Definition of the greek word for "From Above" ἄνωθεν as defined by BDAG and Vines

ἄνωθεν adv. of place (Trag., Hdt.+; ins, pap, LXX, En; TestSol 12:6 C; JosAs 21:4 [cod. A and Pal. 364]; ApcrEzk [Epiph 70, 10]; Just., Ath.).

① in extension fr. a source that is above, from above (SIG 969, 63; PHib 110, 66; 107; 109; Gen 49:25; Josh 3:16; EpJer 61; En 28:2; TestSol 12:6 C; Philo, Rer. Div. Her. 64; 184, Fug. 138, Somn., 2, 142; Jos., Ant. 3, 158) σχισθῆναι ἀπʼ ἄ. ἕως κάτω be torn fr. top to bottom Mk 15:38. For this ἄ. ἕως κάτω Mt 27:51 (where ἀπʼ is added by many witnesses, foll. Mk). ἐκ τῶν ἄ. ὑφαντὸς διʼ ὅλου woven from the top in one piece (i.e. altogether without seam) J 19:23. Esp. from heaven (cp. ἄνω 1 and schol. on Pla. 856e of the seer: ἄνωθεν λαμβάνειν τὸ πνεῦμα; Philo, Mos. 2, 69) ἄ. ἐκ τ. οὐρανοῦ J 3:27 v.l. ὁ ἄ. ἐρχόμενος he who comes from heaven (explained in the same vs. by ὁ ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ἐρχόμενος) 3:31. Of the Holy Spirit πνεῦμα ἄ. ἐρχόμενον Hm 11:21; also simply τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἄ. 11:8. ἡ δύναμις ἡ ἄ. ἐρχομένη 11:20. ἡ σοφία ἄ. κατερχομένη Js 3:15. Also ἡ ἄ. σοφία vs. 17. ἄ. εἶναι come from above Hm 9:11; 11:5; Js 1:17. Some would place 2 Cl 14:2 here, but the temporal sense seems more prob., s. 2. ἄ. δεδομένον bestowed from above (i.e. by God; cp. Procop. Soph., Ep. 109 θεοῦ ἄ. ἐπινεύοντος) J 19:11. ἄ. γεννᾶσθαι be born from above J 3:3, 7 (Epict. 1, 13, 3: all humans are begotten of their ancestor Zeus ἐκ τῶν αὐτῶν σπερμάτων καὶ τῆς αὐτῆς ἄ. καταβολῆς; Just., D. 63, 3), but. s. 4 on the wordplay in these verses (Nicodemus thinks of physical rebirth [vs. 4], but the narrator shows Jesus with another dimension in mind).

② from a point of time marking the beginning of someth., from the beginning (Hippocr., VM 3; Pla.; Demosth. 44, 69; SIG 1104, 11; POxy 237 VIII, 31; En 98:5; JosAs 21:4 cod. A [p. 71, 19 Bat.]; Philo, Mos. 2, 48; Ath., R. 68, 19) παρακολουθεῖν ἄ. follow from the beginning Lk 1:3 (w. suggestion of thoroughness rather than temporal precision: LAlexander, The Preface to Luke’s Gospel, ’93, 130); cp. Ac 26:5 and s. 3. Opp. νῦν 2 Cl 14:2 (Lghtf.).

③ for a relatively long period in the past, for a long time (SIG 685, 81 and 91; 748, 2; PTebt 59, 7 and 10; Jos., Ant. 15, 250; Just. [throughout]; Ath.) προγινώσκειν ἄ. know for a long time Ac 26:5 (Ael. Aristid. 50, 78 K.=26 p. 525 D. ἄ. Ἀριστείδην γιγνώσκω) beside ἀπʼ ἀρχῆς vs. 4 (cp. Aelian NA 17, 40 οὐκ ἄνωθεν, οὐδὲ ἐξ ἀρχῆς=not for a long time nor from of old). For Lk 1:3 s. 2.

④ at a subsequent point of time involving repetition, again, anew (Pla., Ep. 2 p. 310e ἄ. ἀρξάμενος; Epict. 2, 17, 27; Jos., Ant. 1, 263; IG VII, 2712, 59; BGU 595, 5ff) ἄ. ἐπιδεικνύναι MPol 1:1. Oft. strengthened by πάλιν (CIG 1625, 60; Wsd 19:6) Gal 4:9.—ἀ. γεννηθῆναι be born again J 3:3, 7 (ἄ. γεννᾶσθαι in the physical sense Artem. 1, 13) is designedly ambiguous and suggests also a transcendent experience born from above (s. 1 above on these pass. fr. J). JLouw, NThSt 23, ’40, 53–56; ESjöberg, Wiedergeburt u. Neuschöpfung im paläst. Judentum: Studia Theologica 4, ’51, 44–85.—DELG s.v. ἀνά. M-M.

adv. adv. = adverb, adverbially

Trag. Trag. = writer (s) of tragedy

trag. = tragedy, writer (s) of tragedy

Hdt. Hdt. = Herodotus, V B.C.—List 5

ins Ins, ins = Inscription, Inschrift, inscription(s). Without a period, esp. in lists, as at the beginning of entries; the capitalized form is used in titles. In conjunction with literary works this abbr. refers to the title or description of contents.

pap pap = papyrus, -yri 

LXX LXX = Septuaginta, ed. ARahlfs, unless otherwise specified—Lists 2, beg.

En En = I Enoch—List 2  

TestSol TestSol = Testament of Solomon, I–III A.D.—List 2

JosAs JosAs = Joseph and Aseneth—Lists 2, 5

ApcrEzk ApcrEzk = Apocryphon Ezechiel—List 2

Epiph Epiph , IV–V A.D.—List 5

Just Just , II A.D.—List 5

Ath. Ath. = Athenagoras, II A.D.—List 5

fr. fr. = from

SIG SIG = Sylloge Inscriptionum Graecarum3; superscript omitted in text—List 3

PHib PHib = The Hibeh Papyri I–II—List 4

En En = I Enoch—List 2  

TestSol TestSol = Testament of Solomon, I–III A.D.—List 2

Philo Philo = P. of Alexandria, I B.C.–I A.D.—List 5

Jos. Jos. = Josephus. This abbr. used when follow by title; I A.D.—Lists 5

fr. fr. = from

foll. foll. = followed, following

i.e. i.e. = id est (that is)

I.-E. Indo-European

cp. cp. = compare, freq. in ref. to citation fr. ancient texts

schol. schol. = scholion, scholia, scholiast

Pla Pla , V–IV B.C.; s. also Ps.-Plato—List 5

Philo Philo = P. of Alexandria, I B.C.–I A.D.—List 5

v.l. v.l. = varia lectio (variant reading)

Hm Hm = Hermas, Mandates—List 1

Hm Hm = Hermas, Mandates—List 1

2 Cl 2 Cl = 2 Clement—List 1

prob. prob. = probable, probably

i.e. i.e. = id est (that is)

I.-E. Indo-European

cp. cp. = compare, freq. in ref. to citation fr. ancient texts

Soph Soph , V B.C.—List 5

Ep. Ep. = Epistola/Epistula, when applied to letters mostly pseudonymous; various dates—List 5

ep. = epistle

Epict Epict , various works, I–II A.D.—List 5

Just. Just(in) , II A.D.—List 5

someth. someth. = something

Hippocr Hippocr = Corpus Hippocraticum, V–IV B.C.—List 5

Pla Pla , V–IV B.C.; s. also Ps.-Plato—List 5

Demosth Demosth , IV B.C.—List 5

SIG SIG = Sylloge Inscriptionum Graecarum3; superscript omitted in text—List 3

POxy POxy = Oxyrhynchus Papyri—List 4

En En = I Enoch—List 2  

JosAs JosAs = Joseph and Aseneth—Lists 2, 5

Bat. Bat. = PBatiffol, s. JosAs—List 5

Philo Philo = P. of Alexandria, I B.C.–I A.D.—List 5

Ath. Ath. = Athenagoras, II A.D.—List 5

w. w. = with

cp. cp. = compare, freq. in ref. to citation fr. ancient texts

2 Cl 2 Cl = 2 Clement—List 1

Lghtf. Lghtf. = JBLightfoot

SIG SIG = Sylloge Inscriptionum Graecarum3; superscript omitted in text—List 3

PTebt PTebt = The Tebtunis Papyri—List 4

Jos. Jos. = Josephus. This abbr. used when follow by title; I A.D.—Lists 5

Just Just , II A.D.—List 5

Ath. Ath. = Athenagoras, II A.D.—List 5

Ael. Aristid. Ael. Aristid. = Aelius Aristides, II A.D.—List 5

D D = Didache, except that in a list of manuscripts or as textual variant D refers to Codex Bezae—List 1

cp. cp. = compare, freq. in ref. to citation fr. ancient texts

Aelian Aelian , II A.D.—List 5

Pla Pla , V–IV B.C.; s. also Ps.-Plato—List 5

Ep. Ep. = Epistola/Epistula, when applied to letters mostly pseudonymous; various dates—List 5

ep. = epistle

Epict Epict , various works, I–II A.D.—List 5

Jos. Jos. = Josephus. This abbr. used when follow by title; I A.D.—Lists 5

IG IG = Inscriptiones Graecae—List 3

BGU BGU = Aegyptische Urkunden aus den Museen zu Berlin: Griechische Urkunden—List 4

MPol MPol = Martyrdom of Polycarp; after II A.D.—List 1

CIG CIG = Corpus Inscriptionum Graecarum—List 3

Artem Artem , onir., II A.D.—List 5

pass. pass. = passive (either of grammatical form or of passive experience); also used in reference to literary portion=passage

fr. fr. = from

NThSt NThSt = Nieuwe Theologische Studiën—List 6

DELG DELG = PChantraine, Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue grecque—List 6

s.v. s.v. = sub voce (under the word, look up the word)

M-M M-M = JMoulton/GMilligan, Vocabulary of Greek Testament—Lists 4, 6

William Arndt et al., A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 92.

ἄνωθεν

Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words  3 results

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Anew

anothen (ἄνωθεν, 509), lit., “from above,” in the phrase rendered “anew” in the rv (kjv, “again”) of John 3:3, 7. See again. Note: In Phil. 3:21 “fashion anew” translates the verb…

Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words, G45; V 2, p 26 (1 time)

Above

more,” is translated “above,” the rv corrects to “more than (forty years).” 4. anothen (ἄνωθεν, 509), “from above,” is used of place, (a) with the meaning “from the top,” Matt. 27:51; Mark…

Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words, G509; V 2, p 5 (1 time)

First

unto you the first time” means on the former of his two previous visits. 2. anothen (ἄνωθεν, 509), “from above,” is rendered “from the first” in Luke 1:3, rv, it may mean “from their…

Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words, G4731; V 2, p 240 (1 time)

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