Lexical Summary koilia: Belly, stomach, womb Original Word: κοιλία Strong's Exhaustive Concordance belly, womb. From koilos ("hollow"); a cavity, i.e. (especially) the abdomen; by implication, the matrix; figuratively, the heart -- belly, womb. NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom koilos (hollow) Definition belly NASB Translation appetite (1), appetites (1), belly (1), innermost being (1), stomach (7), womb (11), wombs (1). Thayer's Greek Lexicon STRONGS NT 2836: κοιλίακοιλία, κοιλίας, ἡ (κοῖλος hollow); the Sept. for בֶּטֶן, the belly; מֵעִים` the bowels; קֶרֶן, the interior, the midst of a thing; רֶחֶם, the womb; the belly: and 1. the whole belly, the entire cavity; hence ἡ ἄνω and ἡ κάτω κοιλία, the upper (i. e. the stomach) and the lower belly are distinguished; very often so in Greek writings from Herodotus down. 2. the lower belly, the alvine region, the receptacle of the excrement (Plutarch, symp. 7, 1, 3 under the end εἴπερ εἰς κοιλίαν ἐχώρει διά στομαχου πᾶν τό πινόμενον): Matthew 15:17; Mark 7:19. 3. the gullet (Latinstomachus): Matthew 12:40; Luke 15:16 (WH Tr marginal reading χορτασθῆναι ἐκ etc.); 1 Corinthians 6:13; Revelation 10:9f; δουλεύειν τῇ κοιλία, to be given up to the pleasures of the palate, to gluttony (see δουλεύω, 2 b.), Romans 16:18; also for ὧν ὁ Θεός ἡ κοιλία, Philippians 3:19; κοιλίας ὄρεξις, Sir. 23:6. 4. the womb, the place where the foetus is conceived and nourished till birth: Luke 1:41f, 44; Luke 2:21; Luke 11:27; Luke 23:29; John 3:4 (very often so in the Sept.; very rarely in secular authors; Epictetus diss. 3, 22, 74; of the uterus of animals, ibid. 2, 16, 43); ἐκ (beginning from (see ἐκ, IV. 1)) κοιλίας μητρός, Matthew 19:12; Luke 1:15; Acts 3:2; Acts 14:8; Galatians 1:15, (for אֵם מִבֶּטֶן, Psalm 21:11 5. in imitation of the Hebrew בֶּטֶן, tropically, the innermost part of a man, the soul, heart, as the seat of thought, feeling, choice (Job 15:35; Job 32:18 (the Sept. γαστήρ); Proverbs 18:8 (the Sept. ψυχή); The word embraces the physical cavity of the torso, especially the womb, and figuratively the innermost self—the hidden seat of desire, emotion, and spiritual life. Scripture uses it in four primary ways: (1) the literal womb, (2) the digestive cavity, (3) the metaphorical center of appetites, and (4) the fountain of spiritual life. 1. Literal Womb: God’s Work in Unborn Life Luke’s infancy narrative employs the term six times (Luke 1:15, 1:41, 1:42, 1:44; 2:21; 11:27). John the Baptist is “filled with the Holy Spirit even from his mother’s womb” (Luke 1:15), while the unborn John leaps in Elizabeth’s womb when Mary arrives (Luke 1:41, 44). These texts affirm both personhood and spiritual responsiveness before birth, grounding Christian convictions regarding the sanctity of life. Galatians 1:15 echoes the prophetic precedent: “But when God, who set me apart from my mother’s womb and called me by His grace, was pleased….” Paul’s statement shows divine vocation beginning in utero, reinforcing the continuity of God’s covenant purposes from conception onward. Acts 3:2 and 14:8 describe congenital disabilities: “a man who had been lame from birth.” The healing of such lifelong conditions underscores Christ’s compassionate authority exercised through His apostles. 2. The Belly of the Great Fish: Sign of Jonah Matthew 12:40 records Jesus: “For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” The belly symbolizes confinement unto death yet points to deliverance. The historicity of Jonah becomes the typological foundation for the Resurrection itself. 3. Digestive Function and Moral Instruction Matthew 15:17 and Mark 7:19 use the term for the stomach that receives food and expels waste. Jesus teaches that ceremonial defilement is not about what enters the “belly” but what proceeds from the heart. This distinction clarifies moral purity as an inward reality rather than ritual observance. 4. The Seat of Carnal Appetites 1 Corinthians 6:13 juxtaposes food and sexual immorality: “Food is for the stomach and the stomach for food, but God will destroy them both.” Bodily appetites are temporary; the body’s enduring purpose is “for the Lord.” Romans 16:18 warns of teachers “who do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites,” revealing the belly as emblematic of self-indulgence. Philippians 3:19 intensifies the indictment: “Their god is their belly.” To deify appetite is to embrace perdition. 5. The Inner Man and Living Water John 7:38 offers the richest figurative use: “Whoever believes in Me, as the Scripture has said: ‘Streams of living water will flow from within him.’” Here the belly is the womb of spiritual vitality—the place where the Holy Spirit generates life that overflows to others. Revelation 10:9-10 blends literal and figurative: the prophet eats the little scroll; it is sweet in his mouth yet bitter in his belly, portraying the mixed experience of receiving and declaring divine judgment. 6. Maternal Blessing and Eschatological Reversal While a woman in Luke 11:27 exclaims, “Blessed is the womb that bore You,” Jesus redirects blessing to obedience: “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.” Conversely, in Luke 23:29 He warns the daughters of Jerusalem, “Blessed are the barren, the wombs that never bore,” forecasting the siege of Jerusalem when childbearing, ordinarily blessed, becomes anguish. Thus the womb can represent both covenant blessing and covenant curse, depending on response to Christ. Doctrinal Reflections 1. Providence and Personhood: From conception, life is God’s arena of action (Luke 1; Galatians 1). Ministry Applications • Sanctity of life ministries draw on Luke 1 and Galatians 1 to defend unborn children. Conclusion Whether referencing the literal womb, the stomach that digests food, or the innermost core of a person, the term illuminates critical themes: God’s sovereign creation of life, the Resurrection of Christ, the call to holiness in bodily conduct, and the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. Englishman's Concordance Matthew 12:40 N-DFSGRK: ἐν τῇ κοιλίᾳ τοῦ κήτους NAS: NIGHTS IN THE BELLY OF THE SEA MONSTER, KJV: in the whale's belly; so shall the Son INT: in the belly of the great fish Matthew 15:17 N-AFS Matthew 19:12 N-GFS Mark 7:19 N-AFS Luke 1:15 N-GFS Luke 1:41 N-DFS Luke 1:42 N-GFS Luke 1:44 N-DFS Luke 2:21 N-DFS Luke 11:27 N-NFS Luke 23:29 N-NFP John 3:4 N-AFS John 7:38 N-GFS Acts 3:2 N-GFS Acts 14:8 N-GFS Romans 16:18 N-DFS 1 Corinthians 6:13 N-DFS 1 Corinthians 6:13 N-NFS Galatians 1:15 N-GFS Philippians 3:19 N-NFS Revelation 10:9 N-AFS Revelation 10:10 N-NFS Strong's Greek 2836 |
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