ἀνά is a preposition with a root meaning of “up.” It is primarily used in composition, carrying the sense of “up,” “back,” or “again.” Outside of composition, it occurs fourteen times in the New Testament, while in composition it appears approximately one hundred and thirty-six times.
In Romans 12:2, ἀνακαίνωσις means “renewedness.” It functions as an noun that is defined by the word mind (νοῦς); hence, this renewdness pertains to the mind. This term is derived from ἀνά, in composition with καινός (an adjective), and carries a -σις ending, which indicates action or quality. Transformation, therefore, takes place by the renewedness of the mind.
Outside of compositional use, the Greek preposition ἀνά governs only the accusative case. While the accusative case often marks the direct object of a verb, in this usage it functions as the object of the preposition, not as a direct object. ἀνά expresses meanings such as up, upon, throughout, or by (distribution) depending on the context.
In Revelation 4:8 and Matthew 20:9, the Greek preposition ἀνά is used distributively with the accusative case. In Revelation 4:8, it indicates that each of the four living creatures has exactly six wings—‘each having six wings.’ In Matthew 20:9, it indicates that each laborer received a denarius—‘they received a denarius each.’ This use does not imply a maximum or potential limitation (as 'up to' would suggest), but rather a fixed distribution.
The most frequent use of ἀνά in the New Testament is distributive. In Luke 9:3, ‘μήτε ἀνὰ δύο χιτῶνας’ means ‘not having two each.’ In Luke 10:1, ‘ἀνὰ δύο’ refers to being sent ‘two by two.’ In Revelation 21:21, ‘ἀνὰ εἷς ἕκαστος τῶν πυλώνων’ indicates that each gate was made from a single pearl, emphasizing one pearl per gate.
While the preposition ἀνά most frequently conveys a distributive sense in Koine Greek, it is also used in certain idiomatic constructions to express spatial relationships. In Revelation 7:17, the phrase ἀνὰ μέσον τοῦ θρόνου means ‘in the midst of the throne.’ In 1 Corinthians 6:5, ἀνὰ μέσον τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ αὐτοῦ expresses relational positioning: ‘among (or between) his brothers.’ In Matthew 13:25, ζιζάνια ἀνὰ μέσον τοῦ σίτου signifies ‘tares among the wheat.’ In each case, the expression ἀνὰ μέσον + genitive conveys a sense of central or relational positioning, forming an exception to the usual distributive or directional use of ἀνά.
In compound formations, the Greek preposition ἀνά may modify verbs, adjectives, and nouns to convey various nuances such as directional ascent (‘up’), repetition (‘again’), distribution (‘each’), or intensification. However, it does not inherently bear emphatic force in all instances. Its semantic contribution varies and must be discerned from the lexical meaning of the base word and the context in which the compound appears.
In Matthew 4:1, Jesus is lead up into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit. ἀνά is compounded with the verb ἄγω to express upward movement: ἀνήχθη εἰς τὴν ἔρημον (“He was led up into the wilderness”).
In Romans 9:3, Paul declares his willingness to be “accursed from Christ” for the sake of his fellow Jews. The noun ἀνάθεμα, derived from ἀνά (“up”) and τίθημι (“to place”), originally referred to something set up or placed before a deity as a votive offering. However, in biblical usage—particularly in the Septuagint and New Testament—it came to signify something devoted to God for destruction, paralleling the Hebrew חֵרֶם (ḥērem). Thus, it came to carry the sense of being accursed, i.e., separated from divine blessing and subject to judgment.
In Matthew 12:43, the noun ἀνάπαυσις, derived from ἀνά ("up" or intensifier) and παύω ("to cease"), denotes a state of rest or cessation. While the root meaning involves stopping, the compound form suggests a settled, ongoing condition of repose. In this context, ἀνά does not retain a spatial meaning (“up”), but more likely serves an intensifying or completive function, emphasizing the spirit’s search for a place of enduring rest, not merely temporary relief.