Greek word · G979

βίος

bios

life

(1) The course or manner of a person's life, a lifetime; (2) much more often in the NT, the means of life: livelihood, property, resources, what one lives on (BDAG sense 2).

Appears 10 times in 10 verses of the Greek New Testament. ·

What it means

βίος, -ου, ὁ,

[in LXX chiefly for יָמִים ;]

1. period or course of life, life: Luke 8:14, 1 Timothy 2:2, 2 Timothy 2:4, 1 John 2:16.

2. living, livelihood, means (in Proverbs 31:14 for לֶחֶם; see DCG, ii, 39a): Mark 12:44, Luke 8:43 15:12, 30 21:4, 1 John 3:17.†

SYN.: ζωή, is life intensive, "vita quâ, vivimus," the vital principle; βίος, life extensive, "vita quam vivimus," (1) the period of life, (2) the means by which it is sustained. Hence, in cl., ζ., being confined to the physical life common to men and animals, is the inferior word (cf. zoology, biography). In NT, ζωή is elevated into the ethical and spiritual sphere (cf. Tr., Syn., §xxvii). (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 1 John 3:17

Range of meaning

(1) The course or manner of a person's life, a lifetime; (2) much more often in the NT, the means of life: livelihood, property, resources, what one lives on (BDAG sense 2).

Against the English

KJV/YLT 'this world's good(s)', ESV/NASB/WEB 'the world's goods', BSB 'earthly possessions', NIV 'material possessions'. All are accurate about the goods, but to a modern ear they can sound like 'riches'. The point is having enough to live on, not being wealthy.

How it drifted

'Possessions' and 'goods' have taken on a flavour of surplus or affluence. The Greek word is about subsistence, what keeps a person alive.

Used elsewhere in the period

Mark 12:44: the widow gave 'her whole bios', everything she had to live on. Luke 8:43: the woman spent her whole bios on doctors. Luke 15:12, 30: the father divides his bios (estate) between his sons. 1 John 2:16: 'the pride of bios', boasting in one's resources. The 'means of living' sense is common in the papyri and other Koine Greek.

From the study of 2 Timothy 2:4

Range of meaning

Greek had two main words for "life". Zōē is the life a living being has, the opposite of death; the New Testament uses it for "eternal life". Bios is life as it is lived and supported: a person's way of life, how they make a living, and the property or goods they live on.

Against the English

English "life" covers both. When the KJV adds "this" ("the affairs of [this] life"), many readers hear "earthly life as opposed to heavenly life". The Greek does not set this world against the next here. It sets the soldier's duty against civilian business.

How it drifted

The KJV's supplied "this" (printed in italics or brackets) plus long devotional use pushed the phrase toward a contrast between this world and the next. Modern versions ("civilian affairs", "civilian pursuits") get closer to the point.

Used elsewhere in the period

NT: the widow put in her "whole bios", her whole living (Mark 12:44). The prodigal's father divided his bios, his property (Luke 15:12). The seed is choked by "cares and riches and pleasures of bios" (Luke 8:14). "Whoever has the world's bios", meaning goods (1 John 3:17). Christians are to lead "a quiet and peaceful bios" (1 Tim 2:2). Classical writers keep the same distinction; Trench's study of synonyms treats zōē and bios at length.

From the study of 1 John 2:16

Range of meaning

(1) The course or manner of life, a lifetime. (2) Very often, the means of living: livelihood, property, resources. The widow put in "her whole bios" (Mark 12:44). The younger son's father divided "his bios" (Luke 15:12). Greek keeps this separate from zōē, life as being alive, which John uses for "eternal life."

Against the English

All the major English versions say "of life," which sounds like life itself, zest for life, or pride in being alive. That is closer to zōē than to bios. NLT's "possessions" brings the right sense back.

How it drifted

Latin has one word for both Greek words. The Vulgate renders bios and zōē alike as vita, and English "life" followed it. The Greek contrast disappears in translation.

Used elsewhere in the period

In the same letter, 1 John 3:17 says "whoever has the bios of the world (the world's goods) and sees his brother in need" — the same word, plainly meaning material resources. In the papyri bios is ordinary for livelihood. Luke 8:43 and 21:4 use it in the same way.

Where it appears

Mark · 1

  1. Mark 12:44 βίον livelihood

    For they all contributed out of their surplus, but she out of her poverty has put in all she had to live on.”

    Here: "Livelihood": the resources a person lives on, what stands between her and going without food. This is not zōē, the word for being alive. Still, "her whole bios" can carry the sense that she handed over her whole living, her very survival.

Luke · 5

  1. Luke 8:14 βίου of life

    The seeds that fell among the thorns are those who hear, but as they go on their way, they are choked by the worries, riches, and pleasures of this life, and their fruit does not mature.

    Here: Bios is daily life, livelihood and the means of living, not 'life' as opposed to the afterlife. It may govern only 'pleasures' or all three nouns.

  2. Luke 8:43 βίον living

    including a woman who had suffered from bleeding for twelve years. She had spent all her money on physicians, but no one was able to heal her.

    Here: Not her lifetime but her livelihood: her property and means of support. Luke uses the same phrase for the prodigal son's inheritance (15:12) and for the widow who gave "all her living" (21:4). She is now destitute as well as ill.

  3. Luke 15:12 βίον. property.

    The younger son said to him, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them.

  4. Luke 15:30 βίον living

    But when this son of yours returns from squandering your wealth with prostitutes, you kill the fattened calf for him!’

    Here: The family's means of subsistence: land, goods, wealth. It is the same word as 15:12, where the father 'divided his bios' between the sons. It means the estate, not 'life' in a spiritual sense.

  5. Luke 21:4 βίον livelihood

    For they all contributed out of their surplus, but she out of her poverty has put in all she had to live on.”

1 Timothy · 1

  1. 1 Timothy 2:2 βίον life

    for kings and all those in authority—so that we may lead tranquil and quiet lives in all godliness and dignity.

    Here: Life as it is lived day to day: one's manner of life and livelihood. It is not zōē, life as a vital or eternal reality.

2 Timothy · 1

  1. 2 Timothy 2:4 βίου life

    A soldier refrains from entangling himself in civilian affairs, in order to please the one who enlisted him.

    Here: Not life as opposed to death or eternity. This is everyday living and earning a living: property, trade, the business of getting by. In this military picture it means civilian life.

1 John · 2

  1. 1 John 2:16 βίου, of life,

    For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh, the desires of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not from the Father but from the world.

    Here: Not life itself (John's word for that is zōē) but one's living: resources, possessions, station in life. In 3:17 the same word means "the world's goods." So this is boasting about what you have and the status it brings.

  2. 1 John 3:17 βίον goods

    If anyone with earthly possessions sees his brother in need, but withholds his compassion from him, how can the love of God abide in him?

    Here: Not 'life' in the sense of being alive (that is ψυχή in v.16 or ζωή) but what you live on: money, food, property, the resources that keep you going. It does not have to mean wealth.

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