δῶμα (dōma)
dōma
housetop
Quick Reference
- Language
- Koine Greek
- Testament
- New Testament
- Occurrences
- 7 verses
- Root
- —
Word Overview
The Greek word dōma refers broadly to a building or house, but in the New Testament it most frequently denotes the roof or upper terrace of a home. This usage reflects the architectural reality of the ancient Near East, where flat roofs served as functional living spaces for sleeping, drying food, and socializing. The term appears seven times across the Gospels and Acts, often highlighting these open-air areas as settings for significant events.
Its meaning is grounded in the root verb dōmō, "to build," connecting the structure to the act of construction itself. In passages like Matthew 10:27 and Mark 13:15, Jesus references being on the housetop to emphasize visibility or the urgency of fleeing without delay. Similarly, Acts 10:9 places Peter on a dōma for prayer, illustrating how these elevated spaces were integral to daily spiritual and physical life in first-century Palestine.
Translators typically render dōma as "roof" or "housetop," capturing both the physical structure and its cultural role. The word distinguishes the upper level from the interior rooms, pointing to a space that is part of the house yet exposed to the elements and the community below. This concrete imagery helps modern readers visualize the practical and symbolic weight of these locations in biblical narratives.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word dōma points to the flat roof of a home, a common feature in first-century Palestine where families slept under the stars and dried food in the sun. It was not just an architectural detail but a place of daily life, prayer, and community interaction. When Jesus spoke from or about the housetop, He used this familiar setting to make His points clear and visible to everyone below.
In Matthew 10:27, Jesus tells His followers to proclaim what they hear whispered in private on the housetops. This imagery suggests that truth is not meant to stay hidden. Just as a voice carried clearly across the open roof, the message of faith was intended to be shared openly with the world around us.
Similarly, Acts 10:9 shows Peter going up to the housetop to pray at noon. This elevated space offered quiet away from the household bustle, allowing for focused communion with God. For us today, dōma reminds us that our spiritual lives have both public and private dimensions. We are called to live transparently while also seeking moments of personal stillness.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 7 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- housetop5×
- housetops.1×
- housetops!1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- δώματος3×
- δῶμα2×
- δωμάτων.¶1×
- δωμάτων.1×
Key Verses
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Matthew 10:27
What I tell you in the darkness, speak in the light; and what you hear whispered in the ear, proclaim on the housetops.
Jesus uses the housetop as a metaphor for public proclamation, contrasting private whispers with open declaration.
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Luke 5:19
Not finding a way to bring him in because of the multitude, they went up to the housetop and let him down through the tiles with his cot into the middle before Jesus.
The housetop serves as the physical access point for friends to lower a paralyzed man through tiles to reach Jesus.
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Acts 10:9
Now on the next day as they were on their journey and got close to the city, Peter went up on the housetop to pray at about noon.
Peter retreats to the housetop for prayer, highlighting its role as a place of spiritual focus and divine encounter.