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γῆ

gē

G1093 noun

SILEX Entry

Definition

Physical ground or soil, that is, the solid surface of the earth; by extension, land as a geographic or territorial unit (country, region, area); abstractly, the inhabited world or the collective territory of humanity; also, in Jewish and Greco-Roman thought, as the domain distinct from sea and sky.

Semantic Range

soil, ground, cultivated land, field, country, region, territory, the inhabited earth, the world (in a broad, terrestrial sense), dry land as opposed to sea

Root / Etymology

From contracted form of a primary word γαῖα (gaia), meaning 'earth, land, soil'. Cognate with the ancient root γάνυμαι (to bring forth), and possibly related to Latin humus (soil), though this is debated. The root is Greek in origin and does not derive from Semitic languages.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In classical Greek, γῆ refers fundamentally to the tangible ground or earth, often in contrast to sea (θάλασσα) and sky (οὐρανός). It is frequently used for arable land or soil, as in agriculture, as well as for a specific territory or tract of land (e.g., a country or region, such as γῆ Αἰγύπτου, 'the land of Egypt'). In philosophical, cosmological, and poetic contexts, γῆ can mean 'the whole inhabited earth', but does not carry the modern scientific sense of 'planet Earth.' In the Septuagint, γῆ frequently translates Hebrew אֶרֶץ (ʾerets), encompassing meanings from ground, land, country, to the entire world, depending on context. In the New Testament, γῆ is similarly broad, referring contextually to rural land, a particular country (e.g., Judea), the surface of the earth, or the world inhabited by people. The common English translations ('earth', 'land', 'ground') are context-dependent and do not always distinguish between geographic, territorial, or wider cosmographic senses. Γῆ does not typically include the sea, which was often understood as a separate realm. English translations using 'world' may overlap with οἰκουμένη (the inhabited world), though γῆ is more geographically neutral. In Greco-Roman mythology, γῆ or Γαῖα is personified as the earth goddess Gaia, but this mythological sense is uninvolved in most biblical uses.

Translation Consistency

primary "land" 182 occurrences

'Land' best captures the typical senses of γῆ — ground/soil, cultivated field, territory/country, and the inhabited earth — while sounding natural in English. It is also the most frequent P2 rendering (163 of 249 occurrences) and fits common biblical idioms ('the land,' 'in the land of…'). Although 'earth' is sometimes used for broader cosmic sense, 'land' covers the ordinary and territorial uses that predominate.

Alternatives (67 occurrences):
"earth" (58x) "ground" (6x) "soil" (2x) "in" (1x)

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

contracted from a primary word; soil; by extension a region, or the solid part or the whole of the terrene globe (including the occupants in each application):--country, earth(-ly), ground, land, world.

Root Family

γῆ (gē) — earth, land, soil, ground

Root γῆ- earth, land, soil, ground
Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
G1065 γέ O land

Word Forms

3 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
G1093-03 γῆς ges N GEN F SG earth of the land of the land 134
G1093-02 γῆν gen N ACC F SG earth land land 78
G1093-01 γῆ ge N VOC F SG earth O land land 37

Occurrences in Scripture

249 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
G1093-01 Matthew 2:6 γῆ ge N VOC F SG land O land O land
G1093-02 Matthew 2:20 γῆν gen N ACC F SG land land land
G1093-02 Matthew 2:21 γῆν gen N ACC F SG land land land
G1093-01 Matthew 4:15 γῆ ge N NOM F SG land O land land
G1093-01 Matthew 4:15 γῆ ge-2 N NOM F SG land O land land
G1093-02 Matthew 5:5 γῆν gen N ACC F SG earth land land
G1093-03 Matthew 5:13 γῆς ges N GEN F SG earth of the land of the land
G1093-01 Matthew 5:18 γῆ ge N NOM F SG earth O land the land
G1093-01 Matthew 5:35 γῇ ge N DAT F SG earth O land land
G1093-03 Matthew 6:10 γῆς ges N GEN F SG earth of the land of the land
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