διασπορά
diasporá
G1290 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
Dispersion; the condition or process of being scattered or spread abroad from an original homeland, especially applied to groups living in foreign territories away from their ancestral or geographic center. Most often refers to the collective dispersion of Israelites beyond their traditional territory, but in Hellenistic contexts may generically describe any people living outside their native land. In Jewish and later Judean contexts, refers specifically to communities living outside the land of Judea, particularly in the Hellenistic and Roman periods. Also occasionally applied to the lands or locales themselves where dispersed populations dwell.
Semantic Range
dispersion of a people, state or condition of being scattered abroad, the collective of those dispersed, specific reference to Israelites or Judeans outside their homeland, diaspora communities, sowing or scattering in a general sense
Root / Etymology
From the verb διασπείρω (diaspeirō, 'to scatter, to disperse'), itself from δια- ('across, through') + σπείρω ('to sow, to scatter'). Cognate with similar dispersion terminology in Jewish, Hellenistic, and biblical literature. No indication of borrowing from non-Greek sources.
Historical & Contextual Notes
In classical Greek, διασπορά can denote any kind of scattering, whether of seeds, individuals, or groups. In the Hellenistic and Roman periods, especially in the Septuagint and related Jewish literature, it develops a technical meaning: the communities or population of Israelites (later Judeans) living outside the land historically associated with their ancestry. This meaning arises in response to forced deportations (Assyrian, Babylonian exiles) and voluntary migrations. In the New Testament, διασπορά typically refers to the wider Israelite or Judean population living throughout the Eastern Mediterranean and other regions, not merely 'converts' or particular subgroups. Standard English renderings such as 'Diaspora' or 'dispersion' capture some of the semantic range, but often miss nuances about identity (ancestral, geographic, social). The term can refer both to the state of being exiled or scattered, and the scattered populations themselves. In Hellenistic Greek, diasporá might also be applied more broadly to other dispersed ethnic or cultural groups but is strongly associated with Judean (Jewish) populations in biblical and related texts. See also the related term παροικία (paroikia, 'sojourning'), which may overlap in some usage but is distinct from the notion of collective, dispersed identity implied by διασπορά.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from διασπείρω; dispersion, i.e. (specially and concretely) the (converted) Israelite resident in Gentile countries:--(which are) scattered (abroad).
Root Family
διασπορά (diaspora) — dispersion, scattering abroad, condition of being spread out from a homeland
Word Forms
3 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G1290-01 |
διασπορᾷ | diaspora | N DAT F SG |
dispersion | to the dispersion | 1 |
G1290-03 |
διασπορᾶς | diasporas | N GEN F SG |
of the Dispersion | of the dispersion | 1 |
G1290-02 |
διασπορὰν | diasporan | N ACC F SG |
Dispersion | dispersion | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
3 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G1290-02 |
John 7:35 | διασπορὰν | diasporan | N ACC F SG |
Dispersion | dispersion |
G1290-01 |
James 1:1 | διασπορᾷ | diaspora | N DAT F SG |
dispersion | to the dispersion |
G1290-03 |
1 Peter 1:1 | διασπορᾶς | diasporas | N GEN F SG |
of the Dispersion | of the dispersion |