SPECIAL TOPIC: WORLD (several terms)

There are several words in Scripture that denote the planet.

1. Old Testament
   1. The Hebrew term erets (BDB 75, KB 90) - see full references at
      Special Topic: Land, Country, Earth
      1. whole planet (i.e., "heavens and earth"; see Special Topic: Heaven [OT] )
      2. inhabitants of this planet
      3. a specific country, territory, or nation (i.e., Genesis 10)
      4. soil (cf. Josh. 7:21)
      5. the underworld
      6. The new world
   2. The Hebrew term chedel (BDB 293) in Isa. 38:11, parallel to erets
   3. The Hebrew term cheled (BDB 317) only in Ps. 17:14; 49:1
   4. The term 'olam (see Special Topic: Forever ), used only in this sense in Ps. 73:12 and Eccl. 3:11
   5. The term tebel (BDB 385) used the sense of world (i.e., Ps. 50;12; 93:1), mostly in Psalms and Isaiah (used in parallel with erets in Ps. 19:4; 24:1; 33:8; 77:18; 89:11; 90:2; 97:4 or "peoples," Ps. 9:8; 96:10,13; 98:7; 98:9 (i.e., in the sense of the inhabited earth)
   
   
2. New Testament
   1. The Greek term aion (i.e., age; see Special Topic: This Age and the Age to Come)

      Some examples

      1. Gospels
         1. Matt. 12:32; 13:22,39,40,49; 24:3; 28:20
         2. Mark 4:19; 10:30
         3. Luke 16:8; 18:30; 20:34,35
      2. Paul
         1. Rom. 12:2
         2. 1 Cor. 1:20; 2:6,8; 3:18; (PLURAL in 2:17; 10:11); 2 Cor. 4:4
         3. Gal. 1:4
         4. Eph. 1:22; 6:12
         5. 1 Tim. 6:17; 2 Tim. 9:10; Titus 2:12
      3. Author of Hebrews - Heb. 1:2; 6:5; 11:3 (PLURAL in 9:26)
   2. The Greek term kosmos is very common; see Special Topic: Kosmos
      1. The Gospels
         1. Matthew
            (1)
            known world - Matt. 4:8; 5:14; 13:38; 18:7; 24:21; 26:13
            (2)
            whole world - Matt. 13:35; 16:26; 25:34
         2. Mark has only two usages and both refer to the known world.
         3. Luke's use is parallel to Mark's.
         4. John uses it 67 times, but in the same ways as Matthew.
      2. Paul
         1. all the created order (cf. Rom. 1:20; 5:12; Eph. 1:4; 1 Cor. 3:22; 8:4,5)
         2. this planet (cf. Rom. 4:12-13; 2 Cor. 1:12; Eph. 1:10; Col. 1:20; 1 Tim. 1:15; 3:16; 6:7)
         3. humans (cf. Rom. 3:6,19; 11:12,15; 1 Cor. 1:20,21,27-28; 4:9,13; 5:10; 6:2; 7:31; 2 Cor. 5:19; Col. 1:6)
         4. humans organized and functioning apart from God (cf. 1 Cor. 1:20-21; 2:12; 3:19; 11:32; Gal. 4:3; Eph. 2:2,12; Phil. 2:15; Col. 2:8,20-23). It is very similar to John's usage (i.e., 1 John 2:15-17)
         5. the current world structures (cf. 1 Cor. 7:29-31; Gal. 6:14; similar to the author of Hebrews' use of stoicheia in Heb. 5:12; 6:1)
         6. hyperbole (Rom. 1:8)
      3. Hebrews
         1. whole world (using phrase "before the foundation of the world," Heb. 4:3; 9:26)
         2. OT quote, 10:5
         3. inhabited world (i.e., using Noah and the Flood, Genesis 6-9) - Heb. 4:3; 9:26. I think the Flood was local, not universal. See Bernard Ramm, The Christian View of Science and Scripture.
      4. James
         1. inhabited world - James 1:27; 2:5
         2. imagery - James 3:6
         3. human society organized against God - James 4:4 (twice) very similar to 1 John's usage
      5. Peter
         1. 1 Peter
            (1)
            world - 1:20 (using phrase "from the foundation of the world")
            (2)
            inhabited world - 5-9
         2. 2 Peter
            (1)
            sinful world of fallen humans - 1:4 (similar to 1 John)
            (2)
            inhabited world - 2:5 (twice); 3:6
      6. 1 John - 21 times, usually humans who rebel against God
      7. Revelation - 11:15; 13:8; 17:8

         The reason I have spelled out the different uses/senses of kosmos is because as a Partial Preterist I think many of the texts in the Gospels refer to the known world of the Roman Empire. The Olivet Discourse of Matthew 23-25; Mark 13; Luke 17; 21 all refer to the temporal divine judgment on apostate Judaism. God used the Roman army to destroy those who pierced His Son (cf. Rev. 1:7). Therefore, what Futurists claim is in the future, I think is in the past (see
         Special Topic: Second Coming, IV and
         Special Topic: Coming On the Clouds)

   3. The Greek term oikoumenē always refers to the known world of the ANE or the Roman Empire of the first century.
      1. Matt. 24:14
      2. Luke 2:1; 4:5
      3. Acts 11:28; 17:6; 17:31; 19:27; 24:5
      4. Rom. 10:18
      5. Heb. 1:6; 2:5
      6. Rev. 3:10; 12:9; 16:14
   4. The Greek term gē is used in similar ways to erets (I. A.). It can refer to
      1. the whole planet translated
         1. "land"
         2. "earth"
      2. inhabitants of the planet (cf. Rev. 3:10)
      3. a specific region
         1. a nation
         2. territory
         3. province

      In several places, such as Rev. 1:7, which is an OT allusion, I think it refers to Palestine. This is not a lexical choice but a theological choice, since I am a Partial Preterist and think the Olivet Discourse and the book of Revelation refer to the temporal divine judgment on apostate Israel (cf. Rev. 1:7; and the parallelism of 3:10)

   5. The Greek term ktisis, which denotes creation, is used 23 times (esp. Rom. 8:19,20,21,39). In the sense of "all the created order" (cf. Mark 10:6; 13:19; Rom. 1:20; 8:22; 2 Pet. 3:4; Rev. 3:14).

      It is also used, particularly by Paul, for the gospel's spread throughout the known world, the Roman Empire (cf. Rom. 1:8; 10:18; Col. 1:5-6,23).

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