The primary Greek word for a woman or wife. Like the Hebrew ʾishshâ (H802), it covers both an adult female and a married woman, with context determining the sense. It appears over 200 times in the NT, figuring prominently in Jesus' interactions, Paul's household instructions, and apocalyptic imagery (the woman clothed with the sun, the bride of the Lamb).
Jesus' treatment of gynē was revolutionary in His cultural context. He taught women directly (Luke 10:39; John 4:27), appeared first to a woman after resurrection (John 20:16), and addressed His mother as 'Woman' (gynai) not dismissively but with tender formality (John 2:4; 19:26). Paul declares, 'There is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus' (Gal 3:28), while also upholding distinct roles within marriage (Eph 5:22-33). The symbolic gynē of Revelation 12 — the woman clothed with the sun — represents God's people bringing forth the Messiah. The arc from Eve (the first gynē) to the Bride of Christ (the final gynē) traces the redemption of human community, culminating in the marriage supper of the Lamb.