The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

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hom (bayith, "house," maqom, "place," 'ohel, "tent" (Jud 19:9), shubh, "to cause to turn back," tawekh, tokh, "middle," "midst" (De 21:12); oikos, "house," "household," endemeo, "to be among one's people," oikos idios, "one's own proper (house)"): This term in Scripture does not stand for a single specific word of the original, but for a variety of phrases. Most commonly it is a translation of the Hebrew bayith, Greek oikos "house," which means either the building or the persons occupying it. In Ge 43:26 "home" and "into the house" represent the same phase, "to the house" (ha-bayethah). In Ru 1:21, "hath brought me home again" means "has caused me to return." In 2Ch 25:10 "home again" means "to their place." In Ec 12:5 "long home," the Revised Version (British and American) "everlasting home," means "eternal house." In Joh 19:27 "unto his own home" means "unto his own things" (so Joh 1:11). In 2Co 5:6 (and the Revised Version (British and American) 5:8,9) "be at home" is a translation of endemeo, "to be among one's own people," as opposed to ekdemeo, "to be or live abroad."

Benjamin Reno Downer

The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, James Orr (1915). Public domain, from the CrossWire SWORD module.