Greek word · G1774

ἐνοικέω

enoikeō

to dwell in/with

To live in, inhabit, take up residence in. It is used of people in houses and, in religious writing, of God or a divine presence dwelling in a place or person.

Appears 5 times in 5 verses of the Greek New Testament. ·

What it means

ἐν-οικέω, -ῶ

[in LXX chiefly (29/36) for יָשַׁב ;]

to dwell in; metaphorically, before ἐν, with dative of person(s): ὁ θεός, 2 Corinthians 6:16; τ. πνεῦμα, Romans 8:11, 2 Timothy 1:14; ὁ λόγος, Colossians 3:16; πίστις, 2 Timothy 1:5; ἁμαρτία, Romans 7:17.†

(AS)

From G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament (1922), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of 2 Timothy 1:14

Range of meaning

To live in, inhabit, take up residence in. It is used of people in houses and, in religious writing, of God or a divine presence dwelling in a place or person.

Against the English

'Dwells' (BSB, KJV, WEB, ESV) keeps the sense of residence. 'Lives in us' (NIV, NLT) is plain and accurate.

Used elsewhere in the period

Paul uses it in Rom 8:11 ('his Spirit who dwells in you', with the same participle form), in 2 Cor 6:16 (quoting Lev 26:11–12: 'I will dwell in them and walk among them'), and in Col 3:16 and 2 Tim 1:5 (the faith that 'dwelt' in Lois and Eunice). The LXX of Lev 26 and the wider Jewish hope of God dwelling with his people lie behind the image.

From the study of 2 Timothy 1:5

Range of meaning

To live in, inhabit, take up residence in (oikos = house). In ordinary Greek it is used of people living in a house or city. Paul uses it for things that come to live inside persons or a community.

Against the English

KJV/ESV/NASB 'dwelt' and NIV/WEB 'lived' both work. NLT's 'first filled' changes the picture from a resident living in a house to a container being filled.

Used elsewhere in the period

In Paul: the Spirit 'dwells in you' (Rom 8:11), God 'will dwell in them' (2 Cor 6:16, adapting Lev 26:12), 'let the word of Christ dwell in you' (Col 3:16), and in this same chapter 'the Holy Spirit who dwells in us' (2 Tim 1:14).

From the study of Colossians 3:16

Range of meaning

To live in, inhabit, take up residence. It is used of people living in houses or lands, and in Jewish and Christian Greek of God, the Spirit, or even sin making its home in a people or person.

Against the English

'Dwell' is accurate but old-fashioned. 'Live in' or 'be at home among' is closer to everyday speech. The present imperative ('let it keep dwelling') gets lost in English, which sounds like a single decision.

Used elsewhere in the period

2 Cor 6:16 uses it to render Lev 26:12, 'I will dwell among them', which is God's presence living among his people. Rom 8:11 and 2 Tim 1:14 use it of the indwelling Spirit, Rom 7:17 of indwelling sin, and 2 Tim 1:5 of faith 'that lived first in your grandmother Lois'. The related verb κατοικέω is used in Col 1:19 and 2:9 of the fullness of God living in Christ.

Where it appears

Romans · 1

  1. Romans 8:11 ἐνοικοῦντος dwelling

    And if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit, who lives in you.

    Here: 'Indwelling', present tense: a stronger, compound form of the earlier 'dwells', underlining that the Spirit already lives within them.

2 Corinthians · 1

  1. 2 Corinthians 6:16 ἐνοικήσω I will dwell

    What agreement can exist between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will dwell with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be My people.”

    Here: Future: "I will take up residence in/among". Paul's wording for Leviticus' "I will set my tabernacle among you": God living in his house.

Colossians · 1

  1. Colossians 3:16 ἐνοικείτω should dwell

    Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.

    Here: A command in the third person ('let it…'), in the present tense, so it means 'keep letting it live in you'. The picture is a resident at home in a house, not a visitor.

2 Timothy · 2

  1. 2 Timothy 1:5 ἐνῴκησεν dwelt

    I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first dwelt in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am convinced is in you as well.

    Here: 'Took up residence in, made its home in.' Faith is pictured as a resident living in a house. The same verb is used in v.14 for the Holy Spirit 'who dwells in us'.

  2. 2 Timothy 1:14 ἐνοικοῦντος is dwelling

    Guard the treasure entrusted to you, with the help of the Holy Spirit who dwells in us.

    Here: A present-tense participle: the Spirit is living in them now, as a settled resident. It recalls God dwelling in his house, the temple.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.