Bible Dictionaries
House

Vine's Expository Dictionary of NT Words

denotes (a) "a house, a dwelling," e.g., Matthew 9:6,7; 11:8; it is used of the Tabernacle, as the House of God, Matthew 12:4 , and the Temple similarly, e.g., Matthew 21:13; Luke 11:51 , AV, "temple," RV, "sanctuary;" John 2:16,17; called by the Lord "your house" in Matthew 23:38; Luke 13:35 (some take this as the city of Jerusalem); metaphorically of Israel as God's house, Hebrews 3:2,5 , where "his house" is not Moses', but God's; of believers, similarly, ver. 6, where Christ is spoken of as "over God's House" (the word "own" is rightly omitted in the RV); Hebrews 10:21; 1 Peter 2:5; 4:17; of the body, Matthew 12:44; Luke 11:24; (b) by metonymy, of the members of a household or family, e.g., Luke 10:5; Acts 7:10; 11:14; 1 Timothy 3:4,5,12; 2 Timothy 1:16; 4:19 , RV (AV, "household"); Titus 1:11 (plural); of a local church, 1 Timothy 3:15; of the descendants of Jacob (Israel) and David, e.g., Matthew 10:6; Luke 1:27,33; Acts 2:36; 7:42 . See HOME , A, No. 1. Note (1), HOUSEHOLD.

is akin to No. 1, and used much in the same way; in Attic law oikos denoted the whole estate, oikia stood for the dwelling only; this distinction was largely lost in later Greek. In the NT it denotes (a) "a house, a dwelling," e.g., Matthew 2:11; 5:15; 7:24-27; 2 Timothy 2:20; 2 John 1:10; it is not used of the Tabernacle or the Temple, as in the case of No. 1; (b) metaphorically, the heavenly abode, spoken of by the Lord as "My Father's house," John 14:2 , the eternal dwelling place of believers; the body as the dwelling place of the soul, 2 Corinthians 5:1; similarly the resurrection body of believers (id.); property, e.g., Mark 12:40; by metonymy, the inhabitants of a house, a household, e.g., Matthew 12:25; John 4:53; 1 Corinthians 16:15 . See HOUSEHOLD.

denotes "with all the house," Acts 16:34 , i.e., "the household."

Notes: (1) In 2 Corinthians 5:2 , oiketerion, "a habitation" (see RV) is translated "house" in the AV, of the resurrection body (cp. oikia in the preceding verse; see above). (2) In 1 Timothy 5:13 , "from house to house" is, lit., "the houses." (3) For "in every house," Acts 5:42 (cp. Acts 2:46 ), see HOME. (4) For "them which are of the house," 1 Corinthians 1:11 , AV, see HOUSEHOLD.