οἰκουμέν-η G3625
The inhabited world; the civilized, populated earth, often denoting the Roman Empire or all humanity.
Originally meaning 'the inhabited (land)' with an implied gē ('earth'), this word expanded from the Greek-speaking world to encompass the entire populated earth, and in Roman times frequently stood for the Empire itself. Luke uses it for the census that brought Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem (Luke 2:1) and for a predicted famine across the whole world (Acts 11:28). In eschatological contexts it describes the scope of tribulation and gospel proclamation—'this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole oikoumenē' (Matt 24:14). The word also carries a future-age sense in Hebrews 2:5, where the 'world to come' is subjected to Christ. Spanish 'tierra habitada' and German 'Erdkreis' both convey the sense of the globe as a human dwelling.
Senses
1. inhabited world, civilized earth — The inhabited, civilized earth—the sphere of human habitation and political order. In Luke-Acts it often denotes the Roman imperial world: Augustus decrees a census of 'the whole oikoumenē' (Luke 2:1), and Agabus predicts famine over the same domain (Acts 11:28). Jesus uses it eschatologically for the arena where the gospel must reach before the end (Matt 24:14) and where tribulation will test all inhabitants (Luke 21:26; Rev 3:10). Hebrews 2:5 projects the term forward to 'the world to come.' German 'Erdkreis' and Spanish 'tierra habitada' both capture the geographic-political sweep of this concept. 15×
AR["المَسكونَةَ", "المَسكونَةِ", "المَسْكونَةَ", "المَسْكونَةِ", "المَسْكُونَةِ", "الْمَسْكُونَةُ", "الْمَسْكُونَةِ", "مَسكونَةَ", "مَسكونَةِ", "ٱلْمَسْكُونَةِ"]·ben["জগতকে", "জগতে", "জগতের", "জগৎ", "পৃথিবীকে", "পৃথিবীতে", "পৃথিবীর", "বাসযোগ্য-পৃথিবীকে"]·DE["Erdkreis"]·EN["inhabited-earth", "inhabited-world", "world"]·FR["terre-habitée"]·heb["הַ-תֵּבֵל", "הַתֵּבֵל", "הָעוֹלָם", "תֵּבֵל"]·HI["जगत", "पृथ्वी", "बसी-हुई", "संसार", "संसार-का", "संसार-की", "संसार-के", "संसार-को", "संसार-पर", "संसारभरमें"]·ID["dunia", "dunia,", "itu", "seluruh-dunia"]·IT["mondo", "mondo-abitato", "oikoumene", "oikoumenen", "oikoumenes"]·jav["donya,", "donya--", "jagad", "jagad;"]·KO["세계-를", "세계-의", "세계에", "세계에서", "세상", "세상-의", "세상에", "세상을", "세상의", "세상이"]·PT["mundo", "terra", "terra-habitada", "terra-habitada,"]·RU["вселенная", "вселенной", "вселенную"]·ES["habitada", "tierra-habitada"]·SW["dunia", "dunia-", "kuwa", "ulimwengu", "ulimwengu,"]·TR["dünya", "dünyada", "dünyanın", "dünyaya", "dünyayı", "oturulanın"]·urd["دنیا", "دنیا-پر", "دنیا-کو", "دنیا-کے", "دُنیا"]
Matt 24:14, Luke 2:1, Luke 4:5, Luke 21:26, Acts 11:28, Acts 17:6, Acts 17:31, Acts 19:27, Acts 24:5, Rom 10:18, Heb 1:6, Heb 2:5 (+3 more)
Related Senses
H8033 1. There (locative adverb) (835×)H7760a 1. put, place, set physically (444×)H8064 1. heavens / sky (329×)H5439 1. around, all around (spatial) (319×)H4057b 1. wilderness, desert region (270×)H3220 1. sea, body of water (269×)H0520a 1. cubit (unit of length) (246×)H0127 1. ground, land (territory) (210×)H3383 1. Jordan River (proper noun) (183×)G1093 1. earth, the world (176×)H5800a 1. forsake, abandon (Qal active) (166×)H8121 1. sun (celestial body) (133×)H7126 1. offer, present sacrificially (122×)H6828 1. north, cardinal direction (120×)H2351 1. outside, exterior space (119×)H5104 1. river, stream (119×)H7341 1. width, breadth (101×)G1563 1. there (95×)H7126 2. draw near, approach (95×)G2281 1. sea, large body of water (91×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
οἰκουμέν-η (i.e. γῆ), ἡ, inhabited region, see at {οἰκέω} Refs 4th c.BC+; then the Greek world, opposed to barbarian lands, Refs 4th c.BC+ = the inhabited world (including non-Greek lands, as Ethiopia, India, Scythia), as opposed to possibly uninhabited regions,Refs 4th c.BC+ = our world (= Asia, Libya, Europe); οἰκουμέναι worlds,LXX+4th c.BC+; loosely, the whole world, Refs 4th c.BC+: so perhaps…