κατοικία
katoikía
G2733 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
Act or state of dwelling, inhabiting, settlement; refers to the place, condition, or act of dwelling, typically denotes a habitation, residence, or the act of residing. In Hellenistic and Koine usage, can refer to a physical dwelling-place such as a house or habitation, or more abstractly to the communal act of residing in a locality.
Semantic Range
act of dwelling, state of inhabiting, habitation, residence, inhabited place, settlement, (in religious contexts) place where the divine dwells
Root / Etymology
From the verb κατοικέω (katoikeō, 'to inhabit, to dwell'), itself from κατά ('down, throughout') + οἰκέω ('to dwell, to reside'). Thus, κατοικία is a derivative noun denoting the state or place of dwelling.
Historical & Contextual Notes
Used primarily in Koine and post-classical Greek, κατοικία was less common than the earlier term οἴκησις for 'dwelling'. In the Septuagint and later Jewish Greek, κατοικία refers both to human habitations (houses, settlements) and sometimes to places of God's dwelling (e.g., sanctuary or temple). In the New Testament, it appears mostly in reference to a dwelling place or residence, literal or metaphorical (Ephesians 2:22 – 'dwelling place of God in the Spirit'). Unlike οἶκος ('house, household'), which can denote family or economic household, κατοικία emphasizes the act or state of inhabiting or the settled location. English translations as 'dwelling', 'habitation', or 'residence' generally capture the sense but may obscure the dynamic or collective sense of residing. Classical sources use it less frequently, with increased use in later Greek corresponding to urbanization and Hellenistic civic life.
Root Family
οἰκ- (enkatoikéō) — to dwell, to inhabit, to reside
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| G1460 | ἐγκατοικέω | one dwelling within |
| G1774 | ἐνοικέω | let it dwell within |
| G3351 | μετοικίζω | I will resettle |
| G3609 | οἰκεῖος | household members |
| G3610 | οἰκέτης | O household servants |
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G2733-01 |
κατοικίας | katoikias | N GEN F SG |
habitation | of a dwelling | dwelling | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
1 occurrence
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G2733-01 |
Acts 17:26 | κατοικίας | katoikias | N GEN F SG |
habitation | of a dwelling | dwelling |