κοιλί-α G2836
Body cavity: the womb as organ of conception and birth, or the stomach/belly as organ of digestion and appetite.
A fundamental body-cavity word whose two senses separate cleanly across languages. In birth and conception contexts, Hindi renders it garbh or kokh (womb), while Spanish uses vientre and German Bauch — the same surface form for both senses, revealing that English and Hindi disambiguate what Romance and Germanic languages leave merged. Fourteen of its twenty-three New Testament occurrences denote the maternal womb (Luke 1:15, 41–44; Matt 19:12), while nine refer to the digestive belly or stomach, as in the memorable 'their god is their belly' (Phil 3:19) and Jonah imagery (Matt 12:40).
2. stomach, belly — The physical stomach or belly as the organ of digestion and appetite. Used in contexts of eating, gluttony, and physical interior — 'their god is their belly' (Phil 3:19), food passing through the stomach (Matt 15:17; Mark 7:19), and the whale's belly in the Jonah typology (Matt 12:40). Nine occurrences carry this sense. 9×
AR["البَطْنُ","البَطْنِ","بَطني","بَطنَكَ","بَطنِ","بَطْنَهُ","بَطْنِ","بُطونُهُمْ"]·ben["পেট","পেটকে,","পেটে","পেটের-জন্য।"]·DE["Bauch"]·EN["belly","stomach"]·FR["ventre"]·heb["בֶּטֶן","בֶּטֶן,","הַבֶּטֶן","כְּרֵסוֹ","מֵעֵי","שֶׁלִּי"]·HI["पेट","पेत","पेत,","पेत-मेइन"]·ID["perut","perut,","perut."]·IT["koilia","koilian","ventre"]·jav["padaran","padharan","padharan.","weteng","weteng,"]·KO["배","배,","배-에게","배가","배는","배를","배에"]·PT["estômago","ventre"]·RU["чреве","чрево","чрево,","чреву","чреву."]·ES["vientre"]·SW["lako,","tumbo","tumbo."]·TR["karindir","karnım","karnına","karnında","karnını","karına","mide-","mideye-"]·urd["پیٹ","پیٹ-میں","پیٹ-کے-لیے"]
Matt 12:40, Matt 15:17, Mark 7:19, Luke 15:16, 1 Cor 6:13, 1 Cor 6:13, Phil 3:19, Rev 10:9, Rev 10:10
▼ 1 more sense below
Senses
1. womb — The uterus or maternal cavity, used of conception, pregnancy, and birth. Hindi garbh and kokh distinguish this sense from the digestive meaning, while Spanish vientre and German Bauch remain ambiguous. Key passages include Luke 1:41–44 (the child leaping in Elizabeth's womb) and Matt 19:12 (born from the womb). Fourteen occurrences strongly cluster here. 14×
AR["الْبَطْنِ","بَطنِ","بَطْنِ","بَطْنِكِ","بَطْنِهَا","بَطْنِي","بُطونُ","بُطُونِهِمْ؛","جَوْفِ"]·ben["কোলগুলি","গর্ভ","গর্ভে","গর্ভের","পেটে","পেটের","পেটের;"]·DE["Bauch"]·EN["belly","womb","wombs"]·FR["ventre"]·heb["בְּטָנוֹת","בֶּטֶן"]·HI["अपनी-माता-के","कोख","गर्भ","पेट","पेट-की","पेत"]·ID["itu","kandungan","perut;","perutnya","rahim","rahim-rahim"]·IT["koilias","ventre"]·jav["guwa-garba","guwa-garba.","padharan","wètèng;"]·KO["배","배-를","배-에","배-에서","배-의","배가","배들이","배에서","백-을","어머니-의","태"]·PT["ventre","ventre;"]·RU["-сладкоречие","утробы","чрева","чреве","чрево"]·ES["vientre","vientres"]·SW["mwa-mama","tumbo","tumbo;","tumboni"]·TR["karnımda","karnına","karnında","karnından","karnının","karında","karınlar","karınlarına","rahim","rahminden"]·urd["پیٹ","پیٹ-سے","پیٹ-کی","کوکھیں"]
Matt 19:12, Luke 1:15, Luke 1:41, Luke 1:42, Luke 1:44, Luke 2:21, Luke 11:27, Luke 23:29, John 3:4, John 7:38, Acts 3:2, Acts 14:8 (+2 more)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
κοιλί-α, Ionic dialect κοιλί-η, ἡ, (κοῖλος) cavity of the body, i.e. thorax with abdomen, Refs 5th c.BC+, = thorax, ἡ κάτω, = abdomen, accusative to Refs 2nd c.AD+; τὰ κατὰ κ. νουσήματα diseases of the thoracic cavity, Refs 5th c.BC+ __2 belly, abdomen, Refs 5th c.BC+; opposed to ἡ ἄνω κ., stomach, Refs 5th c.BC+[same place]; κ. alone frequently = stomach, Refs; of birds, Refs; also, paunch or…