Greek word · G5453

φύω

phyō

to grow

In the active, to bring forth or produce. In the passive or intransitive, to grow, spring up, sprout. Used of plants and, figuratively, of things that spring up (Heb 12:15, "root of bitterness springing up").

Appears 3 times in 3 verses of the Greek New Testament. ·

What it means

φύω

[in LXX: Proverbs 26:9, Ezekiel 37:8 (עָלָה), etc. ;]

1. trans., to bring forth, produce (of men, to beget); pass., to spring up, grow: Luke 8:6, 8.

2. Intrans., in 2 aor., pf., plpf., and rarely in present (see LS, see word, A, II.), to spring up: Hebrews 12:15.†

(AS)

From G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament (1922), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Luke 8:6

Range of meaning

In the active, to bring forth or produce. In the passive or intransitive, to grow, spring up, sprout. Used of plants and, figuratively, of things that spring up (Heb 12:15, "root of bitterness springing up").

Against the English

KJV "as soon as it was sprung up" and WEB "as soon as it grew" bring in Mark's "immediately" (εὐθύς), a word Luke does not have here. BSB "when it came up" and YLT "having sprung up" are closer.

Used elsewhere in the period

Luke uses the same participle φυέν in v. 8 for the good soil, and v. 7 has the compound συμφυεῖσαι for the thorns "growing up together" with the seed. Only three times elsewhere in the New Testament.

Where it appears

Luke · 2

  1. Luke 8:6 φυὲν having sprung up

    Some fell on rocky ground, and when it came up, the seedlings withered because they had no moisture.

    Here: "Having sprouted." This is an aorist participle, which presents the sprouting as one completed event before the main verb. The seed really does germinate and come up. The failure comes after real growth. Luke uses the same word in v. 8 for the good soil, so in both places the seed comes up.

  2. Luke 8:8 φυὲν having sprung up

    Still other seed fell on good soil, where it sprang up and produced a crop—a hundredfold.” As Jesus said this, He called out, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

    Here: 'Having come up.' This is the exact same form used in verse 6 of the seed on rock: there 'having come up, it withered'; here 'having come up, it made fruit'. Sprouting is not the difference; what follows the sprouting is.

Hebrews · 1

  1. Hebrews 12:15 φύουσα springing

    See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God, and that no root of bitterness springs up to cause trouble and defile many.

    Here: Present participle, 'growing up'. It describes an ongoing process of sprouting, which is why early watchfulness matters.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.