σπέρμα
sperma
seed: offspring
Lexicon Entry
Lexicon data from STEPBible TIPNR, Tyndale House, Cambridge. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.
What Original Readers Understood
ExploredThe Greek word σπέρμα (sperma) is a term with multiple meanings rooted in its core definition of "seed" or "offspring." In its broadest sense, sperma refers to the result of planting or the product of a sowing process. It is often used metaphorically to describe children and descendants (as in Genesis 15:4, Galatians 4:28), reflecting the idea of a new life emerging from a predecessor or a starting point. This concept of sperma as a connection to the past and a source of new life is significant in the biblical narrative, highlighting the continuation of family lines, tribal identities, and spiritual legacies. Additionally, sperma can denote the concept of origin, lineage, or ancestry (e.g., in Hebrews 11:11, the sperma spoken of is the faith of righteous men). Its usage in the New Testament often carries a sense of continuity, underscoring the idea that the work of God or the actions of an individual have consequences that extend across generations. The 36 occurrences of sperma in the Bible underscore the importance of this concept in understanding biblical themes of family, identity, faith, and spiritual inheritance. Its multifaceted meanings reveal a nuanced exploration of the relationships between past, present, and future, as well as the interconnected dynamics between generations.
Source data & methodology
Occurrences in Scripture
36 total occurrences across the text
saying, “Teacher, Moses said, ‘If a man dies, having no children, his brother shall marry his wife, and raise up offspring for his brother.’
Matthew 22:25Now there were with us seven brothers. The first married and died, and having no offspring left his wife to his brother.
Mark 4:31It’s like a grain of mustard seed, which, when it is sown in the earth, though it is less than all the seeds that are on the earth,
Mark 12:19“Teacher, Moses wrote to us, ‘If a man’s brother dies, and leaves a wife behind him, and leaves no children, that his brother should take his wife, and raise up offspring for his brother.’
Mark 12:20There were seven brothers. The first took a wife, and dying left no offspring.
Mark 12:21The second took her, and died, leaving no children behind him. The third likewise;
Mark 12:22and the seven took her and left no children. Last of all the woman also died.
Luke 1:55as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and his offspring forever.”
Luke 20:28They asked him, “Teacher, Moses wrote to us that if a man’s brother dies having a wife, and he is childless, his brother should take the wife and raise up children for his brother.
John 7:42Hasn’t the Scripture said that the Christ comes of the offspring of David, and from Bethlehem, the village where David was?”
John 8:33They answered him, “We are Abraham’s offspring, and have never been in bondage to anyone. How do you say, ‘You will be made free’?”
John 8:37I know that you are Abraham’s offspring, yet you seek to kill me, because my word finds no place in you.
Acts 3:25You are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying to Abraham, ‘All the families of the earth will be blessed through your offspring.’
Acts 7:5He gave him no inheritance in it, no, not so much as to set his foot on. He promised that he would give it to him for a possession, and to his offspring after him, when he still had no child.
Acts 7:6God spoke in this way: that his offspring would live as aliens in a strange land, and that they would be enslaved and mistreated for four hundred years.
Acts 13:23From this man’s offspring, God has brought salvation to Israel according to his promise,
Romans 1:3concerning his Son, who was born of the offspring of David according to the flesh,
Romans 4:13For the promise to Abraham and to his offspring that he should be heir of the world wasn’t through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.
Romans 4:16For this cause it is of faith, that it may be according to grace, to the end that the promise may be sure to all the offspring, not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all.
Romans 4:18Besides hope, Abraham in hope believed, to the end that he might become a father of many nations, according to that which had been spoken, “So will your offspring be.”
Romans 9:7Neither, because they are Abraham’s offspring, are they all children. But, “your offspring will be accounted as from Isaac.”
Romans 9:7Neither, because they are Abraham’s offspring, are they all children. But, “your offspring will be accounted as from Isaac.”
Romans 9:8That is, it is not the children of the flesh who are children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as heirs.
Romans 9:29As Isaiah has said before, “Unless the Lord of Armies had left us a seed, we would have become like Sodom, and would have been made like Gomorrah.”
Romans 11:1I ask then, did God reject his people? May it never be! For I also am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin.
2 Corinthians 11:22Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they the offspring of Abraham? So am I.
Galatians 3:16Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his offspring. He doesn’t say, “To descendants”, as of many, but as of one, “To your offspring”, which is Christ.
Galatians 3:16Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his offspring. He doesn’t say, “To descendants”, as of many, but as of one, “To your offspring”, which is Christ.
Galatians 3:16Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his offspring. He doesn’t say, “To descendants”, as of many, but as of one, “To your offspring”, which is Christ.
Galatians 3:19Then why is there the law? It was added because of transgressions, until the offspring should come to whom the promise has been made. It was ordained through angels by the hand of a mediator.
Galatians 3:29If you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring and heirs according to promise.
2 Timothy 2:8Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, of the offspring of David, according to my Good News,
Hebrews 2:16For most certainly, he doesn’t give help to angels, but he gives help to the offspring of Abraham.
Hebrews 11:11By faith, even Sarah herself received power to conceive, and she bore a child when she was past age, since she counted him faithful who had promised.
Hebrews 11:18to whom it was said, “Your offspring will be accounted as from Isaac,”
Revelation 12:17The dragon grew angry with the woman, and went away to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep God’s commandments and hold Jesus’ testimony.