kosmos · world

What it means

kosmos (κόσμος) is a Greek word of the Bible that means “world”.

What God created; also humanity, and humanity living with its back turned to God.

How to say it

Approximate pronunciation. Vowels sound as in Spanish (a as in father, e as in bed, i as in machine, o as in note, u as in rule); the syllable in bold is stressed. The voice is your device's.

Its senses in the Bible

1. What one puts on to look beautiful, like jewels, hairstyles or fine clothes.
2. Everything God made.
3. People everywhere, whom God loves.
4. People who live with their backs to God.

From Abbott-Smith (1922) · Thayer (1889)

Word study

World. Abbott-Smith: orderly arrangement; decoration; the world. The basic idea is an ordered whole; hence what is created, humanity, and humanity that does not know God. Of the same family is the verb κοσμέω, “to adorn”.

• What is created: “since the foundation of the world” Luke 11:50John 1:10
• Humanity: “God loved the world” John 3:16
• The world that does not know God John 15:191 John 2:15
• “My kingdom is not of this world” John 18:36
• Adornment 1 Peter 3:3

How we translate it

“World” 184 times, “adornment” 1 (1 Peter 3:3, the original sense of the word). This edition's glossary sets “world” with no deviations; αἰών, a different word, is “age”.

How it is translated

The words this translation uses for it, most frequent first.

• world ×184
• adornment ×1

Related words

Words of the same family, by Strong’s numbering.

Where it appears

• Matthew×8
• Mark×3
• Luke×3
• John×78
• Acts×1
• Romans×9
• 1 Corinthians×21
• 2 Corinthians×3
• Galatians×3
• Ephesians×3
• Philippians×1
• Colossians×4
• 1 Timothy×3
• Hebrews×5
• James×5
• 1 Peter×3
• 2 Peter×5
• 1 John×23
• 2 John×1
• Revelation×3

• Matthew 4:8

  Again the devil takes him to a very high mountain and shows him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory,

• Matthew 5:14

  You are the light of the world. A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden.

• Matthew 13:38

  and the field is the world; and the good seed, these are the sons of the kingdom; and the darnel are the sons of the evil one;

• Matthew 16:26

  For what will it profit a person if he gains the whole world but forfeits his life? Or what will a person give in exchange for his life?

• Matthew 18:7

  Woe to the world because of stumbling blocks! For it is necessary that stumbling blocks come, but woe to the person through whom the stumbling block comes!

• Matthew 24:21

  For then there will be great affliction, such as has not happened from the beginning of the world until now, and never will.

• Matthew 25:34

  Then the King will say to those at his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.

• Matthew 26:13

  Truly I tell you, wherever this good news is proclaimed in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told in memory of her.”

• Mark 8:36

  For what does it profit a person to gain the whole world and forfeit his life?

• Mark 14:9

  And truly I tell you, wherever the good news is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her.”

• Mark 16:15

  And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the good news to the whole creation.

• Luke 9:25

  For what is a person benefited if he gains the whole world but loses or forfeits himself?

• Luke 11:50

  so that the blood of all the prophets, shed since the foundation of the world, may be required of this generation,

• Luke 12:30

  For all these things the nations of the world seek after; but your Father knows that you need them.

• John 1:9

  The true light, which gives light to every person, was coming into the world.

• John 1:10

  He was in the world, and the world came into being through him, and the world did not know him.

• John 1:29

  The next day he sees Jesus coming toward him and says, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!

• John 3:16

  For God loved the world in this way: that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but have eternal life.

• John 3:17

  For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but so that the world might be saved through him.

• John 3:19

  And this is the judgment: that the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light, for their works were evil.

• John 4:42

  And they were saying to the woman, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is truly the Savior of the world.”

• John 6:14

  So when the people saw the sign that he had done, they were saying, “This is truly the Prophet who is coming into the world!”

• John 6:33

  For the bread of God is the one who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”

• John 6:51

  I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh, for the life of the world.”

• John 7:4

  For no one does anything in secret and himself seeks to be in public. If you do these things, show yourself to the world.”

• John 7:7

  The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify about it that its works are evil.

• John 8:12

  So Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in the darkness, but will have the light of life.”

• John 8:23

  And he was saying to them, “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world.

• John 8:26

  I have many things to say about you and to judge; but the one who sent me is true, and I speak to the world what I have heard from him.”

• John 9:5

  While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”

• John 9:39

  And Jesus said, “For judgment I came into this world, so that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind.”

• John 10:36

  do you say of the one whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’?

• John 11:9

  Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world.

• John 11:27

  She says to him, “Yes, Lord; I have believed that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one who comes into the world.”

• John 12:19

  So the Pharisees said to one another, “You see that you are accomplishing nothing. Look, the world has gone after him!”

• John 12:25

  Whoever holds his life dear loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.

• John 12:31

  Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out.

• John 12:46

  I have come as light into the world, so that everyone who believes in me may not remain in the darkness.

• John 12:47

  And if anyone hears my words and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world.

• John 13:1

  Now before the feast of the Passover, Jesus, knowing that his hour had come to pass out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, loved them to the end.

And 145 more times.