verb
ktizamō
Strong’sG2936
I create, form, shape, make
stem ktiz-15 times in the New Testamentin 8 of 27 books12 forms occur
What it means
A plain-English reading of the word, with the lexicons it draws on — Abbott-Smith, Strong's, and Liddell-Scott-Jones — right below it, in full.
AI Summary
κτίζω has two distinct senses in the sources.
The older, classical sense is to found or settle a place — to people a region, or to build houses and establish a city or country there 13. Abbott-Smith notes this usage occurring in the Greek Old Testament as well 1.
The main biblical sense is to create — used of God bringing something into being, and specifically of God as Creator of the world 124. It is also used of God's creative work within a person, of making someone new 1. Strong's traces the underlying idea to "fabricate," that is, to found or form something originally 2, and Dodson's gloss covers "create, form, shape, make" 4.
Sources: 1 Abbott-Smith 2 Strong's 3 LSJ 4 Dodson. Condensed by anthropic/claude-sonnet-5 on 2026-09-23 — it may still misstate what these say; check them yourself if it matters to you.
The lexicons it was drawn from, in full:
Abbott-Smith — the 1922 lexicon entry, in full
κτίζω,
[in LXX chiefly for בּרא, Ps 50 (51):10, al.; also for קנה, Ge 14:19, Pr 8:22; יצר, Is 22:11 46:11, Wi 2:23, Si 1:4, 9 (and freq.), I Es 4:53, a1.;]
G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament, 1922 — public domain. References open in the reader.
Strong’s G2936 — the 1890 definition, and where the word comes from
Saidktid'-zo
to fabricate, i.e. found (form originally)
Fromprobably akin to G2932 (through the idea of proprietorship of the manufacturer);
King Jamescreate, Creator, make.
James Strong, Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, 1890 — public domain. The numbers in it link to the entries here.
Liddell-Scott-Jones — the classical dictionary this word appears in
Refs 5th c.BC+: future -ίσω Refs 4th c.BC+: aorist ἔκτῐσα Refs 8th c.BC+: perfect ἔκτῐκα Refs 1st c.BC+:— middle, poetryaorist ἐκτίσσατο Refs 5th c.BC+:— passive, future κτισθήσομαι Refs 1st c.BC+: aorist ἐκτίσθην Refs 5th c.BC+: perfect ἔκτισμαι Refs 5th c.BC+:—people a country, build houses and cities in it, κτίσσε δὲ Δαρδανίην Il.[same place]; κ. χώρην, νῆσον, Refs 5th c.BC+
2 of a city, found, build, Θήβης ἕδος ἔκτισαν Od.[same place],Refs 5th c.BC+; ἀποικίαν Refs 4th c.BC+:—passive, to be founded, Σμύρνην τὴν ἀπὸ Κολοφῶνος κτισθεῖσαν founded by emigrants from Colophon, Refs 5th c.BC+; μήτε ἄστεα μήτε τείχεα ἐκτισμένα no fixed cities or walls, Refs 5th c.BC+
3 κ. ἄλσος plant a grove, Refs 5th c.BC+; βωμόν set up an altar, Refs; ἑορτάν, ἀγῶνα, found, establish it, Refs; τὸν Κύρνον.. κτίσαι, ἥρων ἐόντα establish his worship, Refs 5th c.BC+; τάφον τινί Refs 5th c.BC+
4 produce, create, bring into being, γόνῳ τινά Refs 4th c.BC+; bring about, τελευτήν Refs; ὁ τὴν φιλίην ἐκτικώς Refs [prev. cited]; of painters, δένδρεα.. καὶ ἀνέρας ἠδὲ γυναῖκας Emp.[same place]; ἵπποισι τὸν χαλινὸν κτίσας having invented it, Refs 5th c.BC+
5 make so and so, ἐλεύθερον κ. τινά Refs 5th c.BC+
6 perpetrate a deed, Refs 5th c.BC+. (Cf. Sanskrit kséti 'reside', k[snull]itís (={κτίσις}) 'habitation'.)
H. G. Liddell, R. Scott, H. S. Jones, A Greek-English Lexicon (9th ed., 1925–1940) — digitised by the Perseus Digital Library and corrected and expanded by Tyndale House, Cambridge, via STEPBible-Data's TFLSJ table, CC BY 4.0. Covers all of Greek literature, not just the Bible.
Translated as
Every occurrence, sorted by the English it was actually given — the evidence for what the word means, not a gloss of it.
Berean Standard Bible (BSB), dedicated to the public domain — berean.bible.
Biblang forms
What the New Testament actually uses, first — the whole system this verb is built from is one click further down.
| Form and the Greek behind it | What it is | Usually | Times |
|---|---|---|---|
| ktizasaἔκτισας | happened · youaorist active indicative 2nd person singular | created | 1× |
| ktizataἔκτισεν | happened · he/she/itaorist active indicative 3rd person singular | created | 3× |
| ktizitaἐκτίσθη | happened · he/she/itaorist passive indicative 3rd person singular | created | 2× |
| ktizilaἐκτίσθησαν | happened · theyaorist passive indicative 3rd person plural | created | 1× |
| ktizotēἔκτισται | has happened · he/she/itperfect middle or passive indicative 3rd person singular | created | 1× |
| ktizateiaκτίσῃ | happened · he/she/itaorist active subjunctive 3rd person singular | create | 1× |
| ktizarantosκτίσας | happened · subjectaorist active participle nominative singular masculine | created | 1× |
| ktizarantonκτίσαντα | happened · objectaorist active participle accusative singular masculine | creator | 1× |
| ktizarantouκτίσαντος | happened · of, belonging toaorist active participle genitive singular masculine | creator | 1× |
| ktizarantoκτίσαντι | happened · to, foraorist active participle dative singular masculine | created | 1× |
| ktizirantonκτισθέντα | happened · objectaorist passive participle accusative singular masculine | created | 1× |
| ktizirantoisκτισθέντες | happened · subjectaorist passive participle nominative plural masculine | created | 1× |
Every form the New Testament uses, in paradigm order. What the system can build beyond them — the whole of this verb, whether the text happens to use it or not — is in the tables below.
Every form the system can build — all 172, by mood, including the ones the New Testament never uses
Statements — indicative mood, 8 occurrences
the subject acts active voice
| Who person | happening now present | was happening imperfect | will happen future | happened aorist | has happened perfect | had happened pluperfect |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | ktizamō | ktizame | ktizami | ktizama | ktizamē | ktizamelē |
| you 2nd person singular | ktizasō | ktizase | ktizasi | ktizasa1×ἔκτισας | ktizasē | ktizaselē |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | ktizatō | ktizate | ktizati | ktizata3×ἔκτισεν | ktizatē | ktizatelē |
| we 1st person plural | ktizanō | ktizane | ktizani | ktizana | ktizanē | ktizanelē |
| ye 2nd person plural | ktizavō | ktizave | ktizavi | ktizava | ktizavē | ktizavelē |
| they 3rd person plural | ktizalō | ktizale | ktizali | ktizala | ktizalē | ktizalelē |
acts on itself, or is acted on middle or passive voice
| Who person | happening now present | was happening imperfect | has happened perfect | had happened pluperfect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | ktizomō | ktizome | ktizomē | ktizomelē |
| you 2nd person singular | ktizosō | ktizose | ktizosē | ktizoselē |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | ktizotō | ktizote | ktizotē1×ἔκτισται | ktizotelē |
| we 1st person plural | ktizonō | ktizone | ktizonē | ktizonelē |
| ye 2nd person plural | ktizovō | ktizove | ktizovē | ktizovelē |
| they 3rd person plural | ktizolō | ktizole | ktizolē | ktizolelē |
acted on passive voice
| Who person | will happen future | happened aorist |
|---|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | ktizimi | ktizima |
| you 2nd person singular | ktizisi | ktizisa |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | ktiziti | ktizita2×ἐκτίσθη |
| we 1st person plural | ktizini | ktizina |
| ye 2nd person plural | ktizivi | ktiziva |
| they 3rd person plural | ktizili | ktizila1×ἐκτίσθησαν |
May, might — subjunctive mood, 1 occurrence
the subject acts active voice
| Who person | happening now present | happened aorist | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | ktizameiō | ktizameia | ktizameiē |
| you 2nd person singular | ktizaseiō | ktizaseia | ktizaseiē |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | ktizateiō | ktizateia1×κτίσῃ | ktizateiē |
| we 1st person plural | ktizaneiō | ktizaneia | ktizaneiē |
| ye 2nd person plural | ktizaveiō | ktizaveia | ktizaveiē |
| they 3rd person plural | ktizaleiō | ktizaleia | ktizaleiē |
acts on itself, or is acted on middle or passive voice
| Who person | happening now present | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | ktizomeiō | ktizomeiē |
| you 2nd person singular | ktizoseiō | ktizoseiē |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | ktizoteiō | ktizoteiē |
| we 1st person plural | ktizoneiō | ktizoneiē |
| ye 2nd person plural | ktizoveiō | ktizoveiē |
| they 3rd person plural | ktizoleiō | ktizoleiē |
acted on passive voice
| Who person | happened aorist |
|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | ktizimeia |
| you 2nd person singular | ktiziseia |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | ktiziteia |
| we 1st person plural | ktizineia |
| ye 2nd person plural | ktiziveia |
| they 3rd person plural | ktizileia |
Commands — imperative mood, no occurrences
the subject acts active voice
| Who person | happening now present | happened aorist | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|---|
| you 2nd person singular | ktizasōr | ktizasar | ktizasēr |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | ktizatōr | ktizatar | ktizatēr |
| ye 2nd person plural | ktizavōr | ktizavar | ktizavēr |
| they 3rd person plural | ktizalōr | ktizalar | ktizalēr |
acts on itself, or is acted on middle or passive voice
| Who person | happening now present | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|
| you 2nd person singular | ktizosōr | ktizosēr |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | ktizotōr | ktizotēr |
| ye 2nd person plural | ktizovōr | ktizovēr |
| they 3rd person plural | ktizolōr | ktizolēr |
acted on passive voice
| Who person | happened aorist |
|---|---|
| you 2nd person singular | ktizisar |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | ktizitar |
| ye 2nd person plural | ktizivar |
| they 3rd person plural | ktizilar |
Wishes — optative mood, no occurrences
the subject acts active voice
| Who person | happening now present | happened aorist |
|---|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | ktizamoiō | ktizamoia |
| you 2nd person singular | ktizasoiō | ktizasoia |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | ktizatoiō | ktizatoia |
| we 1st person plural | ktizanoiō | ktizanoia |
| ye 2nd person plural | ktizavoiō | ktizavoia |
| they 3rd person plural | ktizaloiō | ktizaloia |
acts on itself, or is acted on middle or passive voice
| Who person | happening now present |
|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | ktizomoiō |
| you 2nd person singular | ktizosoiō |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | ktizotoiō |
| we 1st person plural | ktizonoiō |
| ye 2nd person plural | ktizovoiō |
| they 3rd person plural | ktizoloiō |
acted on passive voice
| Who person | happened aorist |
|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | ktizimoia |
| you 2nd person singular | ktizisoia |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | ktizitoia |
| we 1st person plural | ktizinoia |
| ye 2nd person plural | ktizivoia |
| they 3rd person plural | ktiziloia |
The “to …” form — infinitive, no occurrences
| Who is acting voice | happening now present | will happen future | happened aorist | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| the subject acts active voice | ktizarō | ktizari | ktizara | ktizarē |
| acts on itself, or is acted on middle or passive voice | ktizorō | ktizorē | ||
| acted on passive voice | ktiziri | ktizira |
Used as an adjective — participle, 6 occurrences
| Who is acting voice | happening now present | will happen future | happened aorist | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| the subject acts active voice | ktizarōntos | ktizarintos | ktizarantos4×κτίσας | ktizarēntos |
| acts on itself, or is acted on middle or passive voice | ktizorōntos | ktizorēntos | ||
| acted on passive voice | ktizirintos | ktizirantos2× |
Each is given in the form it takes as a subject. From there a participle carries the ordinary noun endings, in every case, number and gender — so these four columns are the whole of what the verb contributes.
How every form is built — the slots that make them
ktiz is this word in every one of its forms. The slots after it make all the rest.
same in every form varies — every value shown
Where it appears
Every verse the word appears in, filed under the form it takes there.
15 occurrences, every one of them listed
ktizasa“created”happened · youaorist active indicative 2nd person singular1×
Revelation 4:11… timan kai tan dunamian, hoti sis ktizasa teim panteim, kai dia tem thelēmem …… and honor and power, for You created all things; by Your will they …
ktizata“created”happened · he/she/itaorist active indicative 3rd person singular3×
Mark 13:19“created”… genatē toioutas apo archau ktisiau han ktizata tos theos heōs tou nun kai …… tribulation unseen from the beginning of God’s creation until now, and never to …
1 Timothy 4:3… gamarō, apechorō brōmeiu heim tos theos ktizata eis metalēmpsian meta eucharistiau toi pistoi …… from certain foods that God has created to be received with thanksgiving by …
Revelation 10:6… eis toin aiōnoin toiu aiōnoiu, hos ktizata ton ouranon kai teim en auto …… who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and everything in it, the …
ktizita“created”happened · he/she/itaorist passive indicative 3rd person singular2×
1 Corinthians 11:9kai gar ouk ktizita andros dia tan gunaikan, alla gunaikas …Neither was man created for woman, but woman for man.
Colossians 1:16hoti en auto ktizita teim panteim en toi ouranoi kai …For in Him all things were created, things in heaven and on earth …
ktizila“created”happened · theyaorist passive indicative 3rd person plural1×
Revelation 4:11… dia tem thelēmem su ale kai ktizila.… Your will they exist and were created.”
ktizotē“created”has happened · he/she/itperfect middle or passive indicative 3rd person singular1×
Colossians 1:16… panteim dia autou kai eis auton ktizotē;… rulers or authorities. All things were created through Him and for Him.
ktizateia“create”happened · he/she/itaorist active subjunctive 3rd person singular1×
Ephesians 2:15… en dogmei katargarantos, hina toin duo ktizateia en heauto eis henon kainon anthrōpon …… and decrees. He did this to create in Himself one new man out …
ktizarantos“created”happened · subjectaorist active participle nominative singular masculine1×
Matthew 19:4“created”… apokrinirantos legata; Ouk anagnōskava hoti tos ktizarantos apo archau arsenem kai thēluem poiata …Jesus answered, “Have you not read that from the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’
ktizaranton“creator”happened · objectaorist active participle accusative singular masculine1×
Romans 1:25… kai latreuala ta ktisia para ton ktizaranton, hos atō eulogētos eis toin aiōnoin; …… served the creature rather than the Creator, who is forever worthy of praise …
ktizarantou“creator”happened · of, belonging toaorist active participle genitive singular masculine1×
Colossians 3:10… anakainorōnton eis epignōsian kata eikonan tou ktizarantou auton,… knowledge in the image of its Creator.
ktizaranto“created”happened · to, foraorist active participle dative singular masculine1×
Ephesians 3:9… en to theo to teim panteim ktizaranto,… was kept hidden in God, who created all things.
ktiziranton“created”happened · objectaorist passive participle accusative singular masculine1×
Ephesians 4:24… ton kainon anthrōpon ton kata theon ktiziranton en dikaiosuna kai hosiota tau alētheiau.… to put on the new self, created to be like God in true …
ktizirantois“created”happened · subjectaorist passive participle nominative plural masculine1×
Ephesians 2:10autou gar anō poiēmem, ktizirantois en Christo Iēso epi ergei agathei …For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good …