κτίσ-ις G2937
Creation or the created order; also a human institution or ordinance established by authority.
Rooted in the verb ktizō (to create), this noun spans from the cosmic act of divine creation to its concrete results—every creature God has made. Paul invokes it to declare God's invisible attributes visible 'since the creation of the world' (Rom 1:20), while Mark uses it for 'every creature' under heaven (Mark 16:15). In a striking extension at 1 Peter 2:13, the same word applies to human institutions, showing how the Greek mind could see governmental structures as a kind of purposeful ordering.
Senses
1. creation, created order — The act of creating or the totality of what God has made, encompassing both the abstract event ('from the beginning of creation,' Mark 10:6; 13:19) and the concrete result—every living creature. Spanish and French consistently use 'creación/création' for the act and 'criatura/créature' for the being, a distinction English collapses into 'creation' and 'creature.' German 'Schöpfung' captures the grand sweep. Paul's argument in Romans 1:20 and 8:19-22 depends on this word embracing the entire created order groaning together. 18×
AR["الخَليقَةِ","الخَلِيقَةِ","المَخلوقَ","الْخَلِيقَةُ","الْخَلِيقَةِ","جَديدَةٌ","خَلقٌ","خَلقِ","خَليقَةٌ","خَليقَةٍ","خَلِيقَةٍ","خَلِيقَةِ","خَلْقِ"]·ben["সৃষ্টি","সৃষ্টি-র","সৃষ্টি।","সৃষ্টিকে","সৃষ্টিতে","সৃষ্টির"]·DE["Schoepfung"]·EN["creation","creature","of-creation"]·FR["création","créature"]·heb["בְּרִיאַת","בְּרִיאָה","בְּרִיאָה.","בְרִיאָה","הַ-בְּרִיאָה","הַבְּרִיאָה"]·HI["सृष्टि","सृष्टि--","सृष्टि-के","सृष्टि-को","स्रिशति","स्रिशति."]·ID["ciptaan","ciptaan,","makhluk","penciptaan","penciptaan."]·IT["creazione","ktisei","ktiseos","ktiseōs","ktisis"]·jav["ciptaan","nalika-dumadi","titah","titah.","tumitah."]·KO["창조","창조-의","창조-의.","창조.","창조의","피조물","피조물-안에","피조물도","피조물보다","피조물에게","피조물의","피조물이","피조물이다"]·PT["criatura","criação","criação,","da-criação"]·RU["-сынов","не-","освободится","стенает-вместе","твари","тварь","творение","творении","творению","творения"]·ES["creación","criatura","de-creación"]·SW["kiumbe","kiumbe.","uumbaji","viumbe","wa-uumbaji"]·TR["yaratilisinin","yaratilista","yaratık","yaratılana","yaratılış","yaratılışa","yaratılıştan","yaratılışın"]·urd["تخلیق-کی","تخلیق-کے","تخلیق۔","خلقت","مخلوق","مخلوق-کا","مخلوق-کی","پیدائش"]
Mark 10:6, Mark 13:19, Mark 16:15, Rom 1:20, Rom 1:25, Rom 8:19, Rom 8:20, Rom 8:21, Rom 8:22, Rom 8:39, 2 Cor 5:17, Gal 6:15 (+6 more)
2. institution, ordinance — A human institution, social structure, or ordinance—an extension from divine creating to human ordering. Found only at 1 Peter 2:13, where believers are urged to submit to 'every human institution' (pasē anthrōpinē ktisei). Spanish renders it 'institución,' distinguishing it clearly from the divine-creation sense. The metaphor is potent: human governance is framed as a kind of purposeful founding, echoing the creative ordering of God himself. 1×
AR["تَرتيبٍ"]·ben["প্রতিষ্ঠানের"]·DE["Schoepfung"]·EN["institution"]·FR["création"]·heb["בְּרִיאָה"]·HI["व्यवस्था-के"]·ID["lembaga"]·IT["ktisei"]·jav["pranatan"]·KO["제도에"]·PT["instituição"]·RU["установлению"]·ES["institución"]·SW["taasisi"]·TR["oluşuma"]·urd["بندش-کے"]
Related Senses
G0846 1. third-person pronoun reference (5552×)H???? 1. (4670×)H6213a 1. do, perform, act (2383×)G4160 1. do, act, perform (473×)H5221 1. Hifil: to strike in battle, smite enemies (362×)H0899b 1. garment, article of clothing (216×)H6213a 2. make, construct, fabricate (148×)H3772 1. cut a covenant / make a pact (97×)H5060 1. touch physically (Qal) (96×)H3615 1. complete a task (Piel) (85×)H3772 2. cut off / destroy (Hifil causative) (81×)H3920 1. capture, seize (Qal) (76×)H???? 12. (76×)H3772 3. be cut off / be eliminated (Niphal) (74×)H6213a 3. be done, be made (Niphal) (73×)G4160 2. make, construct, create (62×)H3847 1. Qal: put on, wear (60×)H8210 1. pour out (liquid/libation) (59×)G2440 1. garment or clothing (general) (54×)H4191 4. kill / put to death (Hifil causative) (50×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
κτίσ-ις [ῐ], εως, ἡ, (κτίζω) founding, settling, Refs 5th c.BC+ __2 loosely, ={πρᾶξις}, κούφα κ. an easy achievement, Refs 5th c.BC+ __3 creation, κ. κόσμου NT __II created thing, creature, LXX+NT __III authority created or ordained, NT