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πατρίς

patrís

G3968 noun

SILEX Entry

Definition

Fatherland or homeland; denotes the land or place associated with one's paternal or ancestral origin. Primarily refers to one's native land, city, or region, often designating the place where a person is born or from which their family originates. Can also refer more generally to one's native country or, by extension, to one's homeland in a communal or ethnic sense. Occasionally used more broadly for a place regarded as one's home territory or, by extension, in metaphorical senses such as a heavenly homeland (as in some later or figurative usages).

Semantic Range

native country, homeland, city or town of origin, ancestral land, native region, one’s own country, (rarely and figuratively) heavenly homeland

Root / Etymology

From the Greek root πατρ- (patr-), related to πατήρ (patēr, "father"), plus the feminine suffix -ίς (-is), forming nouns indicating a connection to ancestry or origin. The word thus literally means 'of a father,' signifying the land of one's paternal ancestors. Not related to the Strong's suggestion 'from παράσημος.'

Historical & Contextual Notes

In Classical and Hellenistic Greek, πατρίς commonly referred to one's native city, town, or region, particularly the ancestral land associated with one's father's lineage. While the sense could refer specifically to a city (city-state) or more generally to a broader region or country, the emphasis remained on familial or ancestral association. In the Septuagint and New Testament, πατρίς retains the meaning of native place or homeland, often referring to the specific locality from which a person or group originates (e.g., the place where Jesus grew up in Nazareth). English Bible translations often render it as 'country,' 'homeland,' or 'own country,' but these may sometimes obscure the nuance of familial or ancestral belonging intrinsic to the Greek term. Occasionally in later Hellenistic literature and in figurative contexts, expresses the idea of a spiritual or heavenly homeland, but this is atypical in the Septuagint and New Testament. The word is distinct from terms such as ἔθνος (ethnos, 'nation' or 'people-group') or χώρα (chōra, 'land' or 'region'), which lack the same ancestral/paternal implication. Earliest classical attestations appear in Homer and Herodotus, always with an ancestral or city-origins nuance.

Translation Consistency

primary "homeland" 7 occurrences

patrís denotes one’s native land or place of origin. "Homeland" is a natural, commonly used single-word noun that covers native country, ancestral land, city/region of origin, and can extend to the metaphorical/heavenly sense. It avoids the archaic/political tone of "fatherland" and the adjectival form "ancestral," so it provides the clearest, most consistent rendering for all forms.

Alternatives (1 occurrence):
"country" (1x)

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from παράσημος; a father-land, i.e. native town; (figuratively) heavenly home:--(own) country.

Root Family

πατρ- (patrikós) — of a father, ancestral, hereditary

Root πατρ- father, ancestry, origin
Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
G3967 πατρικός of ancestral (feminine plural)
G3971 πατρῷος to the ancestral

Word Forms

2 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
G3968-02 πατρίδι patridi N DAT F SG country to the ancestral homeland ancestral homeland 5
G3968-01 πατρίδα patrida N ACC F SG hometown ancestral homeland ancestral homeland 3

Occurrences in Scripture

8 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
G3968-01 Matthew 13:54 πατρίδα patrida N ACC F SG hometown ancestral homeland ancestral homeland
G3968-02 Matthew 13:57 πατρίδι patridi N DAT F SG hometown to the ancestral homeland homeland
G3968-01 Mark 6:1 πατρίδα patrida N ACC F SG hometown ancestral homeland ancestral homeland
G3968-02 Mark 6:4 πατρίδι patridi N DAT F SG hometown to the ancestral homeland ancestral homeland
G3968-02 Luke 4:23 πατρίδι patridi N DAT F SG country to the ancestral homeland homeland
G3968-02 Luke 4:24 πατρίδι patridi N DAT F SG country to the ancestral homeland ancestral homeland
G3968-02 John 4:44 πατρίδι patridi N DAT F SG country to the ancestral homeland country
G3968-01 Hebrews 11:14 πατρίδα patrida N ACC F SG country ancestral homeland ancestral homeland
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