Greek word · G2968

κώμη

kōmē

village

A village or small country settlement, usually unwalled and without the institutions of a polis (city). It can also mean the people of a village.

Appears 27 times in 27 verses of the Greek New Testament. ·

What it means

κώμη, -ης, ἡ

[in LXX for בַּת, חָצֵר, עִיר, etc. ;]

a village or country town, prop, as opposite to a walled city: Matthew 14:15, Mark 6:6, al.; πόλεις καὶ κ., Matthew 9:35, al.; with the name added, Βηθλεέμ, John 7:42; Βηθανΐα, John 11:1; with the name of the district, τὰς κ. Καισαρίας, Mark 8:27; Σαμαρειτῶν, Luke 9:52, Acts 8:25

(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 John 11:1

Range of meaning

A village or small country settlement, usually unwalled and without the institutions of a polis (city). It can also mean the people of a village.

Against the English

'Village' (most modern versions) is exact. KJV's 'town' was a broad word in 1611 that could mean any small settlement. Today 'town' suggests something larger.

How it drifted

The Latin Vulgate translated kōmē here as castellum, which in Latin meant a fortified hamlet. Wycliffe's Middle English Bible rendered it 'castel'. Medieval legend went on to make the Bethany family owners of castles and estates (e.g. the Golden Legend). None of this comes from the Greek.

Used elsewhere in the period

Common in the Greek papyri of Egypt for named villages, and in Josephus for Galilean and Judean villages. The Gospels regularly contrast kōmē with polis (e.g. Mark 6:56; Luke 8:1).

From the study of John 11:30

Range of meaning

A village or small rural settlement, usually without walls. It is distinct from a polis (a city with walls and civic institutions).

Against the English

The KJV's "town" meant any inhabited settlement in 1611, but today readers picture something larger than a village. Modern versions say "village."

How it drifted

In older English, "town" (from Old English tūn, an enclosure or homestead) could mean a very small settlement. Its modern sense of a sizeable municipality developed later.

Used elsewhere in the period

John calls Bethany a kōmē in 11:1. Luke 10:38 calls Martha's home 'a certain village.' The Gospels regularly pair 'cities and villages' (e.g. Mark 6:56).

From the study of Luke 10:38

Range of meaning

A village or unwalled country settlement, contrasted with a polis ('city, town'), which had walls and some form of civic organisation.

Against the English

'Village' is accurate in every major version.

Used elsewhere in the period

The Septuagint uses it for 'daughter-villages' around a city (e.g. Joshua 15). Josephus counts the many kōmai of Galilee (Life 235). John 11:1 uses it of Bethany, 'the village (kōmē) of Mary and Martha her sister'.

Where it appears

Matthew · 4

  1. Matthew 9:35 κώμας villages

    Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness.

    Here: Unwalled farming hamlets. Paired with 'towns,' it means that every kind of settlement was reached, large and small.

  2. Matthew 10:11 κώμην village

    Whatever town or village you enter, find out who is worthy there and stay at his house until you move on.

    Here: An unwalled farming village, which was the most common kind of settlement in Galilee. Together with 'town' it means 'any inhabited place at all'.

  3. Matthew 14:15 κώμας villages

    When evening came, the disciples came to Him and said, “This is a desolate place, and the hour is already late. Dismiss the crowds so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food.”

    Here: Small farming villages, not cities. Each would have limited food to sell to a sudden crowd of thousands.

  4. Matthew 21:2 κώμην village

    saying to them, “Go into the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt beside her. Untie them and bring them to Me.

    Here: A small unwalled settlement, as opposed to a city (polis). Here it is a hamlet on the slopes of the Mount of Olives, most likely Bethphage, which verse 1 names.

Mark · 7

  1. Mark 6:6 κώμας villages

    And He was amazed at their unbelief. And He went around from village to village, teaching the people.

    Here: Small rural settlements, as opposed to a polis (a city). Nazareth was one of these villages. Jesus keeps working at the same small scale, among farming and craft households.

  2. Mark 6:36 κώμας villages

    Dismiss the crowd so they can go to the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.”

  3. Mark 6:56 κώμας villages

    And wherever He went—villages and towns and countrysides—they laid the sick in the marketplaces and begged Him just to let them touch the fringe of His cloak. And all who touched Him were healed.

    Here: Villages: small farming settlements without walls or civic institutions. Most Galileans lived in places like these.

  4. Mark 8:23 κώμης, village,

    So He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village. Then He spit on the man’s eyes and placed His hands on him. “Can you see anything?” He asked.

    Here: A village or rural settlement, as opposed to a polis, a city. Mark calls Bethsaida a village here and again in 8:26.

  5. Mark 8:26 κώμην village

    Jesus sent him home and said, “Do not go back into the village.”

  6. Mark 8:27 κώμας villages

    Then Jesus and His disciples went on to the villages around Caesarea Philippi. On the way, He questioned His disciples: “Who do people say I am?”

  7. Mark 11:2 κώμην village

    and said to them, “Go into the village ahead of you, and as soon as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, on which no one has ever sat. Untie it and bring it here.

    Here: A small rural settlement without walls, as opposed to a city (polis). Verse 1 names Bethphage and Bethany; Mark does not say which one is meant.

Luke · 12

  1. Luke 5:17 κώμης village

    One day Jesus was teaching, and the Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there. People had come from Jerusalem and from every village of Galilee and Judea, and the power of the Lord was present for Him to heal the sick.

    Here: 'Village': a small rural settlement, as opposed to a walled city (polis). Most of Galilee lived in villages like these.

  2. Luke 8:1 κώμην village

    Soon afterward, Jesus traveled from one town and village to another, preaching and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. The Twelve were with Him,

    Here: An unwalled farming village, the basic settlement of rural Galilee. Together the pair means "everywhere people lived."

  3. Luke 9:6 κώμας villages

    So they set out and went from village to village, preaching the gospel and healing people everywhere.

  4. Luke 9:12 κώμας villages

    As the day neared its end, the Twelve came to Jesus and said, “Dismiss the crowd so they can go to the surrounding villages and countryside for lodging and provisions. For we are in a desolate place here.”

  5. Luke 9:52 κώμην a village

    He sent messengers on ahead, who went into a village of the Samaritans to make arrangements for Him.

  6. Luke 9:56 κώμην.¶ village.

    And He and His disciples went on to another village.

    Here: A village: a small settlement without walls, smaller than a city (polis). It is the same word used in 9:52 for the Samaritan village that refused him.

  7. Luke 10:38 κώμην a village

    As they traveled along, Jesus entered a village where a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her home.

    Here: An unwalled rural settlement, smaller than a 'city' (polis). Luke does not name it. John 11:1 calls Bethany 'the village of Mary and her sister Martha', using the same word.

  8. Luke 13:22 κώμας villages

    Then Jesus traveled throughout the towns and villages, teaching as He made His way toward Jerusalem.

  9. Luke 17:12 κώμην village

    As He entered one of the villages, He was met by ten lepers. They stood at a distance

  10. Luke 19:30 κώμην, village,

    saying, “Go into the village ahead of you, and as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, on which no one has ever sat. Untie it and bring it here.

  11. Luke 24:13 κώμην a village

    That same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem.

  12. Luke 24:28 κώμην village

    As they approached the village where they were headed, He seemed to be going farther.

John · 3

  1. John 7:42 κώμης village

    Doesn’t the Scripture say that the Christ will come from the line of David and from Bethlehem, the village where David lived?”

    Here: A 'village', not a city. Bethlehem was small, which fits Micah's 'little among the clans of Judah'. The irony is that the small place produces the great king.

  2. John 11:1 κώμης village

    At this time a man named Lazarus was sick. He lived in Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha.

    Here: A small country settlement without walls, as opposed to a polis (city). Bethany was a hamlet in Jerusalem's farming hinterland.

  3. John 11:30 κώμην, village,

    Now Jesus had not yet entered the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met Him.

    Here: A small settlement without walls, as opposed to a city (polis). This is Bethany, about fifteen stadia (under 3 km) from Jerusalem (v. 18).

Acts · 1

  1. Acts 8:25 κώμας villages

    And after Peter and John had testified and spoken the word of the Lord, they returned to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel in many of the Samaritan villages.

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