A recent word-study reference is the three-volume Exegetisches Wörterbuch zum Neuen Testament, edited by Horst Balz and Gerhard Schneider, published in 1978-1981, English translation Exegetical Dictionary of the New Testament, published by Eerdmans, 1990-1993.
All NT words, not just those of theological significance, are included. Hebrew is transliterated; Greek is not, but both are used only rarely. Following is the article by Armin Kretzer, translated by James W. Thompson. The article begins with a brief definition, outline of the word study, and relevant literature.
"gennaō beget; give birth, bring forth
"1. Occurrences in the NT — 2. Gennaō in secular Greek and in Judaism — 3. NT uses of gennaō.
"Literature: BAGD s.v. [sub verbo, under the word (i.e., gennaō)] — F. Büchsel and K.H. Rengstorf, TDNT I, 665-75. — J. Kühlewein, Theologisches Handwörterbuch zum Alten Testament I, 732-36. — R. Schnackenburg, Die Johahannesbriefe (Herders theologischen Kommentar zum Neuen Testament [English translation The Johannine Epistles]) 175-83. — A. Vögtle, Messias und Gottessohn. Herkunft und Sinn der mattäischen Geburtsund Kindheitsgeschichte (1971). — For further bibliography see Theologisches Wörterbuch zum Neuen Testament X, 1023.
"1. Gennaō appears 97 times in the NT (Morgenthaler, Statistik 84), of which 40 occurrences are in Matt 1:2-16; 5 additional occurrences are elsewhere in Matthew, 18 in John, 10 in 1 John, 7 in Acts, 4 in Luke, 6 in the authentic Pauline letters, and 4 in Hebrews. Additional occurrences are in Mark 14:21; 2 Tim 2:23; 2 Pet 2:12.
"2. In secular Greek gennaō is used of the father's role in begetting (Sophocles, Euripides) and less frequently is used of the mother's role, in the place of tiktō (Plutarch). Here it has the general meaning of beget, bring forth (Plato, Polybius). In the LXX gennaō is frequently the translation of the Hebrew root yld, `give birth, beget' and appears rarely for the father-son relationship of Yahweh to his people (Deut 32:18; Isa 1:2; metaphorically in Ezek 16:20; 23:37) and in two important passages for the adoption of the messiah-king by Yahweh in the accession to the throne: Pss 2:7; 109:3. In Prov 8:25 wisdom is mentioned as the firstborn of the creative works of God. In connection with the conversion of a Gentile to Judaism, the rabbis speak of a procreation in the sense of a new being: a convert is like a newborn child (Rengstorf 666f.). According to Philo the entire creative work of God is an act of procreation: He begets the logos, the animals, and the plants; excluded are the children of God. The Qumran community knows (following 2 Sam 7:14) the idea of the begetting of the messiah from the family tree of David (4QFlor 1:10-13; cf. 1QSa 2:11-12).
"3. In connection with the OT and Judaism, one may notice the usage of Ps 2:7 in the NT with messianic meaning. Thus in Acts 13:33 the accented `today' refers to the immortal life in the resurrection (cf. also Heb 1:5; 5:5, where the time reference remains open). In Luke 1:35, the begetting of the Son of God by the Spirit is, on the basis of this interpretation of Ps 2:7, regarded as the beginning of the new aeon. `Generation from God in a very real sense was here perceived by the community' (Büchsel 670). Paul may be dependent on rabbinic conceptions when he speaks in 1 Cor 4:15 and Phlm 10 of a `spiritual begetting' as an expression of his pastoral engagement and the resulting deep connection with the community (or Onesimus). The passages Rom 9:11; Gal 4:23, 24, 29 have no less weight. All of these passages stand in the salvation-theological context of the interplay of the two Testaments.
"The Matthean genealogy expresses the idea of fulfillment (Matt 1:2-16). It is formed according to OT models (cf. Gen 5:3-32; 1 Chr 2:10-22, 36-49) and demonstrates the divinely intended incorporation of Jesus, who was miraculously begetted by the Holy Spirit, into the succession of Abraham and David (Vögtle). The concept of begetting receives further development and a new depth in the Johannine literature, where the birth originates with God (1 John 2:29; 3:9; 4:7) and with the Spirit (John 3:5, 6, 8), or `from above' (3:3, 7). This relationship, which is mysterious and yet determines reality, gives individuals a beginning (baptism) and a goal for their life in a relationship with God, namely, as God's child (1 John 3:1). `To be a "child of God" is a comprehensive description of the Christian person in the inseparable unity of one's supernatural nature; it is a single expression for the exaltation and ethical perfection that together produce the model of the Christian person' (Schnackenburg 178).
"In summary, gennaō encompasses both a father's begetting and a mother's giving birth. It receives special weight in view of Jesus' becoming a man (Luke), but it also is used of the new creation of mankind through the power of the Spirit of God (John)."
