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χώρα

chṓra

G5561 noun

SILEX Entry

Definition

An area of space, particularly land or territory; refers to an expanse of inhabited or uninhabited land. In various contexts, denotes a tract or region often in contrast with cities (πολις), and can imply rural areas, cultivated fields, or the general countryside. Occasionally, refers to the land as opposed to sea, or to a defined area within a larger polity.

Semantic Range

(1) open land or countryside as opposed to city, (2) a geographic region or country, (3) a field or tract of agricultural land, (4) a land with its inhabitants, (5) place, space in a general sense

Root / Etymology

From the root χῶρ-; possibly related to χάσμα (chasm, gap) and χῶρος (space, room), denoting empty space or territory. Ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰer-, meaning 'to grasp, enclose.'

Historical & Contextual Notes

In classical Greek, χώρα often denoted country land as opposed to urban space (ὁ πόλις). In the Hellenistic and Roman periods, as in the Septuagint and New Testament, it referred broadly to land (both cultivated and uncultivated), geographic regions, or the territory associated with a city (including its rural dependencies). Its meaning could vary from 'fields' (agricultural land), 'region' (a large area, usually with some administrative, social, or ethnic connotation), to the entire land associated with a people or polity. In NT usage, χώρα can designate the countryside around a city or a broader territorial designation, and does not convey modern geopolitical boundaries. English translations such as 'region,' 'land,' 'country,' and 'field' each capture part of its semantic range, but none are universally applicable. When χώρα appears in contrast with πόλις, it highlights the country vs. city distinction standard in Greco-Roman thought.

Translation Consistency

primary "region" 26 occurrences

Most common and natural rendering across occurrences (12/28). "Region" covers the typical senses — an area of land, a geographic district or country, and the countryside vs. city — while remaining natural in English and easy to inflect consistently (region/regions). It best matches the SILEX range without forcing overly technical or poetic language.

Alternatives (2 occurrences):
"fields" (2x)

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

feminine of a derivative of the base of χάσμα through the idea of empty expanse; room, i.e. a space of territory (more or less extensive; often including its inhabitants):--coast, county, fields, ground, land, region. Compare τόπος.

Root Family

χώρα (chōra) — space, region, land, territory

Root χώρ- space, region, land, territory

Word Forms

4 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
G5561-03 χώραν choran N ACC F SG country territory (accusative singular) region 14
G5561-04 χώρας choras N GEN F SG country of the region of the region 8
G5561-01 χώρᾳ chora N DAT F SG region in the region region 5
G5561-02 χώραις chorais N DAT F PL countries to the regions regions 1

Occurrences in Scripture

28 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
G5561-03 Matthew 2:12 χώραν choran N ACC F SG country territory (accusative singular) region
G5561-01 Matthew 4:16 χώρᾳ chora N DAT F SG region in the region region
G5561-03 Matthew 8:28 χώραν choran N ACC F SG country territory (accusative singular) region
G5561-01 Mark 1:5 χώρα chora N NOM F SG country in the region region
G5561-03 Mark 5:1 χώραν choran N ACC F SG country territory (accusative singular) region
G5561-04 Mark 5:10 χώρας choras N GEN F SG country of the region of the region
G5561-03 Mark 6:55 χώραν choran N ACC F SG region territory (accusative singular) region
G5561-01 Luke 2:8 χώρᾳ chora N DAT F SG region in the region region
G5561-04 Luke 3:1 χώρας choras N GEN F SG region of the region of the region
G5561-03 Luke 8:26 χώραν choran N ACC F SG country territory (accusative singular) region
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