zaō · live

What it means

zaō (ζάω) is a Greek word of the Bible that means “live”.

Be alive.

How to say it

Approximate pronunciation. Vowels sound as in Spanish (a as in father, e as in bed, i as in machine, o as in note, u as in rule); the syllable in bold is stressed. The voice is your device's.

Its senses in the Bible

1. To have life in the body, or receive it again after dying.
2. God, the one who lives forever.
3. To live life in a certain way.

From Abbott-Smith (1922) · Thayer (1889)

Word study

To live, to be alive; also to spend one's life in a certain way. Abbott-Smith also lists the oath formula “as I live”. Of the same family as ζωή, “life”.

• “A person will not live on bread alone” Matthew 4:4
• “The Son of the living God” Matthew 16:16
• “I was dead, and look, I am alive” Revelation 1:18
• “The righteous will live by faith” Romans 1:17
• “It is no longer I {who} live” Galatians 2:20
• Living in a certain way Luke 15:13

How we translate it

“Live” 53 times, “living” 43, “alive” 18, “lives” 18, “came to life” 4… As a participle said of God, “living” (“the living God”).

How it is translated

The words this translation uses for it, most frequent first.

• live ×53
• living ×43
• alive ×18
• lives ×18
• came to life ×4
• come to life ×2
• I lived ×1
• having lived ×1

Related words

Words of the same family, by Strong’s numbering.

Where it appears

• Matthew×6
• Mark×3
• Luke×9
• John×17
• Acts×12
• Romans×23
• 1 Corinthians×3
• 2 Corinthians×9
• Galatians×9
• Philippians×2
• Colossians×2
• 1 Thessalonians×5
• 1 Timothy×3
• 2 Timothy×2
• Titus×1
• Hebrews×12
• James×1
• 1 Peter×7
• 1 John×1
• Revelation×13

• Matthew 4:4

  But he answered and said, “It is written, ‘A person will not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes out through the mouth of God.’”

• Matthew 9:18

  While he was saying these things to them, look, a ruler came and was bowing down before him, saying, “My daughter has just died; but come and lay your hand on her, and she will live.”

• Matthew 16:16

  And Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”

• Matthew 22:32

  ‘I am the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob’? He is not God of the dead, but of the living.”

• Matthew 26:63

  But Jesus was silent. And the high priest said to him, “I put you under oath by the living God that you tell us whether you are the Messiah, the Son of God.”

• Matthew 27:63

  and said, “Sir, we remember that that impostor said while he was still alive, ‘After three days I will be raised.’

• Mark 5:23

  and begs him earnestly, saying, “My little daughter is at the point of death; come and lay your hands on her, so that she may be made well and live.”

• Mark 12:27

  He is not God of the dead, but of the living. You are greatly mistaken.”

• Mark 16:11

  And they, when they heard that he was alive and had been seen by her, did not believe.

• Luke 2:36

  And there was a prophetess, Anna, daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in many days, having lived with a husband seven years from her virginity,

• Luke 4:4

  And Jesus answered him, “It is written: A human being will not live on bread alone.”

• Luke 10:28

  And he said to him, “You answered correctly; do this, and you will live.”

• Luke 15:13

  And not many days later, the younger son, gathering together everything, went away to a distant country, and there he squandered his estate living recklessly.

• Luke 15:32

  But it was necessary to celebrate and rejoice, because this brother of yours was dead and has come to life, and was lost and has been found.’”

• Luke 20:38

  Now he is not God of the dead, but of the living, for all live to him.”

• Luke 24:5

  And as they became terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, they said to them, “Why do you seek the living one among the dead?

• Luke 24:23

  and when they did not find his body, they came saying that they had also seen a vision of angels, who say that he is alive.

• John 4:10

  Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who is saying to you, ‘Give me something to drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.”

• John 4:11

  The woman says to him, “Sir, you have no bucket, and the well is deep. Where then do you get that living water?

• John 4:50

  Jesus says to him, “Go; your son lives.” The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and he went on his way.

• John 4:51

  And as he was already going down, his slaves met him, saying that his boy was alive.

• John 4:53

  So the father knew that it was at that hour in which Jesus had said to him, “Your son lives.” And he believed, and his whole household.

• John 5:25

  Truly, truly, I tell you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live.

• John 6:51

  I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh, for the life of the world.”

• John 6:57

  As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me, he too will live because of me.

• John 6:58

  This is the bread that came down from heaven, not as the fathers ate and died; whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.”

• John 7:38

  Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from within him.’”

• John 11:25

  Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live,

• John 11:26

  and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die, ever. Do you believe this?”

• John 14:19

  A little while, and the world will no longer see me, but you will see me; because I live, you also will live.

• Acts 1:3

  to them he also presented himself alive after his suffering by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over forty days and speaking of the things concerning the kingdom of God.

• Acts 7:38

  This is the one who was in the assembly in the wilderness with the angel who spoke to him on Mount Sinai, and with our fathers; he received living oracles to give to us.

• Acts 9:41

  And giving her his hand, he raised her up; and calling the saints and the widows, he presented her alive.

• Acts 10:42

  And he commanded us to proclaim to the people and to testify solemnly that he is the one appointed by God as judge of the living and the dead.

• Acts 14:15

  and saying, “Men, why are you doing these things? We also are men of the same nature as you, announcing the good news to you, that you should turn from these worthless things to a living God, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all that is in them;

• Acts 17:28

  For in him we live and move and are, as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also his offspring.’

• Acts 20:12

  And they brought the boy alive, and were comforted not a little.

• Acts 22:22

  And they were listening to him up to this word, and they raised their voices, saying, “Take such a man away from the earth, for it was not fitting for him to live.”

• Acts 25:19

  but they had some questions against him about their own religion and about a certain Jesus, who had died, whom Paul claimed to be alive.

• Acts 25:24

  And Festus says, “King Agrippa, and all you men who are present with us, you see this man about whom the whole multitude of the Jews petitioned me, both in Jerusalem and here, shouting that he ought not to live any longer.

And 100 more times.