TR: yashab → katoikeo (Dwell / Inhabit)¶
The Chain¶
Hebrew OT LXX (Greek OT) Greek NT
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יָשַׁב (yashab) → κατοικέω (katoikeo) → κατοικέω (katoikeo)
H3427, 975x LXX co-occ: 459x 43x in NT
"sit, dwell" PMI score: 26.72 "dwell, inhabit"
OT Usage (Hebrew)¶
| Strong's | Word | Occurrences | Primary Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| H3427 | יָשַׁב (yashab) | 975 | sit, dwell, remain, inhabit |
Key OT passages: - Gen 4:16 — "Cain went out from the presence of the LORD, and dwelt in the land of Nod" (first occurrence — exile as the opposite of divine presence) - 1 Ki 8:27 — "But will God indeed dwell on the earth? behold, the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain thee" (divine dwelling question) - Isa 6:1 — "I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up" (enthroned God) - Jer 29:5 — "Build ye houses, and dwell in them" (exile settlement command)
LXX Bridge¶
| Hebrew | Greek Translation | Co-occ | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| yashab (H3427) | κατοικέω (G2730) | 459x | Primary — permanent dwelling/inhabiting |
| yashab (H3427) | καθίζω (G2523) | 160x | Active sitting, being seated |
| yashab (H3427) | κάθημαι (G2521) | 130x | Sitting posture |
| yashab (H3427) | οἰκέω (G3611) | 55x | Occupy a house |
| yashab (H3427) | ἐνοικέω (G1774) | 29x | Dwell in (figuratively) |
| yashab (H3427) | θρόνος (G2362) | 55x | Throne (contextual — sitting on throne) |
The LXX systematically separates yashab's two core senses: katoikeo for dwelling/inhabiting (the dominant rendering at 459x) and kathizo/kathemai for physical sitting (290x combined). The single Hebrew word yashab semantically forks into two Greek word families.
Reverse bridge — other Hebrew words rendered katoikeo: | Hebrew | Co-occ | Notes | |--------|--------|-------| | yashab (H3427) | 459x | Overwhelmingly primary source | | yarash (H3423) | 38x | Possess/inherit — overlaps when "dispossessing" inhabitants | | shakan (H7931) | 25x | Settle/tabernacle — theological dwelling |
NT Usage (Greek)¶
| Strong's | Word | Occurrences | Primary Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| G2730 | κατοικέω (katoikeo) | 43 | dwell permanently, inhabit, reside |
| G2731 | κατοίκησις (katoikesis) | 1 | dwelling (Mark 5:3 — "had his dwelling among the tombs") |
| G2732 | κατοικητήριον (katoiketerion) | 2 | habitation (Eph 2:22, Rev 18:2) |
Key NT passages: - Mat 2:23 — "he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth" (geographical settlement) - Eph 3:17 — "That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith" (spiritual indwelling) - Col 1:19 — "in him should all fulness dwell" (divine fulness residing in Christ) - 2 Pet 3:13 — "new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness" (eschatological dwelling) - Act 1:19 — "known unto all the dwellers at Jerusalem" (inhabitants — participial, echoing OT formula) - Rev 18:2 — "Babylon... is become the habitation [katoiketerion] of devils" (echoing Jer 51:37)
TODO(need G2730 study)
Direct OT→NT Quotations¶
| NT Verse | Quotes OT | Shared Word | Significance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Act 2:5 | Joel 2:1 (inhabitants context) | yashab → katoikeo | "there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men" — Peter's Pentecost sermon, "inhabitants of Jerusalem" formula from prophets |
| Act 7:4 | Gen 11:31, 12:1 | yashab → katoikeo | Stephen recounts Abraham's settlement — "he removed him into this land, wherein ye now dwell" |
| Heb 11:9 | Gen patriarchal narratives | yashab → katoikeo (paroikeo used, but katoikeo in the concept) | "dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob" — sojourning motif from Genesis |
Continuity and Shifts¶
What stays the same across testaments: - The core sense of permanent, settled dwelling persists from OT yashab through LXX katoikeo into NT katoikeo. The "inhabitants of [place]" formula (OT prophets) carries directly into Acts (2:5, 1:19). - Divine dwelling language continues: OT "will God indeed dwell on the earth?" (1 Ki 8:27) → NT "in him should all fulness dwell" (Col 1:19).
What shifts: - The NT extends katoikeo beyond geographical dwelling into spiritual/metaphorical indwelling: "Christ may dwell in your hearts" (Eph 3:17), "righteousness dwelleth" in the new earth (2 Pet 3:13). The OT uses yashab almost exclusively for physical dwelling. - The "sitting on throne" sense of yashab does not transfer through katoikeo. Instead, the LXX's kathizo/kathemai carries that sense into the NT separately (e.g., Heb 1:3, Rev 3:21 use kathizo for enthronement). - The participial "inhabitants" usage, dominant in OT prophets (Jeremiah, Zechariah), appears in Acts but is otherwise rare in the epistles, which prefer the spiritual indwelling sense.
Generated from: gather_trace_data.py, search_strongs.py (--lxx-map, --hebrew-source, --lookup) Last updated: 2026-04-27