As followers of Christ, we know that Jesus is our risen King. However, the word risen is used in different senses throughout scripture. That’s why I wanted to look up the definition of the word risen in Hebrew and Greek.
All scriptures are taken from NKJV unless otherwise marked.
What Does The Word ‘Risen’ Mean In Hebrew?
ga’ah- to rise; to grow tall; be majestic; to be proud, be exalted.
zarach- to rise; to be bright.
yatsa- to go; bring out; proceed; go forth; come out.
quwm- to rise; stand up; come about.
This word can be used to describe:
- getting out of bed (Genesis 19:33)
- the opposite of kneeling (Genesis 23:3)
In a military context, it can mean to engage in battle (2 Samuel 23:10). Also, this word can be used to mean the continuation of something (1 Samuel 13:14).
Related: What Does The Word ‘Immorality’ Mean In Greek?
What Does The Word ‘Risen’ Mean In Greek?
anatello- to cause to arise.
This term is used to speak about:
- the sun (Matthew 5:45)
- of a cloud (Luke 12:54)
- of the daystar (2 Peter 1:19)
It’s used metaphorically of the incarnation of Christ (Hebrews 7:14).
anistemi- to rise; to comeback to life; to stand.
This word has been used to speak of rising:
- from sleep (Mark 1:35)
- from a meeting in a synagogue
- up of a disciple from his vocation to follow Christ (Luke 5:28)
- up from prayer (Luke 22:45)
In addition to these, it’s also used metaphorically to speak about the rising up against people:
- officials against people (Acts 5:17)
- rising up of Satan (Mark 3:26)
- of false teachers (Acts 20:30)
It’s used to speak of a spiritual awakening in Ephesians 5:14.
The resurrection of the dead and of Christ is described by this word.
“Now as they came down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, saying, “Tell the vision to no one until the Son of Man is risen from the dead.“
– Matthew 17:9
egeiro- to waken; raising or rising.
“From this man’s seed, according to the promise, God raised up for Israel a Savior—Jesus— after John had first preached, before His coming, the baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel.“
– Acts 13:23-24
“The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them.“
– Matthew 11:5
sunegeiro- to raise up with.
“But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.“
– Ephesians 2:4-7
Conclusion
All in all, the word risen is still similar today to its original meaning.
That’s what the word risen means in Hebrew and Greek. I pray you found this article helpful. If so, please share this content. Also, feel free to share any thoughts in the comments below. As always, thanks for reading!
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During my operation, i have a dream where I was toured up in heaven.Saw the sea of glass,(saw all actions of diff people at a moment in a big glass.Later, aftr months,reading revelation in rev4, it seemed to look like a sea of glass bec i remember it was so huge). Then I was fixated to the formation of Christian churches, so many as in moving forward( I was looking at my chrch I saw it alsi and I was glad.) .Aftwr the scene of the formation of the churches(Body of Christ) the next scene is, a bright, bright cloud, and in it is the name spelled YHWH and outside the cloud near it was written another word
RISEN (it was written in ascending form per letter)ascending up to a higher level. And immediately I saw the glory of God, i felt His holiness, and He is so much above.And i felt so sad seeing the churches is so low and the name of the Lord is so high. (I forgot my theology that It is God who reached us through Christ.That scene means forward movement of the church and will go upward in the rapture to meet God. The last scene is a celebration, many white horses, people in white robes and a central figure in white robe,white hair and smiling. I did not see His eyes. But His smile. And the rest including me are so joyful. Then i wake up from the recovery room, aftr 2hours in operation.My husbnd said the operation went well. But the dream seem so real to me, I insisted the Lord has come. I wrote the names YHWH.RISEN and all in my dream. It haa bwen week yet i still tremble at the glory of God. I experiences His grace and mercy. From then on, my spiritual growth gains exponential growth,Praise God Almighty in Christ Yeshua
Incredible dream, Arlene. Praise God!