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κώμη

kṓmē

G2968 noun

SILEX Entry

Root κωμ- village, rural settlement, hamlet

Definition

A rural settlement, typically smaller than a πόλις (city), usually referring to a village or hamlet. The term centers on a community or cluster of dwellings outside larger urban areas, often in agricultural regions. Depending on context, may refer to a small population center or an administrative district within the countryside. In Koine usage, primarily denotes a rural village as distinct from a fortified city or urban center, and sometimes serves to contrast local rural society with city life.

Semantic Range

village, hamlet, rural community, rural district, administrative rural settlement

Root / Etymology

From the root κεῖμαι ('to lie, to be set'), with the sense of 'that which is set or laid down' (i.e., a settlement which has been established or placed). The term is native Greek with a clear connection to settled habitation; not a loanword or derived from Semitic sources.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In classical Greek, κώμη referred generally to a country dwellings or settlements, the non-urban habitations surrounding a πόλις. In the Hellenistic and Roman periods, including in the Septuagint and the New Testament, κώμη primarily designated villages or small rural communities within Judea, Galilee, and the broader eastern Mediterranean. In administrative documents and papyri, κώμη often denoted fiscal districts or population centers recognized for taxation or legal matters. Contrast with πόλις ('city'), which included autonomous governance and urban infrastructure, and with πολίχνη ('small city' or 'town'), which overlapped but carried different civic implications. Standard English translation as 'village' generally fits the New Testament and LXX usage, but may obscure distinctions implied by administrative or social context. There is no explicit ethnic or religious implication in the term itself. The word does not convey notions of modern 'town' with urban features, but rather rural, sometimes pastoral settlements. The earliest attestations date back to Homeric Greek, where it also designates simple country habitations. In LXX and NT, κώμη is used for non-metropolitan settlements in Galilee and Judea, including Bethlehem and Emmaus, marking social and geographic boundaries between rural and urban life.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from κεῖμαι; a hamlet (as if laid down):--town, village.

Root Family

κώμη (kṓmē) — village, rural settlement, hamlet

Word Forms

3 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
G2968-02 κώμην komen N ACC F SG village rural village 13
G2968-01 κώμας komas N ACC F PL villages rural villages 10
G2968-03 κώμης komes N GEN F SG village of a village 4

Occurrences in Scripture

27 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
G2968-01 Matthew 9:35 κώμας komas N ACC F PL rural villages
G2968-02 Matthew 10:11 κώμην komen N ACC F SG rural village
G2968-01 Matthew 14:15 κώμας komas N ACC F PL rural villages
G2968-02 Matthew 21:2 κώμην komen N ACC F SG rural village
G2968-01 Mark 6:6 κώμας komas N ACC F PL villages rural villages
G2968-01 Mark 6:36 κώμας komas N ACC F PL villages rural villages
G2968-01 Mark 6:56 κώμας komas N ACC F PL villages rural villages
G2968-03 Mark 8:23 κώμης komes N GEN F SG village of a village
G2968-02 Mark 8:26 κώμην komen N ACC F SG village rural village
G2968-01 Mark 8:27 κώμας komas N ACC F PL villages rural villages
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