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μετοικεσία

metoikesía

G3350 noun

SILEX Entry

Definition

The act of being relocated from one inhabited place to another, especially used of the forced removal or resettlement of a population from their homeland, commonly referring to exile or deportation. It denotes both the process and condition of being transferred to a foreign location, most often by compulsion or authority.

Semantic Range

deportation, exile, forced relocation, migration to a foreign land, condition of being uprooted from homeland

Root / Etymology

From μετοικίζω ('to remove from one's dwelling'), itself a compound formed from μετά ('after, beyond, change') and οἶκος ('house, dwelling'). The suffix -ία forms an abstract noun indicating the action or state associated with the verb μετοικίζω.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In Hellenistic and Koine Greek, μετοικεσία is predominantly used to describe the mass deportation or forced exile of peoples, especially in the context of Ancient Near Eastern policies (e.g., Neo-Babylonian, Assyrian) of relocating conquered populations. In the Septuagint (LXX), it translates various Hebrew terms for exile or captivity, most notably relating to the Babylonian or Assyrian deportations of Israelites and Judeans. In the New Testament, the term is used primarily with reference to historic exiles, retaining the sense of collective removal from one's homeland. The English tradition of translating μετοικεσία as 'captivity' or 'carrying away' reflects its association with the forced migration or exile, but can obscure the term's specificity regarding population transfer, as opposed to general imprisonment. Unlike the more general φυγή ('flight') or ἐξορία ('banishment'), μετοικεσία typically implies state-organized transport of a population to another dwelling place.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from a derivative of a compound of μετά and οἶκος; a change of abode, i.e. (specially), expatriation:--X brought, carried(-ying) away (in-)to.

Root Family

μετοικεσία (metoikesia) — relocation, change of dwelling, deportation, exile

Root μετοικ- to relocate, to change dwelling, to remove (a population)

Word Forms

2 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
G3350-02 μετοικεσίας metoikesias N GEN F SG deportation of deportation deportation 3
G3350-01 μετοικεσίαν metoikesian N ACC F SG deportation forced relocation forced relocation 1

Occurrences in Scripture

4 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
G3350-02 Matthew 1:11 μετοικεσίας metoikesias N GEN F SG carrying away of deportation deportation
G3350-01 Matthew 1:12 μετοικεσίαν metoikesian N ACC F SG deportation forced relocation forced relocation
G3350-02 Matthew 1:17 μετοικεσίας metoikesias N GEN F SG deportation of deportation deportation
G3350-02 Matthew 1:17 μετοικεσίας metoikesias-2 N GEN F SG deportation of deportation deportation
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