κῆπος (kēpos)
kēpos
garden
Quick Reference
- Language
- Koine Greek
- Testament
- New Testament
- Occurrences
- 4 verses
- Root
- —
Word Overview
The Greek word kēpos simply means a garden, specifically a plot of land planted with trees and herbs. It appears in only four verses across the New Testament, primarily within the Gospels of Luke and John. The term is straightforward, referring to a cultivated space rather than a wild landscape.
In Scripture, this word carries significant narrative weight by locating key events in intimate, enclosed settings. John uses it to describe the garden where Jesus was arrested (John 18:1) and where his tomb was situated (John 19:41). Luke employs it in a parable about a fig tree growing in a vineyard (Luke 13:19), illustrating how life can flourish within designated boundaries. These instances show kēpos as a place of both vulnerability and purpose.
The word likely derives from an uncertain origin, possibly related to Semitic terms for enclosed spaces. Its usage highlights the biblical theme of gardens as places of encounter, whether for conflict in Gethsemane or for resurrection hope at the tomb. Translators consistently render it as "garden," preserving its simple yet potent imagery.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
When you read about a garden in the New Testament, it is easy to miss how intentional these settings are. The word kēpos does not refer to a wild forest or an open field. It describes a cultivated space, carefully tended and enclosed. This detail matters because God often meets us in places of order and care, rather than chaos.
Consider the garden where Jesus was arrested. It was a place of quiet preparation before the storm. Or look at the garden tomb where he rose. The same word connects these moments. In both cases, the garden is not just scenery. It is the stage for God’s faithful presence in our most vulnerable hours.
You do not need to be in a perfect situation to experience this. Whether you are facing conflict or waiting for hope, God meets you in your own 'garden.' He tends to what is planted there, even when it feels small or hidden. Trust that He knows the soil of your heart.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 4 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- garden3×
- a garden2×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- κῆπος2×
- κήπῳ2×
- κῆπον1×
Key Verses
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John 18:1
When Jesus had spoken these words, he went out with his disciples over the brook Kidron, where there was a garden, into which he and his disciples entered.
This verse identifies the garden as the specific location where Jesus chose to meet his disciples before his arrest, highlighting it as a place of deliberate intimacy and vulnerability.
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John 19:41
Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden. In the garden was a new tomb in which no man had ever yet been laid.
Here the garden serves as the setting for the new tomb, linking the concept of cultivation and life directly to the hope of resurrection.
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Luke 13:19
It is like a grain of mustard seed which a man took and put in his own garden. It grew and became a large tree, and the birds of the sky live in its branches.”
In this parable, the garden provides the necessary boundary for the mustard seed to grow into a tree, illustrating how God uses designated spaces for unexpected flourishing.