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Greek

Root

ῥίζαStrong’s G4491

rhiza

Appears in 16 verses of the New Testament

In short

Rhiza is the Greek word usually translated “root” and “roots”. It appears in 16 verses of the New Testament.

“For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.”
1 Timothy 6:10 KJV
Meaning

Usually translated “root” and “roots”. Open the dictionary entry below for the full range of meaning, with the verses it cites.

How it's translated
  • root 14
  • a root 2
  • roots 1

Word-by-word English from the STEPBible tagged text.

Where it's used most
  • Romans 4
  • Matthew 3
  • Mark 3
  • Luke 2
  • Revelation 2
  • 1 Timothy 1

7 books in all.

Related words
Explore in Scripture
All 16 verses, by book
Matthew 3
3:1013:613:21
Luke 2
3:98:13
1 Timothy 1
6:10
Hebrews 1
12:15
Revelation 2
5:522:16
Greek dictionary

ῥίζα rhiza · root

ῥίζα, -ης, ἡ [in LXX chiefly for שָׁרַשׁ ;] a root: Mat.3:10, Luk.3:9; ἐκ ῥιζῶν, Mrk.11:20; ῥ. ἔχειν, Mat.13:6, Mrk.4:6; id. before ἐν ἑαυτῷ, figuratively, Mat.13:21, Mrk.4:17, Luk.8:13. Metaphorical (as in various senses in cl.), of cause, origin, source, etc.; (a) of things, ῥ. πάντων τ. κακῶν (Eur.), 1Ti.6:10; (b) of persons: of ancestors, Rom.11:16-18; ῥ. πικρίας, Heb.12:15. Of that which springs from a root, a shoot; metaphorically, of offspring, Rom.15:12 (LXX) Rev.5:5 22:16.† (AS)

From STEPBible’s Greek lexicon (based on Abbott-Smith).

Webster's 1828 Dictionary

How the English word “root” was understood when the King James Version was still the common Bible of English readers.

ROOT, noun

[Latin radix. A root is a shoot, and only a different application of rod, Latin radius.]

  1. That part of a plant which enters and fixes itself in the earth, and serves to support the plant in an erect position, while by means of its fibrils it imbibes nutriment for the stem, branches and fruit.
  2. The part of any thing that resembles the roots of a plant in manner of growth; as the roots of a cancer, of teeth, etc.
  3. The bottom or lower part of any thing.
  4. A plant whose root is esculent or the most useful part; as beets, carrots, etc.
All definitions and other forms of “root”
  1. The original or cause of any thing.“The love of money is the root of all evil” 1 Timothy 6:10
  2. The first ancestor.
  3. In arithmetic and algebra, the root of any quantity is such a quantity as, when multiplied into itself a certain number of times, will exactly produce that quantity.
  4. Means of growth. 'He hath no root in himself; ' that is, no soil in which grace can grow and flourish. Matthew 13:6
  5. In music, the fundamental note of any chord.

ROOT, verb intransitive

  1. To fix the root; to enter the earth, as roots.
  2. To be firmly fixed; to be established.
  3. To sink deep.

ROOT, verb transitive

  1. To plant and fix deep in the earth; used chiefly in the participle; as rooted trees or forests.
  2. To plant deeply; to impress deeply and durably.
  3. In Scripture, to be rooted and grounded in Christ, is to be firmly united to him by faith and love, and well established in the belief of his character and doctrines. Ephesians 3:17

ROOT, verb intransitive

or t.

    ROOT'-BOUND, adjective

    Fixed to the earth by roots.

      ROOT'-BUILT, adjective

      Built of roots.

        Noah Webster, An American Dictionary of the English Language (1828). Verse references are checked against the KJV. Read the full entry.

        Verses are from the King James Version. Word meanings come from the original Greek, not from any one translation.