Greek noun (neuter) · G4690
σπέρμα
spermasper'-mah
seed(s)
43 uses in the Greek text, one for each word STEP Bible has tagged with this key
Concordance spelling: spérma
Word page · Part of the concordance, one page for every word of the Hebrew and Greek text. Strong's G4690is this word's number in James Strong's 1890 index of the King James Bible.
- 13 of 27New Testament books
- 6spellings
The definition in full
Strong's key (1890) · G4690
something sown, i.e. seed (including the male "sperm"); by implication, offspring; specially, a remnant (figuratively, as if kept over for planting)
The King James renders it: issue, seed.
James Strong, The Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (1890), public domain. Strong indexed the King James text, and this site quotes his entry as that index.
Summary
sperma is rendered "seed(s)". It stands 43 times in the Greek text, across thirteen books.
- Nine of the uses stand in Romans, more than in any other book.
- Its first use in canonical order opens the ledger below.Matthew 13:24Jesus put before them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field.
- The Greek text spells it six different ways.
The first use
Jesus put before them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field.
Matthew 13:24σπέρμα
The first use, in the order of the New Testament's books.
Where the word stands
The word stands in thirteen of the 27 New Testament books.
What the word means
Each meaning, and the words it is translated by
How the Greek text is glossed, word by word
- seed26
- offspring6
- descendants5
- seeds3
- children1
- of seed1
- to seeds1
The words built on the same word-part
Each word below begins with the same letters this one begins with. A shared word-part shows a family. It does not settle what any one of them means, so each word carries its own uses on its own page. Scholars call that shared part the stem.
| Word | Written | Meaning | Uses |
|---|---|---|---|
| σπερμολόγος | spermologos | babbler | Uses1 |
The words it stands beside
All 43, in canonical order
Every use, in order
Every use, grouped by book, with its verse.
6 spellings and their grammar
STEP Bible tags every word of the Hebrew and Greek text with its spelling and its grammar. Both lists below count the rows printed underneath, written out in English, with the code beside each one as it was tagged.
How it is spelled
- σπέρμα24
- σπέρματος8
- σπέρματι5
- σπερμάτων3
- σπέρματί2
- σπέρμασιν1
The grammar of each form
- noun · accusative (object) · neuter singular12N-ASN
- noun · nominative (subject) · neuter singular12N-NSN
- noun · genitive (“of”) · neuter singular8N-GSN
- noun · dative (“to / for”) · neuter singular7N-DSN
- noun · genitive (“of”) · neuter plural3N-GPN
- noun · dative (“to / for”) · neuter plural1N-DPN
Matthew
seven uses
Jesus put before them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field.
- σπέρμαspermanoun · accusative (object) · neuter singulartagged: seed
The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?’
- σπέρμαspermanoun · accusative (object) · neuter singulartagged: seed
Although it is the smallest of all seeds, yet it grows into the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches.”
- σπερμάτωνspermatonnoun · genitive (“of”) · neuter pluraltagged: seeds
He replied, “The One who sows the good seed is the Son of Man.
- σπέρμαspermanoun · accusative (object) · neuter singulartagged: seed
The field is the world, and the good seed represents the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one,
- σπέρμαspermanoun · nominative (subject) · neuter singulartagged: seed
“Teacher,” they said, “Moses declared that if a man dies without having children, his brother is to marry the widow and raise up offspring for him.
- σπέρμαspermanoun · accusative (object) · neuter singulartagged: offspring
Now there were seven brothers among us. The first one married and died without having children. So he left his wife to his brother.
- σπέρμαspermanoun · accusative (object) · neuter singulartagged: seed
Mark
five uses
It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds sown upon the earth.
- σπερμάτωνspermatonnoun · genitive (“of”) · neuter pluraltagged: seeds
“Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies and leaves a wife but no children, the man is to marry his brother’s widow and raise up offspring for him.
- σπέρμαspermanoun · accusative (object) · neuter singulartagged: seed
Now there were seven brothers. The first one married and died, leaving no children.
- σπέρμαspermanoun · accusative (object) · neuter singulartagged: seed
Then the second one married the widow, but he also died and left no children. And the third did likewise.
- σπέρμαspermanoun · accusative (object) · neuter singulartagged: seed
In this way, none of the seven left any children. And last of all, the woman died.
- σπέρμαspermanoun · accusative (object) · neuter singulartagged: offspring
Luke
two uses
as He promised to our fathers, to Abraham and his descendants forever.”
- σπέρματιspermatinoun · dative (“to / for”) · neuter singulartagged: descendants
“Teacher,” they said, “Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies and leaves a wife but no children, the man is to marry his brother’s widow and raise up offspring for him.
- σπέρμαspermanoun · accusative (object) · neuter singulartagged: seed
John
three uses
Doesn’t the Scripture say that the Christ will come from the line of David and from Bethlehem, the village where David lived?”
- σπέρματοςspermatosnoun · genitive (“of”) · neuter singulartagged: seed
“We are Abraham’s descendants,” they answered. “We have never been slaves to anyone. How can You say we will be set free?”
- σπέρμαspermanoun · nominative (subject) · neuter singulartagged: Seed
I know you are Abraham’s descendants, but you are trying to kill Me because My word has no place within you.
- σπέρμαspermanoun · nominative (subject) · neuter singulartagged: seed
Acts
four uses
And you are sons of the prophets and of the covenant God made with your fathers when He said to Abraham, ‘Through your offspring all the families of the earth will be blessed.’
- σπέρματίspermatinoun · dative (“to / for”) · neuter singulartagged: seed
He gave him no inheritance here, not even a foot of ground. But God promised to give possession of the land to Abraham and his descendants, even though he did not yet have a child.
- σπέρματιspermatinoun · dative (“to / for”) · neuter singulartagged: descendants
God told him that his descendants would be foreigners in a strange land, and that they would be enslaved and mistreated four hundred years.
- σπέρμαspermanoun · nominative (subject) · neuter singulartagged: seed
From the descendants of this man, God has brought to Israel the Savior Jesus, as He promised.
- σπέρματοςspermatosnoun · genitive (“of”) · neuter singulartagged: seed
Romans
nine uses
regarding His Son, who was a descendant of David according to the flesh,
- σπέρματοςspermatosnoun · genitive (“of”) · neuter singulartagged: seed
For the promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would be heir of the world was not given through the law, but through the righteousness that comes by faith.
- σπέρματιspermatinoun · dative (“to / for”) · neuter singulartagged: descendants
Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may rest on grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham’s offspring—not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all.
- σπέρματιspermatinoun · dative (“to / for”) · neuter singulartagged: seed
Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as he had been told, “So shall your offspring be.”
- σπέρμαspermanoun · nominative (subject) · neuter singulartagged: offspring
Nor because they are Abraham’s descendants are they all his children. On the contrary, “Through Isaac your offspring will be reckoned.”
- σπέρμαspermanoun · nominative (subject) · neuter singulartagged: seed
- σπέρμαspermanoun · nominative (subject) · neuter singulartagged: offspring
So it is not the children of the flesh who are God’s children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as offspring.
- σπέρμαspermanoun · accusative (object) · neuter singulartagged: offspring
It is just as Isaiah foretold: “Unless the Lord of Hosts had left us descendants, we would have become like Sodom, we would have resembled Gomorrah.”
- σπέρμαspermanoun · accusative (object) · neuter singulartagged: descendants
I ask then, did God reject His people? Certainly not! I am an Israelite myself, a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin.
- σπέρματοςspermatosnoun · genitive (“of”) · neuter singulartagged: seed
1 Corinthians
one use
But God gives it a body as He has designed, and to each kind of seed He gives its own body.
- σπερμάτωνspermatonnoun · genitive (“of”) · neuter pluraltagged: seeds
2 Corinthians
one use
Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they descendants of Abraham? So am I.
- σπέρμαspermanoun · nominative (subject) · neuter singulartagged: Descendants
Galatians
five uses
The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. The Scripture does not say, “and to seeds,” meaning many, but “and to your seed,” meaning One, who is Christ.
- σπέρματιspermatinoun · dative (“to / for”) · neuter singulartagged: seed
- σπέρμασινspermasinnoun · dative (“to / for”) · neuter pluraltagged: to seeds
- σπέρματίspermatinoun · dative (“to / for”) · neuter singulartagged: seed
Why then was the law given? It was added because of transgressions, until the arrival of the seed to whom the promise referred. It was administered through angels by a mediator.
- σπέρμαspermanoun · nominative (subject) · neuter singulartagged: seed
And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed and heirs according to the promise.
- σπέρμαspermanoun · nominative (subject) · neuter singulartagged: seed
2 Timothy
one use
Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, descended from David, as proclaimed by my gospel,
- σπέρματοςspermatosnoun · genitive (“of”) · neuter singulartagged: seed
Hebrews
three uses
For surely it is not the angels He helps, but the descendants of Abraham.
- σπέρματοςspermatosnoun · genitive (“of”) · neuter singulartagged: seed
By faith Sarah, even though she was barren and beyond the proper age, was enabled to conceive a child, because she considered Him faithful who had promised.
- σπέρματοςspermatosnoun · genitive (“of”) · neuter singulartagged: of seed
even though God had said to him, “Through Isaac your offspring will be reckoned.”
- σπέρμαspermanoun · nominative (subject) · neuter singulartagged: offspring
1 John
one use
Anyone born of God refuses to practice sin, because God’s seed abides in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God.
- σπέρμαspermanoun · nominative (subject) · neuter singulartagged: seed
Revelation
one use
And the dragon was enraged at the woman, and went to make war with the rest of her children, who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus. And the dragon stood on the shore of the sea.
- σπέρματοςspermatosnoun · genitive (“of”) · neuter singulartagged: children
Where it leads
Studies that open this word1
How the numbers are counted
Every count on this page comes from STEP Bible's tagged Hebrew and Greek text, the same text the ledger prints. A use is counted once each time the tagging marks a word with this key.
Spellings are counted as the Greek text spells them, with the sentence's own punctuation taken off the word first, so a form that ends a clause is not counted as a second spelling.
The words it stands beside are the nouns, verbs and adjectives immediately before or after it, counted in every verse where the word stands. The article, the conjunctions and the prepositions are left out, because they stand beside every word.
The family is read from the lexicon by the stem the two words share, with the accents off, and a person or a place named on the stem is left out.