Gennaō
Louw-Nida
Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament Based on Semantic Domains is unlike other dictionaries. Johannes P. Louw and Eugene A. Nida have categorized Greek words into various semantic domains — categories of meaning. This arrangement, designed to help translators, is useful because it groups synonyms together. The definitions given are more descriptive that most lexicons give, but less evidence is cited in support. United Bible Societies published the two volumes (1217 pages) in 1988.
We'll start in volume 2, in the index. On page 50 we find
gennaō (Louw-Nida does not transliterate), and we learn that it has four major entries: beget, give birth, be born of, cause to happen. A fifth entry is given for the combination gennaō anōthen, be born again.First: Beget, domain 23 — physiological processes and states. Subdomain C — birth, procreation. Entry number 58, volume 1, page 257: "23.58
gennaō: the male role in causing the conception and birth of a child — `to be the father of, to procreate, to beget.' Abraam egennēsen ton Isaak `Abraham was the father of Isaac' Matthew 1.2."Next listing for
gennaō, same subdomain, page 256: "23.52 tiktō; gennaō; teknogoneō; teknogonia, as fem. [the last word is a feminine noun with the genitive case ending in -as; the previous three are verbs; all can be used with the following meaning]: to give birth to a child — `to bear, to give birth.' "Third, domain 13 — be, become, exist, happen. Subdomain C — change of state. Volume 1, page 155: "13.56
gennaō: (a figurative extension of meaning of gennaō `to give birth,' 23.52) to cause to experience a radical change, with the implication of involvement of the total personality — `to cause to be born, to be born of.' ean mē tis gennēthē ex hydatos kai pneumatos `unless someone is born of water and the Spirit' John 3.5. The phrase gennēthē ex hydatos has been interpreted by some as a literal reference to physical birth.... Others, however, interpret this phrase as referring to baptism by water. In a parallel fashion, the expression genēthē ex...pneumatos would refer to baptism by the Spirit or rebirth made possible by the Spirit."Subdomain D — happen, page 163: "13.129
gennaō: to cause to happen, with the implication of the result of existing circumstances — `to cause, to produce, to give rise to.' eidōs hoti gennōsin machas `knowing that they give rise to quarrels' or `...produce quarreling' 2 Timothy 2.23."Last, domain 41 — behavior and related states. Subdomain E — change behavior. Volume 1, pages 510-511: "41.53
gennaō anōthen (an idiom, literally `to be born again'); palingenesia, as fem.: to experience a complete change in one's way of life to what it should be, with the implication of return to a former state or relation — `to be born again, to experience new birth, rebirth.' gennaō anōthen: ean mē tis gennēthē anōthen `unless a person is born again' John 3.3. It is also possible to understand anōthen in John 3.3 as meaning `from above' or `from God'...a literary parallel to the phrase ek theou egennēthēsan in John 1.13. In John 3.3, however, Nicodemus understood anōthen as meaning `again' [or at least his question uses it in this meaning]...and gennaō as `physical birth.'"
palingenesia: dia loutrou palingenesias kai anakainōseōs `new birth and new life by washing' Titus 3.5. [A note for translators follows:] The metaphor of `new birth' is so important in the New Testament that it should be retained if at all possible. In some languages `new birth' can be expressed as `to cause to be born all over again' or `to have a new life as though one were born a second time.' "Summary of Louw-Nida
Louw-Nida explicitly includes the concept of "conception" in the literal meaning of genna
ō, but does not prove the point with evidence. John 3:5 is classified as a figurative use of the word, in the general category of radical behavioral change (corresponding to BAGD's category of "influence"). John 3:3 is similarly described as a complete change in way of life.