Meaning:
Soil or ground (e.g.
Matthew 13:5plugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigMatthew 13:5
Greek ἄλλα δὲ ἔπεσεν ἐπὶ τὰ πετρώδη ὅπου οὐκ εἶχεν γῆν πολλήν, καὶ εὐθέως ἐξανέτειλεν διὰ τὸ μὴ ἔχειν βάθος γῆς· ESV Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, NIV Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow.)
Land (e.g.
Luke 4:5plugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigLuke 4:25
Greek ἐπ’ ἀληθείας δὲ λέγω ὑμῖν ὅτι πολλαὶ χῆραι ἦσαν ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις Ἡλείου ἐν τῷ Ἰσραήλ, ὅτε ἐκλείσθη ὁ οὐρανὸς ἐπὶ ἔτη τρία καὶ μῆνας ἕξ, ὡς ἐγένετο λιμὸς μέγας ἐπὶ πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν, ESV But in truth, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heavens were shut up three years and six months, and a great famine came over all the land, NIV…)
Country
Earth (e.g.
Matthew 5:5plugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigMatthew 5:5
Greek μακάριοι οἱ πενθοῦντες, ὅτι αὐτοὶ παρακληθήσονται. ESV “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. NIV Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. NLT God blesses those who are humble, for they will inherit the whole earth. KJV Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.)
Feminine noun. Connected to the English words “ground”, “geometry” and “geology”.
It occurs throughout the LXX and the New Testament (approximately 250 times in the New Testament) and its meaning varies subtly on context, for example, in the LXX:
In
Genesis 1:1plugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigGenesis 1:1
Hebrew בְּרֵאשִׁ֖ית בָּרָ֣א אֱלֹהִ֑ים אֵ֥ת הַשָּׁמַ֖יִם וְאֵ֥ת הָאָֽרֶץ ESV In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. NIV In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. NLT In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. LXX ἐν ἀρχῇ ἐποίησεν ὁ θεὸς τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ τὴνγῆν, God made the heaven and the earth (γῆν). Here the word refers to the whole of the world, all land. γῆν is translated from the Hebrew אָ֫רֶץ
In
Genesis 2:7plugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigGenesis 2:7
Hebrew וַיִּיצֶר֩ יְהוָ֨ה אֱלֹהִ֜ים אֶת הָֽאָדָ֗ם עָפָר֙ מִן הָ֣אֲדָמָ֔ה וַיִּפַּ֥ח בְּאַפָּ֖יו נִשְׁמַ֣ת חַיִּ֑ים וַֽיְהִ֥י הָֽאָדָ֖ם לְנֶ֥פֶשׁ חַיָּֽה ESV then the LORD God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature. NIV the LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being. καὶἔπλασενὁθεὸςτὸνἄνθρωπονἀπὸτῆςγῆςκ…, God formed the man from the dust (γῆς) of the ground. Here the word refers to the soil and is translated from the Hebrew אֲדָמָה
And in
Genesis 12:1plugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigGenesis 12:1
Hebrew וַיֹּ֤אמֶר יְהוָה֙ אֶל אַבְרָ֔ם לֶךְ לְךָ֛ מֵאַרְצְךָ֥ וּמִמּֽוֹלַדְתְּךָ֖ וּמִבֵּ֣ית אָבִ֑יךָ אֶל הָאָ֖רֶץ אֲשֶׁ֥ר אַרְאֶֽךָּ ESV Now the LORD said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. NIV The LORD had said to Abram, “Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you. καὶκύριοςτῷἔξελθεἐκτῆςγῆςσουκαὶἐκτῆςσυγγενείαςσουκαὶἐκτοῦοἴκουτοῦπατρόςσουεἰςτὴνγῆνἣνἄνσοιδε…, God calls Abram to leave his land (γῆς). Here the word refers to his country or territory and is translated from the Hebrew אֶרֶץ
The word γῆ (like אֶרֶץ) is intimately related to οὐρανὸς (שָׁמַיִם) and when these two words are brought together they indicate “everything”.