οἰκουμένη, 
οἰκουμένης, 
ἡ (feminine of the present passive participle from 
οἰκέω (namely, 
γῆ; cf. 
Winers Grammar, § 64, 5; 
Buttmann, § 123, 8)); 
1. the inhabited earth; 
a. in Greek writings often 
the portion of the earth inhabited by the Greeks, in distinction from the lands of the barbarians, cf. 
Passow, ii., p. 415a; (Liddell and Scott, under the word, I.). 
b. in the Greek authors who wrote about Roman affairs (like the Latin
orbis terrarum) equivalent to 
the Roman empire: so 
πᾶσα ἡ οἰκουμένη contextually equivalent to all the subjects of this empire, 
Luke 2:1. 
c. the whole inhabited earth, the world (so in (
Hyperides, Eux. 42 (
probably Liddell and Scott)) the 
Sept. for 
תֵּבֵל and 
אֶרֶץ): 
Luke 4:5; 
Luke 21:26; 
Acts 24:5; 
Romans 10:18; 
Revelation 16:14; 
Hebrews 1:6 (
πᾶσα ἡ οἰκουμένη, 
Josephus, 
b. j. 7, 3, 3); 
ὅλῃ ἡ οἰκουμένη, 
Matthew 24:14; 
Acts 11:28 (in the same sense 
Josephus, Antiquities 8, 13, 4 
πᾶσα ἡ οἰκουμένη; cf. Bleek, Erklär. d. drei ersten Evv. i., p. 68); by metonymy, 
the inhabitants of the earth, men: 
Acts 17:6, 
31 (
Psalm 9:9); 
Acts 19:27; 
ἡ οἰκουμένη ὅλῃ, all mankind, 
Revelation 3:10; 
Revelation 12:9. 
2. the universe, the world: Wis. 1:7 (alternating there with 
τά πάντα); 
ἡ οἰκουμένη μελλουσα, that consummate state of all things which will exist after Christ's return from heaven, 
Hebrews 2:5 (where the word alternates with 
πάντα and 
τά πάντα, 
Hebrews 2:8, which there is taken in an absolute sense). 
    THAYER’S GREEK LEXICON, Electronic Database.
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