ANOTHEN:
Meaning: “From above”…”again”…”the beginning”.
And it seemed GOOD to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things >from the very first<{ἄνωθεν) to write unto thee, in order, most excellent Theophilus.
“the Interpreter’s Bible, vol. 8, p. 505, states, “Birth can be considered either from the father’s side, in which the verb is to ‘beget,’ or from the mother’s side, in which the verb is to ‘bear.’ The Johannine metaphor uses the former verb, with the meaning ‘beget’ .”
The American Heritage College Dictionary defines the English word: born as “brought into life; brought into existence; created and resulting or arising.” In brief, it indicates a beginning, whether that beginning is an actual birth of a human, animal, concept, circumstance, process, or organization.
Gennao :γεννάω: to procreate (properly, of the father, but by extension of the mother); figuratively, to regenerate:–bear, beget, be born, bring forth, conceive, be delivered of, gender, make, spring..
When : anothen (Strong’s #509) is combined with: gennao, the phrase most strongly indicates a second birth, not a conception. This is why Nicodemus responds to Jesus by saying: “How . . . can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born [also in the passive voice]?” He does not say, “How can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be begotten?”
Another term that needs some further thought is: “regeneration,” Greek : paliggenesia (Strong’s #3824). As seen above, it is a synonym for : gennao anothen.
The prefix: palin means “again,”
The root is : genesis
meaning “beginning” or “start.”
In this context, it means “spiritual rebirth” or “spiritual renovation.”
It is used twice in the New Testament, once by Jesus in Matthew 19:28 and once by Paul in Titus 3:5. Regeneration stresses the inception of a new state of things in contrast with the old.
When Jesus uses it, the setting is when He “sits on the throne of His glory.”
In Paul’s usage–the occasion is the beginning of a person’s salvation.
Both settings indicate NEW beginnings.
The American Heritage College Dictionary states the English meaning of regeneration as “to reform spiritually or morally; to form, construct, or create anew, especially in an improved state; to give new life or energy to; revitalize”—which is almost perfectly synonymous with: paliggenesia. It describes a new beginning, a new birth. [John W. Ritenbaugh]
(Last nights thought continued…Ezekiel 37 cont.)
Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel.
And ye shall know that I am the Lord, when I have opened your graves, O my people, and brought you up out of your graves,
And shall put my spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place you in your own land: then shall ye know that I the Lord have spoken it, and performed it, saith the Lord.


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