2937. ktisis
Lexical Summary
ktisis: Creation, creature, institution

Original Word: κτίσις
Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine
Transliteration: ktisis
Pronunciation: ktee'-sis
Phonetic Spelling: (ktis'-is)
KJV: building, creation, creature, ordinance
NASB: creation, creature, created thing, institution
Word Origin: [from G2936 (κτίζω - created)]

1. original formation
2. (properly) the act
3. (by implication) the thing
{literally or figuratively}

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
creation, creature

From ktizo; original formation (properly, the act; by implication, the thing, literally or figuratively) -- building, creation, creature, ordinance.

see GREEK ktizo

HELPS Word-studies

Cognate: 2937 ktísis – properly, creation (creature) which is founded from nothing (this is also the sense of this term from Homer on); creation out of nothing (Lat ex nihilo). See 2936 (ktizō) and 2939 /ktístēs ("the Creator") for lengthy discussion on "creation-facts."

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
from ktizó
Definition
creation (the act or the product)
NASB Translation
created thing (1), creation (14), creature (3), institution (1).

Thayer's Greek Lexicon
STRONGS NT 2937: κτίσις

κτίσις, κτίσεως, (κτίζω), in Greek writings the act of founding, establishing, building, etc.; in the N. T. (Vulg. everywherecreatura (yet Hebrews 9:11creatio))

1. the act of creating, creation: τοῦ κόσμου, Romans 1:20.

2. equivalent to κτίσμα, creation i. e. thing created (cf. Winers Grammar, 32); used a. of individual things and beings, a creature, a creation: Romans 1:25; Hebrews 4:13; any created thing, Romans 8:39; after a rabbinical usage (by which a man converted from idolatry to Judaism was called חֲדָשָׁה בִּרִיָה (cf. Schöttgen, Horae Hebr 1:328, 704f)), καινή κτίσις is used of a man regenerated through Christ, Galatians 6:15; 2 Corinthians 5:17.

b. collectively, the sum or aggregate of created things: Revelation 3:14 (on which see ἀρχή, 3; ( κτίσις τῶν ἀνθρώπων, Teaching of the Twelve etc.

c. 16 [ET])); ὅλῃ κτίσις, Wis. 19:6; πᾶσα κτίσις, Judith 16:14; and without the article (cf. Grimm on 3 Macc. (), p. 235; (Lightfoot on Col. as below)), πᾶσα κτίσις, Colossians 1:15; 3Macc. 2:2; Judith 9:12; σωτήρ πάσης κτίσεως, Acta Thomae, p. 19 edition Thilo (sec. 10, p. 198, Tdf. edition) (see πᾶς, I. 1 c.); ἀπ' ἀρχῆς κτίσεως, Mark 10:6; Mark 13:19; 2 Peter 3:4; οὐ ταύτης τῆς κτίσεως, not of this order of created things, Hebrews 9:11; accusative to the demands of the context, of some particular kind or class of created things or beings: thus of the human race, πάσῃ τῇ κτίσει, Mark 16:15; ἐν πάσῃ (Rec. adds τῇ) κτίσει τῇ ὑπό τόν οὐρανοῦ, among men of every race, Colossians 1:23; the aggregate of irrational creatures, both animate and inanimate (what we call nature), Romans 8:19-2. (Wis. 5:17 (); ); πᾶσα κτίσις, Romans 8:22; where cf. Reiche, Philippi, Meyer, Rükert, others (Arnold in Bapt. Quart. for Apr. 1867, pp. 143-153).

3. an institution, ordinance: 1 Peter 2:13; cf. Huther at the passage ((Pindar, others.))

Topical Lexicon
Scope of Meaning

The term embraces both the act of divine bringing-into-being and the entirety of what has been brought into being. In the New Testament it may describe 1) the universe as a whole, 2) the living creation or any individual creature, 3) the present world order as distinct from the age to come, 4) human social structures ordained within providence, and 5) the new order inaugurated in Christ. Context determines the emphasis.

Creation as the Work of God

Mark 10:6 and Mark 13:19 ground moral teaching and eschatology in the historical reality of divine creation “from the beginning.” Romans 1:20–25 relies on the same reality for natural revelation: since “the creation of the world His invisible qualities have been clearly seen,” idolatry is without excuse. The creature–Creator distinction is therefore fundamental to biblical theology and to the call to worship the Creator alone.

Creation as the Visible Universe

Passages such as Romans 8:39 and Hebrews 4:13 use the word comprehensively: nothing within “all creation” can thwart God’s love or escape His gaze. The term gathers up every realm—material and spiritual—under God’s sovereign rule and omniscient judgment.

Living Creatures

Mark 16:15 charges the church: “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.” Here the focus is the totality of mankind (and by extension all beings capable of receiving God’s good news). Romans 1:25 contrasts the worship of “the creature” with the rightful worship of the Creator, highlighting humanity’s propensity to invert the created order.

Human Institutions

In 1 Peter 2:13 the term is rendered “every human institution,” calling believers to civic submission “for the Lord’s sake.” Governmental structures, though temporal, are viewed as existing within God’s creative providence and therefore worthy of honor so long as they do not contradict His higher commands.

Creation Groaning and Hope

Romans 8:19-22 presents creation as a corporate entity longing for restoration: “The creation waits in eager expectation … the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth.” Subjection to futility is neither accidental nor final; it serves a redemptive trajectory that will culminate in liberation “into the glorious freedom of the children of God” (Romans 8:21). The passage binds environmental brokenness, human sin, and eschatological hope in one narrative.

New Creation in Christ

2 Corinthians 5:17 and Galatians 6:15 introduce a qualitatively new reality: “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.” Spiritual regeneration is portrayed as an act of divine creativity parallel to Genesis. What counts now is not external religious markers but the recreated life produced by union with the crucified and risen Lord. Individual transformation anticipates the cosmic renewal promised in Romans 8.

Christ, Lord and Source of Creation

Colossians 1:15 declares Christ “the firstborn over all creation,” and Revelation 3:14 names Him “the Origin of God’s creation.” Far from suggesting creatureliness, these titles affirm His supremacy and causative role—He stands before creation in rank and in time and therefore holds absolute authority over it. Hebrews 9:11 contrasts the heavenly sanctuary—“not of this creation”—with earthly copies, underscoring the transcendence of Christ’s priestly ministry.

Eschatological Constancy and Mockery

2 Peter 3:4 records scoffers who appeal to the uniformity of creation to deny future judgment: “everything continues as it has from the beginning of creation.” Peter responds by recalling the flood and promising a purifying fire, reminding readers that the Creator who began history will also bring it to consummation.

Practical Ministry Implications

• Evangelism: The gospel mandate extends “to every creature,” forbidding selective proclamation.
• Stewardship: Since the material order awaits liberation, believers practice responsible care, anticipating its renewal.
• Worship: Romans 1 warns against creature-worship; authentic worship keeps the Creator–creation boundary clear.
• Ethics and Society: Submission to legitimate authorities (1 Peter 2:13) acknowledges God’s providential ordering; yet the higher allegiance remains to Christ.
• Pastoral Comfort: Romans 8:39 assures suffering saints that no power “in all creation” can separate them from divine love; the groaning of creation itself is a pledge of coming glory.

Historical Reception

Early church writers deployed the term to defend orthodox creationism against Gnostic denial of the material world’s goodness. Reformers cited the new creation theme to explain regeneration, while evangelical missions have long taken Mark 16:15 as a rallying cry for global evangelization. Modern theological reflection on ecology frequently returns to Romans 8, interpreting environmental degradation through the lens of creation’s groaning and promised freedom.

Summary

The New Testament employs the term to celebrate God as Maker, expose idolatry, explain cosmic fallenness, announce personal and cosmic renewal in Christ, and guide believers in worship, mission, and societal engagement. Every occurrence ultimately points back to the unchanging Creator whose redemptive purpose for His creation will reach its consummation in the appearing of His Son.

Forms and Transliterations
κτισει κτίσει κτισεως κτίσεως κτίσεώς κτισις κτίσις ktisei ktísei ktiseos ktiseōs ktíseos ktíseōs ktisis ktísis
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Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
Mark 10:6 N-GFS
GRK: δὲ ἀρχῆς κτίσεως ἄρσεν καὶ
NAS: But from the beginning of creation, [God] MADE
KJV: the beginning of the creation God
INT: however [the] beginning of creation male and

Mark 13:19 N-GFS
GRK: ἀπ' ἀρχῆς κτίσεως ἣν ἔκτισεν
NAS: the beginning of the creation which
KJV: the beginning of the creation which
INT: from [the] beginning of creation which created

Mark 16:15 N-DFS
GRK: πάσῃ τῇ κτίσει
NAS: the gospel to all creation.
KJV: the gospel to every creature.
INT: to all the creation

Romans 1:20 N-GFS
GRK: αὐτοῦ ἀπὸ κτίσεως κόσμου τοῖς
NAS: For since the creation of the world
KJV: from the creation of the world
INT: of him from [the] creation of [the] world by the

Romans 1:25 N-DFS
GRK: ἐλάτρευσαν τῇ κτίσει παρὰ τὸν
NAS: and served the creature rather than
KJV: served the creature more than
INT: served the created thing beyond the [one]

Romans 8:19 N-GFS
GRK: ἀποκαραδοκία τῆς κτίσεως τὴν ἀποκάλυψιν
NAS: For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly
KJV: the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth
INT: earnest expectation of the creation the revelation

Romans 8:20 N-NFS
GRK: ματαιότητι ἡ κτίσις ὑπετάγη οὐχ
NAS: For the creation was subjected
KJV: For the creature was made subject
INT: futility the creation was subjected not

Romans 8:21 N-NFS
GRK: αὐτὴ ἡ κτίσις ἐλευθερωθήσεται ἀπὸ
NAS: that the creation itself also
KJV: Because the creature itself also
INT: itself the creation will be freed from

Romans 8:22 N-NFS
GRK: πᾶσα ἡ κτίσις συστενάζει καὶ
NAS: that the whole creation groans
KJV: that the whole creation groaneth and
INT: all the creation groans together and

Romans 8:39 N-NFS
GRK: οὔτε τις κτίσις ἑτέρα δυνήσεται
NAS: other created thing, will be able
KJV: other creature, shall be able
INT: nor any created thing other will be able

2 Corinthians 5:17 N-NFS
GRK: Χριστῷ καινὴ κτίσις τὰ ἀρχαῖα
NAS: [he is] a new creature; the old things
KJV: [he is] a new creature: old things
INT: Christ [he is] a new creation the old things

Galatians 6:15 N-NFS
GRK: ἀλλὰ καινὴ κτίσις
NAS: uncircumcision, but a new creation.
KJV: but a new creature.
INT: but a new creation

Colossians 1:15 N-GFS
GRK: πρωτότοκος πάσης κτίσεως
NAS: the firstborn of all creation.
KJV: the firstborn of every creature:
INT: [the] firstborn of all creation

Colossians 1:23 N-DFS
GRK: ἐν πάσῃ κτίσει τῇ ὑπὸ
NAS: in all creation under
KJV: every creature which is under
INT: in all creation under

Hebrews 4:13 N-NFS
GRK: οὐκ ἔστιν κτίσις ἀφανὴς ἐνώπιον
NAS: And there is no creature hidden
KJV: is there any creature that is not manifest
INT: not there is a created thing hidden before

Hebrews 9:11 N-GFS
GRK: ταύτης τῆς κτίσεως
NAS: that is to say, not of this creation;
KJV: not of this building;
INT: of this creation

1 Peter 2:13 N-DFS
GRK: πάσῃ ἀνθρωπίνῃ κτίσει διὰ τὸν
NAS: human institution, whether
KJV: to every ordinance of man
INT: to every human institution for the sake of the

2 Peter 3:4 N-GFS
GRK: ἀπ' ἀρχῆς κτίσεως
NAS: as it was from the beginning of creation.
KJV: the beginning of the creation.
INT: from [the] beginning of [the] creation

Revelation 3:14 N-GFS
GRK: ἀρχὴ τῆς κτίσεως τοῦ θεοῦ
NAS: the Beginning of the creation of God,
KJV: the beginning of the creation of God;
INT: beginning of the creation of God

Strong's Greek 2937
19 Occurrences


κτίσει — 4 Occ.
κτίσεως — 8 Occ.
κτίσις — 7 Occ.

2936
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