διασπορά (diaspora)
diaspora
dispersion
Quick Reference
- Language
- Koine Greek
- Testament
- New Testament
- Occurrences
- 3 verses
- Root
- —
Word Overview
The noun diaspora literally means a scattering or dispersion, originally describing seeds spread by a sower. In the Old Testament Greek translation, it referred to the Jewish people exiled and scattered among foreign nations. By the time of the New Testament, this term had become the standard way to identify Jews living outside the land of Israel.
The New Testament uses the word in two distinct ways. John records Gentiles wondering if Jesus intends to go to the "Dispersion" among Greeks (John 7:35), showing how the term identified Jewish communities abroad. Later, James and Peter address their letters to the "diaspora," using the metaphor to describe Christians scattered across the Roman world. Here, believers are portrayed as a people displaced from their true home, living as exiles in a foreign land.
This usage carries significant theological weight. By calling themselves the diaspora, early Christians connected their experience to Israel’s history of exile while claiming a new identity in Christ. They were no longer defined by geography but by their shared faith and scattered existence among Gentiles. The term reminds readers that the church is a community on the move, united not by location but by their common Lord.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word diaspora describes a scattering or dispersion. In the New Testament, it shifts from referring to Jewish communities living outside Israel to describing Christians scattered across the Roman world. This metaphor reminds believers that they are living as foreigners in a foreign land, united not by geography but by their shared faith in Christ.
When you read letters addressed to the diaspora, remember that your sense of belonging is found in Jesus, not in a specific location. Like the early Christians in Pontus and Galatia, you are part of a global family. This identity offers comfort when you feel isolated or displaced, knowing that your true home is secure in Him.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 3 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- Dispersion2×
- of [the] Dispersion1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- διασπορᾷ1×
- διασπορᾶς1×
- διασπορὰν1×
Key Verses
-
James 1:1
James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are in the Dispersion: Greetings.
James applies this term to the twelve tribes, framing the early church as a spiritual Israel living in exile.
-
I Peter 1:1
Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the chosen ones who are living as foreigners in the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia,
Peter lists specific provinces to show that scattered believers are still chosen and united under one apostle.
-
John 7:35
The Jews therefore said among themselves, “Where will this man go that we won’t find him? Will he go to the Dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks?
This verse shows the original Jewish context, where the term identified communities living among Gentiles.