noun · neuter
spermem
Strong’sG4690
seed, offspring
stem sperm-43 times in the New Testamentin 13 of 27 books5 of 6 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
Seed in the literal sense: the seed of plants and crops, whether sown or produced by them 1234. This is also used as a picture of a surviving remnant of people, spared and kept over like seed set aside for a future planting 12.
Seed in the sense of human or animal generation: semen, and so, by extension, offspring, descendants, or posterity 123. This can refer to a whole line of descendants or, in some cases, to a single descendant 13. It is used of the "seed" of particular ancestors to mean their descendants or people belonging to their line 13, and in some passages it is applied metaphorically to spiritual offspring or to a divine influence at work within a person 1.
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
σπέρμα, -τος, τό
(< σπείρω) [in LXX chiefly for זֶרַע;]
G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament, 1922 — public domain. References open in the reader.
Strong’s G4690 — the 1890 definition, and where the word comes from
Saidsper'-mah
something sown, i.e. seed (including the male "sperm"); by implication, offspring; specially, a remnant (figuratively, as if kept over for planting)
Fromfrom G4687;
King Jamesissue, seed.
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
(σπείρω) seed, only once in Refs 8th c.BC+
I mostly, seed of plants, σ. ἀνιέναι, κρύπτειν, Refs 8th c.BC+; σ. τῇ γῇ διδόναι, ἐμβαλεῖν, Refs 5th c.BC+; of fruit, Refs 4th c.BC+; τοῖς γαίης σπέρμασι with the products of earth, of corn-stalks, Refs 1st c.AD+
I.2 metaphorically, germ, origin of anything, σ. πυρός Refs 8th c.BC+; σπέρματα, ={στοιχεῖα}, elements, Refs 5th c.BC+Ep.2p.38 U., Refs 4th c.BC+
I.3 seed-time, sowing, Refs 8th c.BC+
II of animals, seed, semen, φέροισα σ. θεοῦ pregnant by the god, Refs 5th c.BC+; but σ. φέρειν Ἡρακλέους to be pregnant of Heracles, Refs 5th c.BC+
II.2 race, origin, descent, τοὐμὸν.. σπέρμ᾽ ἰδεῖν βουλήσομαι Refs 5th c.BC+; τίνος εἶ σπέρματος πατρόθε; Refs 5th c.BC+
II.3 frequently in Poets, seed, offspring, τὸ βρότειον σ. Refs 4th c.BC+; σ. [τοῦ Ἀβραάμ] NT; sometimes of a single person, NT+5th c.BC+
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
Every form this word takes in Biblang, with the Greek it corresponds to and how often the New Testament uses it.
| Job in the sentence case | one singular | more than one plural |
|---|---|---|
| subject or object direct | spermem12×σπέρμα | spermeim |
| of, belonging to genitive | spermeu8×σπέρματος | spermeiu3×σπερμάτων |
| to, for dative | sperme7×σπέρματι | spermei1×σπέρμασιν |
Tinted cells are forms the New Testament never uses, so there is no Greek to show against them — but they are still correct Biblang, built from the slots below like any other.
Why these forms, and no others — the slots that make them
sperme 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.
43 occurrences, every one of them listed
spermem“descendants”subject or objectdirect singular12×
Matthew 13:38… atō tos kosmos; tem de kalem spermem, houtois alō tois huiois tau basileiau; …… is the world, and the good seed represents the sons of the kingdom …
John 8:33apokrinila pros auton; Spermem Abraam anō kai oudeno douleuanē pōpote; …“We are Abraham’s descendants,” they answered. “We have never been …
John 8:37oidamē hoti spermem Abraam avō; alla zētavō min apoktenara, …I know you are Abraham’s descendants, but you are trying to kill …
Acts 7:6… houtōs tos theos hoti eti tem spermem autou paroikem en gēa allotria, kai …God told him that his descendants would be foreigners in a strange …
Romans 4:18“descendants”… kata tem legorēntem; Houtōs eti tem spermem su;… so became the father of many nations, just as he had been told, “So shall your offspring be.”
Romans 9:7oude hoti alō spermem Abraam, pantois tekneim, alla; En Isaak …Nor because they are Abraham’s descendants are they all his children. On …
Romans 9:7… tekneim, alla; En Isaak kaliti si spermem.… On the contrary, “Through Isaac your offspring will be reckoned.”
2 Corinthians 11:22Hebraiois alō? kamis. Israēlitois alō? kamis. spermem Abraam alō? kamis.… Israelites? So am I. Are they descendants of Abraham? So am I.
Galatians 3:19… charin prostithita, achris hou erchateia tem spermem he epangelotē, diatassirantos dia angeloiu en …… transgressions, until the arrival of the seed to whom the promise referred. It …
Galatians 3:29… de vis Christou, ara tou Abraam spermem avō, kata epangelian klēronomois.… to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed and heirs according to the promise.
Hebrews 11:18… lalita hoti En Isaak kaliti si spermem,… said to him, “Through Isaac your offspring will be reckoned.”
1 John 3:9… tou theou hamartan ouk poiatō, hoti spermem autou en auto menatō, kai ouk …… refuses to practice sin, because God’s seed abides in him; he cannot go …
spermeu“offspring”of, belonging togenitive singular8×
John 7:42“offspring”… tas grafas legata hoti ek teu spermeu David, kai apo Bēthleem tau kōmau …Doesn’t the Scripture say that the Christ will come from the line of David and from Bethlehem, the village where David …
Acts 13:23houtou tos theos apo teu spermeu kata epangelian agata to Israēl sōtēron …From the descendants of this man, God has brought …
Romans 1:3“descended”… tou huiou autou, tou generantou ek spermeu David kata sarkan,regarding His Son, who was a descendant of David according to the flesh,
Romans 11:1… kai gar mis Israēlitos amō, ek spermeu Abraam, fulau Beniamin.… I am an Israelite myself, a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of …
2 Timothy 2:8“descendant”… Iēsun Christon egerorēnton ek nekroiu, ek spermeu David, kata tem euangeliem mu;Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, descended from David, as proclaimed by my gospel,
Hebrews 2:16ouk gar dēpou angeloiu epilabotō, alla spermeu Abraam epilabotō.… the angels He helps, but the descendants of Abraham.
Hebrews 11:11“offspring”… kai auta Sarra dunamian eis katabolan spermeu labata kai para kairon hēlikiau, epei …By faith Sarah, even though she was barren and beyond the proper age, was enabled to conceive a child, because she considered …
Revelation 12:17“offspring”… poiara polemon meta toiu loipoiu teu spermeu autau, toiu tērarōntoiu tain entolain tou …… went to make war with the rest of her children, who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus. And the dragon stood on the shore of the sea.
sperme“descendants”to, fordative singular7×
Luke 1:55… patroin nu, to Abraam kai te sperme autou eis ton aiōnon.… our fathers, to Abraham and his descendants forever.”
Acts 3:25… legarōntos pros Abraam Kai en te sperme su eneulogili pantais tais patriais tau …… He said to Abraham, ‘Through your offspring all the families of the earth …
Acts 7:5… auto eis kataschesian autan kai te sperme autou meta auton, ouk arōnteu auto …… the land to Abraham and his descendants, even though he did not yet …
Romans 4:13“descendants”… tas epangelias to Abraam ē te sperme autou, tem klēronomon auton arō kosmou, …For the promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would be heir of the world was not …
Romans 4:16“descendants”… arō bebaian tan epangelian pante te sperme, ouk te ek tou nomou monem …Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may rest on grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham’s offspring — not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of …
Galatians 3:16… Abraam legila tais epangeliais kai te sperme autou; ouk legatō; Kai tei spermei, …… spoken to Abraham and to his seed. The Scripture does not say, “and …
Galatians 3:16… alla hōs epi heneu; Kai te sperme su, hos atō Christos.… meaning many, but “and to your seed,” meaning One, who is Christ.
spermeiu“seeds”of, belonging togenitive plural3×
Matthew 13:32hem mikroterem men atō panteiu teiu spermeiu, hotan de auxaniteia megoterem teiu lachaneiu …… it is the smallest of all seeds, yet it grows into the largest …
Mark 4:31… tau gēau, mikroterem arōntem panteiu teiu spermeiu teiu epi tau gēau… which is the smallest of all seeds sown upon the earth.
1 Corinthians 15:38… sōmem kathōs thelata, kai hekasto teiu spermeiu idiem sōmem.… designed, and to each kind of seed He gives its own body.
spermei“seeds”to, fordative plural1×
Galatians 3:16… sperme autou; ouk legatō; Kai tei spermei, hōs epi polleiu, alla hōs epi …… Scripture does not say, “and to seeds,” meaning many, but “and to your …
spermem12×
Matthew 13:24… basileias toiu ouranoiu anthrōpo speraranto kalem spermem en to agro autou.… like a man who sowed good seed in his field.
Matthew 13:27… oikodespotou legala auto; Kurior, ouchi kalem spermem sperasa en to so agro? pothen …… said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did …
Matthew 13:37… apokrinirantos legata; Tos sperarōntos tem kalem spermem atō tos huios tou anthrōpou;… The One who sows the good seed is the Son of Man.
Matthew 22:24“children”… autou tan gunaikan autou kai anastēati spermem to adelfo autou.… having children, his brother is to marry the widow and raise up offspring for …
Matthew 22:25… prōtos gamarantos teleutata, kai mē echarōntos spermem afiēkata tan gunaikan autou to adelfo …… one married and died without having children. So he left his wife to …
Mark 12:19… adelfos autou tan gunaikan kai exanastēateia spermem to adelfo autou.… his brother’s widow and raise up offspring for him.
Mark 12:20“offspring”… labata gunaikan, kai apothnēskarōntos ouk afiēkata spermem;… one married and died, leaving no children.
Mark 12:21“offspring”… labata autan, kai apothnēskata mē kataleiparantos spermem, kai tos tritos hōsautōs;… he also died and left no children. And the third did likewise.
Mark 12:22“offspring”kai tois hepta ouk afiēkala spermem; eschatem panteiu kai tas gunaikas apothnēskata.… none of the seven left any children. And last of all, the woman died.
Luke 20:28… adelfos autou tan gunaikan kai exanastēateia spermem to adelfo autou.… his brother’s widow and raise up offspring for him.
Romans 9:8… teim tekneim tau epangeliau logizotō eis spermem;… the promise who are regarded as offspring.
Romans 9:29… Ei mē kurios Sabaōth enkatalipata ni spermem, hōs Sodomeim an genina kai hōs …… Lord of Hosts had left us descendants, we would have become like Sodom …