7 (iii. 1537); Origen in Joann. t. xx. c. 12 (works, iv. 322 c. DelaRue). See Abbot, Authorship of the Fourth Gospel, etc. (Boston 1880), p. 34f). πάλιν ἄνωθεν, (on this combination of synonymous words cf. Kühner, § 534, 1; (Jelf, § 777, 1); Grimm on Sap. xix. 5 (6)): Galatians 4:9 (again, since ye were in bondage once before). |
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