"pr. an inmate of a house; a domestic servant, household slave, Lk. 16:13; Acts 10:7; Rom. 14:4; 1 Pet. 2:18*"
Definition and meaning
pr. an inmate of a house; a domestic servant, household slave, Lk. 16:13; Acts 10:7; Rom. 14:4; 1 Pet. 2:18*
In the original Greek the word is written: οἰκέτης
Historical context
Luke wrote as a historian addressing a Greek audience. He carefully interviewed eyewitnesses and arranged events in order. The social and economic realities he describes — Roman taxation, Jewish religious hierarchy, the marginalization of women and the poor — are consistent with first-century Judea under Roman administration.
The people who first heard this word were not reading a book — they were living through empires, oppression, exile, and covenant. Every word carried the weight of that reality. Understanding it changes how you read Scripture.
Scripture references
These are the most notable occurrences of oiketes (G3610) across the King James Bible.
No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
And when the angel which spake unto Cornelius was departed, he called two of his household servants, and a devout soldier of them that waited on him continually;
Who art thou that judgest another man's servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen. Written from Rome to Philemon, by Onesimus a servant.
Servants, be subject to your masters with all fear; not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward.
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Common questions
Strong's G3610 (oiketes) is a Greek word that means: pr. an inmate of a house; a domestic servant, household slave, Lk. 16:13; Acts 10:7; Rom. 14:4; 1 Pet. 2:18* It appears 5 times in the King James Bible.
The word oiketes (G3610) appears 5 times in the original Greek text.
Strong's G3610 is oiketes, a Greek word defined as: pr. an inmate of a house; a domestic servant, household slave, Lk. 16:13; Acts 10:7; Rom. 14:4; 1 Pet. 2:18*. James Strong catalogued this in his 1890 concordance to help English readers study the original languages of the Bible.
oiketes is a Greek word found in the New Testament.