mētēr · mother

What it means

mētēr (μήτηρ) is a Greek word of the Bible that means “mother”.

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. The woman who gives birth to a child and raises it.
2. One who is like a mother to someone.

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

Word study

Mother. Thayer: a mother; also, figuratively, what is like a mother. Of the same family is μήτρα, “womb”.

• The mother of Jesus Matthew 2:11Luke 1:43John 19:25
• “Look, your mother” John 19:27
• “Honor your father and your mother” Matthew 15:4
• “Who is my mother…?” Matthew 12:48
• “The Jerusalem above… is our mother” Galatians 4:26

How we translate it

“Mother” 81 times and “mothers” 2. The Greek idiom ‘from his mother's womb’ is kept as it is (“lame from his mother’s womb”, Acts 3:2).

How it is translated

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

• mother ×81
• mothers ×2

Related words

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

Where it appears

• Matthew×26
• Mark×17
• Luke×17
• John×11
• Acts×4
• Romans×1
• Galatians×2
• Ephesians×2
• 1 Timothy×1
• 2 Timothy×1
• Revelation×1

• Matthew 1:18

  Now the origin of Jesus the Messiah was like this: when his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, before they came together she was found pregnant by the Holy Spirit.

• Matthew 2:11

  And coming into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell and bowed down before him; and opening their treasures, they offered him gifts: gold and frankincense and myrrh.

• Matthew 2:13

  And when they had withdrawn, look, an angel of the Lord appears in a dream to Joseph, saying, “Get up, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you; for Herod is about to search for the child to destroy him.”

• Matthew 2:14

  And he got up, took the child and his mother by night, and withdrew to Egypt,

• Matthew 2:20

  saying, “Get up, take the child and his mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who were seeking the child’s life have died.”

• Matthew 2:21

  And he got up, took the child and his mother, and went into the land of Israel.

• Matthew 10:35

  For I came to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;

• Matthew 10:37

  The one who holds father or mother dearer than me is not worthy of me; and the one who holds son or daughter dearer than me is not worthy of me.

• Matthew 12:46

  While he was still speaking to the crowds, look, his mother and brothers were standing outside, seeking to speak to him.

• Matthew 12:47

  And someone said to him, “Look, your mother and your brothers are standing outside, seeking to speak to you.”

• Matthew 12:48

  But he answered and said to the one who had told him, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?”

• Matthew 12:49

  And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, “Look, my mother and my brothers!

• Matthew 12:50

  For whoever does the will of my Father who is in heaven, he is my brother and sister and mother.”

• Matthew 13:55

  Is this not the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother called Mary, and his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas?

• Matthew 14:8

  And she, prompted by her mother, says, “Give me here on a platter the head of John the Immerser.”

• Matthew 14:11

  And his head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, and she brought it to her mother.

• Matthew 15:4

  For God said, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘Whoever speaks evil of father or mother must surely die.’

• Matthew 15:5

  But you say, ‘Whoever says to his father or mother, “Whatever you would have gained from me is an offering to God,”

• Matthew 19:5

  and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and his mother and will be joined to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’?

• Matthew 19:12

  For there are eunuchs who were born that way from their mother’s womb, and there are eunuchs who were made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. The one who is able to accept this, let him accept it.”

• Matthew 19:19

  honor your father and your mother;’ and, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ ”

• Matthew 19:29

  And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or fields for the sake of my name will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.

• Matthew 20:20

  Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came to him with her sons, bowing down and asking something of him.

• Matthew 27:56

  among whom were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee.

• Mark 3:31

  And his mother and his brothers come, and standing outside, they sent to him, calling him.

• Mark 3:32

  And a crowd was sitting around him, and they say to him, “Look, your mother and your brothers are outside looking for you.”

• Mark 3:33

  And answering them, he says, “Who is my mother and my brothers?”

• Mark 3:34

  And looking around at those who were sitting around him, he says, “Look, my mother and my brothers!

• Mark 3:35

  For whoever does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother.”

• Mark 5:40

  And they were laughing at him. But he, having put them all out, takes along the child’s father and mother and those with him, and goes in where the child was.

• Mark 6:24

  And going out, she said to her mother, “What shall I ask for?” And she said, “The head of John the Immerser.”

• Mark 6:28

  and brought his head on a platter and gave it to the girl, and the girl gave it to her mother.

• Mark 7:10

  For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother’; and, ‘Whoever speaks evil of father or mother must surely die.’

• Mark 7:11

  But you say, ‘If a man says to his father or mother, “Whatever you would have gained from me is Corban” (that is, an offering)’—

• Mark 7:12

  you no longer permit him to do anything for his father or mother,

• Mark 10:7

  ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife,

• Mark 10:19

  You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not bear false witness, do not defraud, honor your father and mother.’”

• Mark 10:29

  Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for the sake of me and for the sake of the good news

• Mark 10:30

  who will not receive a hundred times as much now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and fields, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life.

• Mark 15:40

  And there were also women watching from a distance, among whom were both Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome,

And 43 more times.