Life (979) bios by Greek Word Studies

Of life (979) (bios; English biology) refers to everyday life including the daily functions of one's life on earth, such as our natural preoccupation with food, clothing and shelter (Lk 8:14, 1Ti 2:2, 2Ti 2:4-note, 1Pe 4:3-note). In this sense bios refers to the necessities of life and includes those pursuits and occupations pertaining to civil life. That which sustains life. Bios can also refer to one's livelihood or means of subsistence including property, worldly goods, how one makes a living (1Jn 3:17) Wuest contrasts bios with zoe, the latter term referring to... life in the sense of one who is possessed of vitality and animation. It is used of the absolute fulness of life, both essential and ethical, which belongs to God. It is used to designate the life which God gives to the believing sinner, a vital, animating, spiritual, ethical dynamic which transforms his inner being and as a result, his behavior. (Wuest, K. S. Wuest's Word Studies from the Greek New Testament: Eerdmans or Logos) BDAG states that bios refers to... life in its appearance and manifestations freq. distinguished from zoe, the condition of being alive...Although there is freq. overlapping in usage, bios may be said to denote the manner in which one’s zoe, finds expression and the latter term may be used to connote quality of existence as such (cp. IPriene 105, 10 the birth of Augustus marked the ‘beginning of life (bios) and living (zoe)... Cass. Dio 69, 19 ‘Here lies Similis, alive [bios] for a number of years, but really living [zoe] for seven’.). Hence, as the semantic history shows, the loss of bios need not terminate zoe (q.v.). (Eg, compare the zoe of a believer in 1Jn 2:17b = "abides forever"!) (1) Life and activity associated with it...2 Cl 1:6.(chronos tou biou) = time of life; (eiserchesmai eis ton biou) = come to life Dg 1 (which speaks) of a new way of living. The present life and its pleasures (hedone). Contrasted with bios is life beyond the grave (coming lifebut different (heteros biou) = which involves punishment. The affairs of everyday life (2Ti 2:4). (2) Resources needed to maintain life, means of subsistence, specifically property, worldly goods (1Jn 3:17) Hiebert explains that of life is... The genitive "of life" (tou biou) and is the same word rendered "this world's goods" in Jas 3:17. The term occurs ten times in the New Testament (Mk 12:44; Lk 8:14, 43; 15:12, 30; 21:4; 1Ti 2:2; 2Ti 2:4-note; 1Jn 2:16; 3:17) and basically denotes "the means of life, livelihood." John's expression, "the boastful pride of life," appearing only here in the New Testament, portrays an attitude of boastfulness and a hollow self-exaltation based on material possessions or social prominence. It is the disposition to "show off" before others on the basis of worldly possessions or personal abilities and achievements. Thus as Plummer notes, "The first two may be the vices of a solitary; the third requires society. We can have sinful desires when we are alone, but we cannot be ostentatious without company. (The Epistles of John An Expositional Commentary D. Edmond Hiebert) The NET Bible note comments that in 1John 2:16... The genitive biou (bios) is difficult to translate: (1) Many understand it as objective, so that bios, "material life", becomes the object of one's alazoneia ("pride" or "boastfulness"). Various interpretations along these lines refer to boasting about one's wealth, showing off one's possessions, boasting of one's social status or lifestyle. (2) It is also possible to understand the genitive as subjective, however, in which case the biou itself produces the alazoneia. In this case, the material security of one's life and possessions produces a boastful overconfidence. This understanding better fits the context here: The focus is on people who operate purely on a human level and have no spiritual dimension to their existence. This is the person who loves the world, whose affections are all centered on the world, who has no love for God or spiritual things ("the love of the Father is not in him," 1Jn 2:15). (NET Bible) Bios - 11 uses in the NT... Mark 12:44 for they all put in out of their surplus, but she, out of her poverty, put in all she owned, all she had to live on." NET Note: The contrast between this passage Mk 12:41-44 and what has come before in Mk 11:27-12:40 is remarkable. The woman is set in stark contrast to the religious leaders. She was a poor widow, they were rich. She was uneducated in the law, they were well educated in the law. She was a woman, they were men. But whereas they evidenced no faith and actually stole money from God and men (cp Mk 11:17) she evidenced great faith and gave out of her extreme poverty everything she had. (NET Bible) Luke 8:14 "And the seed which fell among the thorns, these are the ones who have heard, and as they go on their way they are choked with worries and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to maturity. NET Note: On warnings about the dangers of excessive material attachments, described here as the worries and riches and pleasures of life, see Lk 12:12-21; 16:19-31. The verb (telesphoreo = fruit to maturity) means "to produce mature or ripe fruit" (L&N 23.203). Once again the seed does not reach its goal. (NET Bible) Luke 8:43 And a woman who had a hemorrhage for twelve years, and could not be healed by anyone, (bios not in this version but is in the ESV - see explanation below) Note the difference in the ESV Luke 8:43 And there was a woman who had had a discharge of blood for twelve years, and though she had spent all her living (bios) on physicians, she could not be healed by anyone. NET Bible note explains: Most MSS, including the majority of later MSS (a[* C] A L W Q X [Y] ¦(1, 13 )33 [1424] Û [lat sy(c,p,h)]) read here, "having spent all her money on doctors." Uncertainty over its authenticity is due primarily to the fact that certain important witnesses do not have the phrase (e.g., î(75 )B [D] 0279 sy(s )sa Or). This evidence alone renders its authenticity unlikely. It may have been intentionally added by later scribes in order to harmonize Luke's account with similar material in Mark 5:26 (see TCGNT 121). NA(27) includes the words in brackets, indicating doubt as to their authenticity. (NET Bible) Luke 15:12 and the younger of them said to his father, 'Father, give me the share of the estate that falls to me.' And he divided his wealth between them. Luke 15:30 but when this son of yours came, who has devoured your wealth with harlots, you killed the fattened calf for him.' NET Note: Note the younger son is not "my brother" but this son of yours (an expression with a distinctly pejorative nuance). This is another graphic description. The younger son's consumption had been like a glutton. He had both figuratively and literally devoured the assets which were given to him. The charge concerning the prostitutes is unproven, but essentially the older brother accuses the father of committing an injustice by rewarding his younger son's unrighteous behavior. (NET Bible) Luke 21:4 for they all out of their surplus ("out of what abounded to them") put into the offering; but she out of her poverty put in all that she had to live on (bios)." ("put in her entire livelihood.") 1Timothy 2:2 for kings and all who are in authority, in order that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. 2Timothy 2:4-note No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier. 1 John 2:16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. 1 John 3:17 But whoever has the world's goods, and beholds his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him? NET Note: Here bios refers to one's means of subsistence - material goods or property (NET Bible) 1Pe 4:3-note For the time already past (referring to the readers' behavior in time past) is sufficient for you to have carried out the desire of the Gentiles (used here of those who are not God's people), having pursued a course of sensuality (literally sensualities = plural), lusts, drunkenness, carousals, drinking parties and abominable idolatries (The Greek words here all occur in the plural and describe their common practice in the past) Bios - 24 times in the non-apocryphal Septuagint (LXX) - 6" class="scriptRef">Ezra 7:26; Esther 3:13; Job 7:1, 6, 16" class="scriptRef">16; 8:9; 9:25; 10:5, 20; 12.12" class="scriptRef">12:12; 14.14" class="scriptRef">14.5-Job.14.22" class="scriptRef">14:5f, 14; 15:20; 21:13; Pr 3:2, 16; 4:10; 5:9; 16:17; 31:3, 12, 14; Song 8:7 Bishop Trench has the following notes on bios as compared to zoe... The Latin language and the English not less are poorer than the Greek, in having but one word, the Latin ‘vita,’ the English ‘life,’ where the Greek has two. There would, indeed, be no comparative poverty here, if zoe and bios were merely duplicates. But, contemplating life as these do from very different points of view, it is inevitable that we, with our one word for both, must use this one in very diverse senses; and may possibly, through this equivocation, conceal real and important differences from ourselves or from others; as nothing is so effectual for this as the employment of equivocal words. (Trench, R. C. Synonyms of the New Testament. Hendrickson Publishers. 2000) Marvin Vincent commenting on John 1:4 "in Him (the Word = Jesus, Jn 1:14) writes that... He was the fountain of life — physical, moral, and eternal — its principle and source. Two words for life are employed in the New Testament: bios and zoe. The primary distinction is that zoe means existence as contrasted with death, and bios, the period, means, or manner of existence. Hence bios is originally the higher word, being used of men, while zoe is used of animals. We speak therefore of the discussion of the life and habits of animals as zoology; and of accounts of men’s lives as biography. Animals have the vital principle in common with men, but men lead lives controlled by intellect and will, and directed to moral and intellectual ends. In the New Testament, bios means either living, i.e., means of subsistence (Mark 12:44; Luke 8:43), or course of life, life regarded as an economy (Luke 8:14; 1Ti 2:2; 2Ti 2:4). zoe occurs in the lower sense of life, considered principally or wholly as existence (1Pe 3:10; Acts 8:33; 17:25; Heb 7:3). There seems to be a significance in the use of the word in Luke 16:25: “Thou in thy lifetime (zoe) receivedst thy good things;” the intimation being that the rich man’s life had been little better than mere existence, and not life at all in the true sense. But throughout the New Testament zoe is the nobler word, seeming to have changed places with bios. It expresses the sum of mortal and eternal blessedness (Mt 25:46; Lk 18:30; Jn 11:25; Acts 2:28; Ro 5:17; 4:4), and that not only in respect of men, but also of God and Christ. So here. Compare Jn 5:26; 14:6; 1Jn 1:2. This change is due to the gospel revelation of the essential connection of sin with death, and consequently, of life with holiness. “Whatever truly lives, does so because sin has never found place in it, or, having found place for a time, has since been overcome and expelled” (Trench). Is not from the Father but is from the world: ouk estin (3SPAI) ek tou patros all' ek tou kosmou estin. (3SPAI): (James 3:15) Adam Clarke writes not from the Father indicates that... Nothing of these inordinate attachments either comes from or leads to God. They are of this world; here they begin, flourish, and end. They deprave the mind, divert it from Divine pursuits, and render it utterly incapable of spiritual enjoyments. Sinclair Ferguson once said that... A man can be outwardly conformed to the Christian way of life while he is inwardly conformed to the spirit of this world. ><>><>><> THE ANTIDOTE FOR LOVE OF THE WORLD - "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart" (Deuteronomy 6:5). Many people come to a sad end because they worship wrong gods. Some are wicked, having made a god out of sensual pleasure. Others are decent people, yet they too have worshiped the wrong god. After a young farmer committed suicide, his wife said, Farming wasn't just a job with Floyd. It was his identity, his nationality, his religion. Working with the ground gave us both a sense of connection with the Almighty. But it had gone sour by the time Floyd killed himself. My heart goes out to people like Floyd. They have a deep appreciation of God's natural world and are willing to work hard. But when-ever an occupation or anything temporal takes priority in life, it be-comes our god. The apostle John admonished us, Do not love the world or the things in the world...For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world (1John 2:15, 16). This can apply to any earthly pursuit that becomes central in our lives. When we love anything more than the true and living God revealed in the Bible, we are worshiping it. Whatever it is, it won't last. (1Jn 2:17-note ) And it won't be able to help us when our plans shatter, our health fails, or death beckons. Only the true God can help us then. —Herbert V. Lugt (Our Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved) The "world" is whatever cools our affection for Christ. There's no room for double occupancy in the Christian's heart. ><>><>><> A man visiting a distant city made no comment when his friends showed him one of the city's most impressive buildings. Disappointed at his silence, one of the friends finally asked, "Don't you think it's beautiful?" "No, not really," he responded. "I've been to Rome, you see." Because he had seen the magnificent structures of Rome's glorious past, the building his friends showed him did not impress him. It suffered tragically by comparison. C. H. Spurgeon, commenting on that story, said O believer, if the world tempts you with its rare sights and curious prospects, you may well scorn them, having been by contemplation in heaven, and being able by faith to see infinitely better delights every hour of the day. Believers who through faith in God's Word have had a foretaste of heaven and have considered their glorious spiritual blessings in Christ Jesus are not attracted by the enchantments of this world. They're not impressed by its empty baubles. They're not enamored with its allurements. Recognizing that which has genuine worth and lasting value, they respond to the earthly and temporal by saying, "Take the world, but give me Jesus." —R. W. De Haan (Our Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved) The world cannot distract us when Christ attracts us. Give Me Jesus In the morning when I rise Give me Jesus Give me Jesus Give me Jesus You can have all this world But give me Jesus. (Sung by Jeremy Camp) ><>><>><> WHAT SCENT ARE YOU TRACKING - THE WORLD'S OR HEAVEN'S?- A MAN bought a new hunting dog. Eager to see how the dog would perform, the man took him out to track a bear. No sooner had they gotten into the woods than the dog picked up the trail. Suddenly he stopped, sniffed the ground, and headed in a new direction. He had caught the scent of a deer that had crossed the bear's path. A few moments later he halted again, this time smelling a rabbit that had crossed the path of the deer. On and on it went until finally the breathless hunter caught up with his dog, only to find him barking triumphantly down the hole of a field mouse. Sometimes Christians are like that hunting dog. We start out on the right trail, following Christ. But soon our attention is diverted to things of lesser importance. One pursuit leads to another until we've strayed far from our original purpose. Apparently this is what happened to one of the apostle Paul's companions, for Paul wrote to Timothy, "Demas has forsaken me, having loved this present world." (2Ti 4:10-note) Every day we must renew our dedication to Christ or we will be drawn away by the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, or the pride of life (1Jn 2:15-17). These worldly influences can divert even the most devout Christian. We easily pick up another scent and follow another trail, perhaps the pursuit of wealth, power, prestige, or pleasure. When we realize that has happened, we must admit our waywardness and ask God to get us back on the right trail. —D J De Haan (Our Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved) (Bolding added) ><>><>><> LAST week I got a letter from my credit card company telling me that I was one of their most valued customers. "We would like to raise your buying power by $3,000," the letter said. The next day, because I was late in sending a payment of $36.96, I received another letter from the same company. This one said if I didn't pay up immediately, they would take action against me. So which am I? A valued customer or a loser? With one voice they urged me to go out and spend more of their money. With another they implied that I couldn't be trusted with what they had already loaned to me. Commercials and advertisements send the same kind of conflicting messages. Some urge us to spend our lives in indulgent behavior. Others warn us of the dangers of doing so—addiction, debt, disease, death, and poverty. The Bible, however, is consistent in its message. It urges us to spend our lives in controlled, unselfish behavior, for which there are no harmful consequences. If we follow God's plan and listen to His Word rather than to our own lusts, we'll not have to live with the anxiety that results from following mixed signals. —D C Egner ><>><>><> Illustration of 1Jn 2:15-17 - Today in the Word - When rescuers were finally able to pull a middle-aged man from the wreckage of a horrible car accident, he was taken to a nearby hospital. But it soon became apparent that he would die. As the chaplain comforted him, the man, who was a Christian, exclaimed, “As I look squarely at eternity, I realize now just how much I wasted my life on things that don’t matter.” What a sad revelation! Today’s passage offers a strong challenge to those who “waste their lives on things that don’t matter.” John opens this passage with uncompromising words: “Do not love the world or anything in the world.” At first glance, verse 15 may seem at odds with John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son.” Most likely, John is using the word world differently in these two texts. In John 3:16, world refers to the lost people of the world, whereas in 1 John 2:15, world refers to an entire system of beliefs and values–what we might call a “worldview.” This worldview is completely opposed to God and His ways. To clarify what he means, John lists three elements of this worldview in verse 16. First, he warns against “cravings.” These are misplaced appetites for some of our most powerful drives such as for food, for intimacy, and for recognition. Next, John talks about the “lust of the eyes.” This includes both what we can see and what we can imagine. This can best be summarized as our tendency to look at the external qualities without really inquiring about what’s inside. For example, many people are tempted by the pursuit of wealth because of all they imagine it will enable them to possess. Finally, John addresses pride, or that self-sufficiency that attempts to manufacture what God has promised–or what He has forbidden–rather than humbly allowing Him to give what we need. TODAY ALONG THE WAY- Today’s passage doesn’t condemn everything material as evil. Instead, it focuses on the affection that we have for the “stuff” around us. In others words, it’s not so much about what kind of car we drive, but rather the reasons we might have for wanting it or the intensity of our desire for it. What John is saying, however, is that we can’t ever let these things distract us from the eternal: God Himself. All these things will eventually be gone, but God is everlasting. That’s a reminder we all need to hear again. (MBI - Today in the Word) ><>><>><> STAY ON THE TRAIL! - A MAN bought a new hunting dog. Eager to see how the dog would perform, the man took him out to track a bear. No sooner had they gotten into the woods than the dog picked up the trail. Suddenly he stopped, sniffed the ground, and headed in a new direction. He had caught the scent of a deer that had crossed the bear's path. A few moments later he halted again, this time smelling a rabbit that had crossed the path of the deer. On and on it went until finally the breathless hunter caught up with his dog, only to find him barking triumphantly down the hole of a field mouse. Sometimes Christians are like that hunting dog. We start out on the right trail, following Christ. But soon our attention is diverted to things of lesser importance (cp loving the world, 1Jn 2:15). One pursuit leads to another until we've strayed far from our original purpose. Apparently this is what happened to one of the apostle Paul's companions, for Paul wrote to Timothy, "Demas has forsaken me, having loved this present world." (2Ti 4:10) Every day we must renew our dedication to Christ (Ed: Present yourselves to God Ro 12:1) or we will be drawn away by the lust of the flesh (Jas 1:15), the lust of the eyes, or the pride of life. These worldly influences can divert even the most devout Christian (cp 1Co 10:12). We easily pick up another scent and follow another trail, perhaps the pursuit of wealth, power, prestige, or pleasure. When we realize that has happened, we must admit our waywardness and ask God to get us back on the right trail. —D J De Haan (Our Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved) ><>><>><> LAST week I got a letter from my credit card company telling me that I was one of their most valued customers. "We would like to raise your buying power by $3,000," the letter said. The next day, because I was late in sending a payment of $36.96, I received another letter from the same company. This one said if I didn't pay up immediately, they would take action against me. So which am I? A valued customer or a loser? With one voice they urged me to go out and spend more of their money. With another they implied that I couldn't be trusted with what they had already loaned to me. Commercials and advertisements send the same kind of conflicting messages. Some urge us to spend our lives in indulgent behavior. Others warn us of the dangers of doing so—addiction, debt, disease, death, and poverty. The Bible, however, is consistent in its message. It urges us to spend our lives in controlled, unselfish behavior, for which there are no harmful consequences. If we follow God's plan and listen to His Word rather than to our own lusts, we'll not have to live with the anxiety that results from following mixed signals. —D C Egner (Our Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved) ><>><>><> LEAVE THE DOG HOME: The story is told of a man who liked to hunt pheasants. He thought he could do better if he had a dog to help him, so he bought one. However, he was disappointed when he discovered that the dog was interested only in chasing rabbits. The man had acquired a hound dog when what he needed was a bird dog. So instead of hunting pheasants, as he really wanted to, the-man spent his time doing what his dog preferred. Finally the hunter decided he had better leave the dog at home. The hunter solved his problem by taking decisive action. He equipped himself for pheasant hunting and went out without the distracting dog. That's what we must do in the spiritual realm. As we prepare for each day, let's choose to obey the injunction, "Put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts." (Ro 13:14-note) When we yield to Christ, rely on His strength, and put Him first, we will reject the evil impulses that arise from the law of sin in our members. That's how we "leave the dog at home." —R. W De Haan (Ibid)

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