Kosmos
κόσμος, -ου, ὁ;
1. in Grk. writ. fr. Hom, down, an apt and harmonious arrangement or constitution, order.
2. as in Grk. writ. fr. Hom, down, ornament, decoration, adornment: ἐνδύσεως ἱματίων, 1 Pet. 3:3 (Sir. 6:30; 21:21; 2 Macc. 2:2: Sept. for צָבָא of the arrangement of the stars, ‘the heavenly hosts,’ as the ornament of the heavens, Gen. 2:1; Deut. 4:19; 17:3; Is. 24:21; 40:26; besides occasionally for עֲרִי; twice for חִּפִאֶרֶח, Prov. 20:29; Is. 3:19).
3. the world, i.e. the universe (quem κόσμον Graeci nomine ornamenti appellarunt, eum nos a perfecta absolutaque elegantia mundum, Plin. h. n. 2, 3; in which sense Pythagoras is said to have been the first to use the word, Plut. de plac. philos. 2, 1, 1 p. 886 c.; but acc. to other accounts he used it of the heavens, Diog. L. 8, 48, of which it is used several times also by other Grk. writ. [see Menag. on Diog. Laërt. I. c.; Bentley, Epp. of Phalar. vol. i. 391 (Lond. 1836); M. Anton. 4, 27 and Gataker’s notes; cf. L. and S. s. v. IV.]): Acts 17:24; Ro. 4:13 (where cf. Meyer, Tholuck, Philippi); 1 Co. 3:22; 8:4; Phil. 2:15; with a predominant notion of space, in hyperbole, Jn. 21:25 (Sap. 7:17; 9:3; 2 Macc. 8:18; κτίζειν τ. κόσμον, Sap. 11:18; ὁ τοῦ κόσμου κτίστης, 2 Macc. 7:23; 4 Macc. 5:25 (24);—a sense in which it does not occur in the other O. T. books, although there is something akin to it in Prov. 17:6, on which see 8 below); in the phrases πρὸ τοῦ τὸν κόσμον εἶναι, Jn. 17:5; ἀπὸ καταβολῆς κόσμου [Mt. 13:35 R G; 25:34; Lk. 11:50; Heb. 4:3; 9:26; Rev. 13:8; 17:8] and πρὸ κατ. κόσμου [Jn. 17:24; Eph. 1:4; 1 Pet. 1:20], (on which see καταβολή, 2); ἀπὸ κτίσεως κόσμου, Ro. 1:20; ἀπʼ ἀρχῆς κ. Mt. 24:21; (on the om. of the art. cf. W. p. 123 (117); B. § 124, 8 b.; [cf. Ellicott on Gal. 6:14]).
4. the circle of the earth, the earth, (very rarely so in Grk. writ, until after the age of the ptolemies; so in Boeckh, corp. inscrr. i. pp. 413 and 643, nos. 334 and 1306): Mk. 16:15; [Jn. 12:25]; 1 Tim. 6:7; βασιλεία τοῦ κόσμου, Rev. 11:15; βασιλεῖαι (plur.) τ. κόσμου, Mt. 4:8 (for which Lk. 4:5 τῆς οἰκουμένης); τὸ φῶς τοῦ κόσμου τούτου, of the sun, Jn. 11:9; ἐν ὅλῳ τῷ κ., properly, Mt. 26:13; hyperbolieally, i. q. far and wide, in widely separated places, Ro. 1:8; [so ἐν παντὶ τῷ κόσμῳ, Col. 1:6]; ὁ τότε κόσμος, 2 Pet. 3:6; the earth with its inhabitants: ζῆν ἐν κόσμῳ, opp. to the dead, Col. 2:20 λῃστὴς ἦν καὶ κλέπτης ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ, i.e. among those living on earth, Ev. Nicod. 26). By a usage foreign to prof. auth.
5. the inhabitants of the world: θέατρον ἐγενήθημεν τῷ κόσμῳ καὶ ἀγγέλοις κ. ἀνθρώποις, 1 Co. 4:9 [W. 127 (121)]; particularly the inhabitants of the earth, men, the human race (first So in Sap. [e.g. 10:1]): Mt. 13:38; 18:7; Mk. 14:9; Jn. 1:10, 29, [36 L in br.]; 3:16 sq.; 6:33, 51; 8:26; 12:47; 13:1; 14:31; 16:28; 17:6, 21, 23; Ro. 3:6, 19; 1 Co. 1:27 sq. [cf. W. 189 (178)]; 4:13; 5:10; 14:10; 2 Co. 5:19; Jas. 2:5 [cf. W. u. s.]; 1 Jn. 2:2 [cf. W. 577 (536)]; ἀρχαῖος κόσμος, of the antediluvians, 2 Pet. 2:5; γεννᾶσθαι εἰς τ. κ. Jn. 16:21; ἔρχεσθαι εἰς τὸν κόσμον (Jn. 9:39) and εἰς τ. κ. τοῦτον, to make its appearance or come into existence among men, spoken of the light which in Christ shone upon men, Jn. 1:9; 3:19, cf. 12:46; of the messiah, Jn. 6:14; 11:27; of Jesus as the messiah, Jn. 9:39; 16:28; 18:37; 1 Tim. 1:15; also εἰσέρχεσθαι εἰς τ. κ. Heb. 10:5; of false teachers, 2 Jn. 7 (yet here L T Tr WH ἐξέρχ. εἰς τ. κ.; [so all texts in 1 Jn. 4:1]); to invade, of evils coming into existence among men and beginning to exert their power: of sin and death, Ro. 5:12 (of death, Sap. 2:24; Clem. Rom. 1 Cor. 3, 4; of idolatry, Sap. 14:14). ἀποστέλλειν τινὰ εἰς τ. κ., Jn. 3:17; 10:36; 17:18; 1 Jn. 4:9; φῶς τ. κ., Mt. 5:14; Jn. 8:12; 9:5; σωτὴρ τ. κ., Jn. 4:42; 1 Jn. 4:14, (σωτηρία τοῦ κ. Sap. 6:26 (25); ἐλπὶς τ. κ. Sap. 14:6; πρωτόπλαστος πατὴρ τοῦ κ., of Adam, Sap. 10:1); στοιχεῖα τοῦ κ. (see στοιχεῖον, 3 and 4); ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ, among men, Jn. 16:33; 17:13; Eph. 2:12; ἐν κόσμῳ (see w. 123 (117)), 1 Tim. 3:16; εἶναι ἐν τῷ κ., to dwell among men, Jn. 1:10; 9:5; 17:11, 12 R G; 1 Jn. 4:3; εἶναι ἐν κόσμῳ, to be present, Ro. 5:13; ἐξελθεῖν ἐκ τοῦ κόσμου, to withdraw from human society and seek an abode outside of it, 1 Co. 5:10; ἀναστρέφεσθαι ἐν τῷ κ., to behave one’s self, 2 Co. 1:12; likewise εἶναι ἐν τῷ κ. τούτῳ, 1 Jn. 4:17. used spec. of the Gentiles collectively, Ro. 11:12 (where it alternates with τὰ ἔθνη), 15; [the two in combination: τὰ ἔθνη τοῦ κόσμου, Lk. 12:30]. hyperbolically or loosely i. q. the majority of men in a place, the multitude or mass (as we say the public): Jn. 7:4; 12:19 [here Tr mrg. adds ὅλος in br.]; 14:19, 22; 18:20. i. q. the entire number, ἀσεβῶν, 2 Pet. 2:5.
6. the ungodly multitude; the whole mass of men alienated from God, and therefore hostile to the cause of Christ [cf. W. 26]: Jn. 7:7; 14:[17], 27; 15:18 sq.; 16:8, 20, 33; 17:9, 14 sq. 25; 1 Co. 1:21; 6:2; 11:32; 2 Co. 7:10; Jas. 1:27; 1 Pet. 5:9; 2 Pet. 1:4; 2:20; 1 Jn. 3:1, 13; 4:5; 5:19; of the aggregate of ungodly and wicked men in O. T. times, Heb. 11:38; in Noah’s time, ibid. 7; with οὗτος added, Eph. 2:2 (on which see αἰών, 3); εἶναι ἐκ τοῦ κ. and ἐκ τοῦ κ. τούτου (see εἰμί, V. 3 d.), Jn. 8:23; 15:19; 17:14, 16; 1 Jn. 4:5; λαλεῖν ἐκ τοῦ κόσμου, to speak in accordance with the world’s character and mode of thinking, 1 Jn. 4:5; ὁ ἄρχων τοῦ κ. τούτου, i.e. the devil, Jn. 12:31; 14:30; 16:11; ὁ ἐν τῷ κ. he that is operative in the world (also of the devil), 1 Jn. 4:4; τὸ πνεῦμα τοῦ κ. 1 Co. 2:12; ἡ σοφία τοῦ κ. τούτου, ibid. 1:20 [here G L T Tr WH om. τούτ.]; 3:19. [τὰ στοιχεῖα τοῦ κόσμου, Gal. 4:3; Col. 2:8, 20, (see 5 above, and στοιχεῖον, 3 and 4).]
7. worldly affairs; the aggregate of things earthly; the whole circle of earthly goods, endowments, riches, advantages, pleasures, etc., which, although hollow and frail and fleeting, stir desire, seduce from God and are obstacles to the cause of Christ: Gal. 6:14; 1 Jn. 2:16 sq.; 3:17; εἶναι ἐκ τοῦ κ., to be of earthly origin and nature, Jn. 18:36; somewhat differently in 1 Jn. 2:16 (on which see εἰμί, V.3 d.); κερδαίνειν τὸν κ. ὅλον, Mt. 16:26; Mk. 8:36; Lk. 9:25; οἱ χρώμενοι τῷ κ. τούτῳ [crit. txt. τὸν κόσμον; see χράομαι, 2], 1 Co. 7:31; μεριμνᾶν τὰ τοῦ κ. 33 sq.; φίλος and φιλία τοῦ κ. Jas. 4:4; ἀγαπᾶν τόν κ. 1 Jn. 2:15; νικᾶν τὸν κ., the incentives to sin proceeding from the world, 1 Jn. 5:4 sq.; the obstacles to God’s cause, Jn. 16:33; [cf. ἐλθέτω χάρις κ. παρελθέτω ὁ κόσμος οὗτος, Teaching of the Twelve Apostles, c. 10].
8. any aggregate or general collection of particulars of any sort [cf. Eng. “a world of curses” (Shakspere), etc.]: ὁ κόσμος τῆς ἀδικίας, the sum of all iniquities, Jas. 3:6; τοῦ πιστοῦ ὅλος ὁ κόσμος τῶν χρημάτων, τοῦ δὲ ἀπίστον οὐδὲ ὀβολός (a statement due to the Alex. translator), Prov. 17:6. Among the N. T. writers no one uses κόσμος oftener than John; it occurs in mark three times, in Luke’s writings four times, and in the Apocalypse three times. Cf. Kreiss, Sur le sens du mot κόσμος dans le N. T. (Strasb. 1837); Düsterdieck on 1 Jn. 2:15, pp. 247–259; Zezschwitz, profangräeität u. bibl. Sprachgeist, p. 21 sqq.; Diestel in Herzog xvii. p. 676 sqq.; [Trench, Syn. § 59]; on John’s use of the word cf. Reuss, Histoire de la théologie chrétienne au siècle apostolique, ii. p. 463 sqq. [i.e. livre vii. ch. 8]; cf. his Johanneisehe Theologie, in the Beiträge zu den theol. Wissenschaften, Fase. i. p. 29 sqq.; [Westcott on Jn. 1:10,‘Additional Note’].*