UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament

Sense 1: woman

Semantic entry: 9.34

Semantic domains: People

Subdomains: Females

Definition: an adult female person of marriageable age

Notes: In some languages it may be awkward to speak of ‘arresting men and women,’ since it is normal in such languages to speak of ‘men and women’ simply as ‘people.’ However, where the distinction of ‘men and women’ can be employed, it should be done, since the arresting of women for presumed heresy in NT times would seem far less justified than the arresting of men, who were supposed to take a more active part in new movements and thus were more likely to be arraigned before authorities.|As a form of address, γυνή was used in Koine Greek in speaking politely to a female person: ὦ γύναι, μεγάλη σου ἡ πίστις ‘Lady, your faith is great’ RV MAT 15:28 · LV MAT 15:28 · Read together MAT 15:28. In RV JHN 2:4 · LV JHN 2:4 · Read together JHN 2:4 Jesus uses γυνή to address his mother courteously.|In a number of languages it would be totally impossible to have Jesus address his mother merely as ‘woman.’ To do so in some languages would imply that Jesus was denying that Mary was his mother. In other languages, such an expression would imply that Jesus was calling his mother a prostitute or evil person. Accordingly, in a number of languages there is simply no other way in which Jesus could address his mother than as ‘mother’ or ‘my mother.’

Sense 2: wife

Semantic entry: 10.54

Semantic domains: Kinship Terms

Subdomains: Kinship Relations Based upon Marriage

Definition: a woman who is married to a man

Notes: The distinctions in meaning of γυνή[a] woman (9.34: γυνή) and γυνή[b] wife parallel those involving ἀνήρ [source selector 000002][c] and ἄνθρωπος [source selector 000002][c] (see 10.53: ἀνήρ / 10.53: ἄνθρωπος). A number of languages, however, employ essentially the same usage as Greek in that a wife is simply called his woman, my woman, etc. The contexts normally indicate clearly which meaning of γυνή is involved.

Sense 3: to marry, to get married

Semantic entry: 34.70

Semantic domains: Association

Subdomains: Marriage, Divorce

Definition: (an idiom, literally: to touch a woman) to marry a woman

Notes: It is important to note that this expression in the second part of RV CO1 7:1 · LV CO1 7:1 · Read together CO1 7:1 may be either a statement by Paul or a quotation from a letter from the church of Corinth. This fact should be clearly noted in the margin.

Collocations: γυναικὸς ἅπτομαι

Sense 4: to marry, to get married

Definition: (an idiom, literally: to take a woman) to marry a woman

Collocations: λαμβάνω γυναῖκα

Sense 5: to be married

Definition: (an idiom, literally: to have a woman) to be married to a woman

Collocations: ἔχω γυναῖκα