οἰκουρός
oikourós
G3626 substantive adjective
SILEX Entry
Definition
Primarily, one who is occupied with the management or care of a household; specifically, a person (typically applied to women in Hellenistic texts) whose activities are centered on domestic responsibilities. The term denotes someone who stays at home and attends to domestic affairs, such as household management, care of children, and maintenance of daily familial routines. In extended or metaphorical usage, it can refer more generally to someone devoted to home life or private, as opposed to public, affairs.
Semantic Range
housekeeper, one who stays at home, manager of household affairs, domestically inclined person, devoted to home life
Root / Etymology
From οἶκος ('house, household') and the verbal root ἐρέω (to guard, watch, keep), thus literally implying 'house-watcher' or 'housekeeper.'
Historical & Contextual Notes
In classical and Hellenistic Greek, οἰκουρός is chiefly used to describe women who managed the household or were expected to remain within the domestic sphere. In non-biblical sources, the term appears mainly in discussions of gender roles, household economy, or moral instruction for women. In the New Testament (present only in Titus 2:5), it is used as part of a list of virtues for women, advising them to be 'workers at home' or 'keepers at home.' English translations often render this as 'homemakers,' 'keepers at home,' or 'domestic.' This translation tradition may obscure the social context in which the virtue of household management was opposed to more public or social activities. The term is not inherently pejorative or positive but reflects prevailing Greco-Roman assumptions about gender and domesticity. The LXX does not appear to use the term, and in classical literature (e.g. Xenophon, Aristotle), it can explicitly refer to women as contrasted with men engaged in public life. No clear equivalent exists in modern terminology without contextualizing ancient ideas of gender and household roles.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from οἶκος and (a guard; be "ware"); a stayer at home, i.e. domestically inclined (a "good housekeeper"):--keeper at home.
Root Family
οἰκουρός (oikouros) — house, to guard, to attend to
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G3626-01 |
οἰκουργούς | oikourgous | ADJ.S ACC F PL |
workers at home | household keepers | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
1 total occurrence
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G3626-01 |
Titus 2:5 | οἰκουργούς | oikourgous | ADJ.S ACC F PL |
workers at home | household keepers |