The difference between zao and zaomai

Question

The New testament uses both forms: zao and zaomai. The word zao means to live and zaomai is its medium(middle)/passive form.

However I have never seen that anyone would have made any difference between these words, and the both are translated "to live". However, passive forms are usually translated like: "to be made alive".

Romans 8:13, offers a clear contrast between these word forms. St. Paul first uses active form and then medium form:

8:13 εἰ γὰρ κατὰ σάρκα ζῆτε μέλλετε ἀποθνῄσκειν· εἰ δὲ πνεύματι τὰς πράξεις τοῦ σώματος θανατοῦτε ζήσεσθε

https://www.blueletterbible.org/kjv/rom/8/13/t_conc_1054013

Older and more recent ways to express the same thing? According to Thayer the active form future is older and medium form is more recent:

https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g2198/kjv/tr/0-1/

However that explanation doesn't fully satisfy me.

However, when I studied this further I noticed that the active future forms are quite rare. They seem to have different meanings as the medium forms but because they are so few, it is not very conclusive, I guess.

https://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/inflections.cfm?strongs=G2198&t=kjv&ot=TR&word=%CE%B6%E1%BD%B5%CF%83%CE%BF%CE%BC%CE%B5%CE%BD

Galatians 3:11 So would for example Galatians 3:11 be translated as "will be made alive" instead of "will live"?

List of occurences of that word in Blueletterbible:

https://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/inflections.cfm?strongs=G2198&t=kjv&ot=TR&word=%CE%B6%E1%BD%B5%CF%83%CE%B5%CF%84%CE%B1%CE%B9

https://mail.biblehub.com/greek/2198.htm

Answer 1

The famous declaration of Hab 2:4 is:

Look at the proud one; his soul is not upright—but the righteous will live by faith

Three times in the NT this verse is quoted or paraphrased:

• Rom 1:17 - For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith, as it has been written: "And the righteous will live by faith." [ζήσεται is future indicative middle voice]
• Gal 3:11 - Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, because "The righteous will live by faith." [ζήσεται is future indicative middle voice]
• Heb 10:38 - But My righteous one will live by faith; and if he might shrink back, My soul does not take pleasure in him." [ζήσεται is future indicative middle voice]

I observe that in all three cases, the verb ζήσεται is future indicative middle voice, and thus, if we are very strict about translating, the phrase might best be translated:

the righteous [one] will live by his faith

That is, the middle voice indicates that the action is performed by the individual on himself. A very similar idea is spoken by Jesus in other places as well:

• Luke 7:50 - And He said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you; go in peace."
• Luke 18:42 - And Jesus said to him, "Receive sight! Your faith has healed you."
• Luke 17:19 - And He said to him, "Having risen up go forth; your faith has cured you!"
• Luke 8:48 - And He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has healed you; go in peace."
• Mark 10:52 - “Go,” said Jesus, “your faith has healed you.” And immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road.
• Mark 5:34 - And He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has healed you; go in peace and be sound from your affliction."
• Matt 9:22 - Jesus turned and saw her. “Take courage, daughter,” He said, “your faith has healed you.” And the woman was cured from that very hour.

Thus, the middle voice of Rom 1:17, Gal 3:11, Heb 10:38 is entirely consistent with Jesus teaching.

Answer 2

Many verbs in middle or passive have mainly or only middle meaning. There is no passive form of Zao (to live), but only middle. Sometimes middle/passive forms are written the same way, but we infer from context whether it is passive or middle. The meaning of Live is basically middle when referring to ourselves. We live, we behave, our way of living. It is our own reflexive work by free will, not someone else's.

Future Middle of Live as in Gal 3:11-12 (righteous shall live by faith):

Luke 4:4 (SBLG) καὶ ἀπεκρίθη πρὸς αὐτὸν ὁ Ἰησοῦς ⸃· Γέγραπται ὅτι Οὐκ ἐπ᾽ ἄρτῳ μόνῳ ζήσεται ὁ ἄνθρωπος.
(ESV) And Jesus answered him, “It is written ‘Man shall not live by bread alone.’”
Luke 10:28 εἶπεν δὲ αὐτῷ· Ὀρθῶς ἀπεκρίθης· τοῦτο ποίει καὶ ζήσῃ.
(ESV) And he said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.”

There is a separate compound word to "make+alive", to give life- ζωοποιέω zopoieo. You will find this word in your searches for "make alive". And συνεζωοποίησεν (synezōopoiēsen) for Eph 2:6 and Col 2:13

1Cor 15:22 (SBLG) ὥσπερ γὰρ ἐν τῷ Ἀδὰμ πάντες ἀποθνῄσκουσιν, οὕτως καὶ ἐν τῷ Χριστῷ πάντες ζῳοποιηθήσονται.
(ESV) For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.
1Cor 15:36 ἄφρων, σὺ ὃ σπείρεις, οὐ ζῳοποιεῖται ἐὰν μὴ ἀποθάνῃ·
(ESV) You foolish person! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies.

1 Peter 3:18 V-APP-NMS
GRK: μὲν σαρκὶ ζωοποιηθεὶς δὲ πνεύματι
NAS: in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit;