Meaning
denotes (a) "earth as arable land," e.g., Mat 13:5, Mat 13:8, Mat 13:23; in 1Co 15:47 it is said of the "earthly" material of which "the first man" was made, suggestive of frailty; (b) "the earth as a whole, the world," in contrast, whether to the heavens, e.g., Mat 5:18, Mat 5:35, or to heaven, the abode of God, e.g., Mat 6:19, where the context suggests the "earth" as a place characterized by mutability and weakness; in Col 3:2 the same contrast is presented by the word "above;" in Joh 3:31 (RV, "of the earth," for AV, "earthly") it describes one whose origin and nature are "earthly" and whose speech is characterized thereby, in contrast with Christ as the One from heaven; in Col 3:5 the physical members are said to be "upon the earth," as a sphere where, as potential instruments of moral evils, they are, by metonymy, spoken of as the evils themselves; (c) "the inhabited earth," e.g., Luk 21:35, Act 1:8, Act 8:33, Act 10:12, Act 11:6, Act 17:26, Act 22:22, Heb 11:13, Rev 13:8. In the following the phrase "on the earth" signifies "among men," Luk 12:49, Luk 18:8, Joh 17:4; (d) "a country, territory," e.g., Luk 4:25, Joh 3:22; (e) "the ground," e.g., Mat 10:29, Mar 4:26, RV, "(upon the) earth," for AV, "(into the) ground;" (f) "land," e.g., Mar 4:1, Joh 1:21-9, Joh 21:11. Cp. Eng. words beginning with ge, e.g., "geodetic," "geodesy," "geology," "geometry," "geography." See COUNTRY, GROUND, LAND, WORLD.
<2,,3625, oikoumene>
the present participle, Passive Voice, of oikeo, "to dwell, inhabit," denotes the "inhabited earth." It is translated "world" in every place where it has this significance, save in Luk 21:26, AV, where it is translated "earth." See WORLD.
Note: For epigeios, translated "on earth" in Phi 2:10, ostrakino, "of earth," 2Ti 2:20, and katachthonios, "under the earth," Phi 2:10, see EARTHEN.
