περίχωρος (perichōros)
perichōros
region
Quick Reference
- Language
- Koine Greek
- Testament
- New Testament
- Occurrences
- 9 verses
- Root
- —
Word Overview
The Greek word perichōros describes something situated around or neighboring a place, functioning as an adjective meaning "round about" or "neighboring." In the New Testament, it is most frequently used substantively as ἡ περιχώριος to refer to the surrounding region or district. This usage appears prominently in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, often to locate events geographically relative to a central town or city.
Its etymology combines peri ("around") with chōra ("region" or "land"), creating a clear spatial image. The sources note that this term is used to describe the area surrounding specific locations, such as the region of Jordan in Luke 3:3 or the districts around Capernaum where Jesus’ fame spread (Mark 1:28). It can also refer by metonymy to the people inhabiting those adjacent areas, as seen when all the country of Judea and Jerusalem went out to John the Baptist (Matthew 3:5).
Translators typically render this word as "region," "district," or "country." Its consistent application in the Synoptic Gospels helps readers visualize the geographical scope of Jesus’ ministry, emphasizing that his influence extended beyond a single town into the neighboring territories. This spatial precision grounds the narrative in real-world locations rather than abstract concepts.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word perichōros paints a picture of community extending beyond borders. It describes the regions surrounding a central place, reminding us that God’s work rarely stays confined to one location. When Jesus or John the Baptist moved through these areas, they touched lives in neighboring towns and villages, showing that grace spills over into every corner of our world.
For your daily life, this word suggests that your influence and faith are not limited to a single room or circle. Just as news of Jesus spread through the surrounding districts, your actions ripple outward into the communities around you. You are part of a larger story where kindness and truth travel from place to place.
Even when fear caused people to ask Jesus to leave, as in the region of the Gadarenes, the narrative remains grounded in real human reactions. This historical detail invites us to see faith not as an abstract idea, but as something lived out in specific places with real neighbors. It encourages you to engage with your own surroundings with patience and love.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 9 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- surrounding region5×
- surrounding region.2×
- surrounding region,1×
- region around1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- περίχωρον3×
- περιχώρου2×
- περίχωρος1×
- περίχωρον,1×
- περιχώρῳ.¶1×
- περιχώρου.¶1×
Key Verses
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Matthew 3:5
Then people from Jerusalem, all of Judea, and all the region around the Jordan went out to him.
This verse shows the word identifying the geographic scope of John the Baptist’s ministry, drawing crowds from multiple districts.
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Mark 1:28
The report of him went out immediately everywhere into all the region of Galilee and its surrounding area.
Here the term highlights how Jesus’ fame rapidly expanded beyond Capernaum into the wider Galilean countryside.
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Luke 8:37
All the people of the surrounding country of the Gadarenes asked him to depart from them, for they were very much afraid. Then he entered into the boat and returned.
The word describes the specific area where fear led residents to ask Jesus to depart, illustrating a complex human response to divine power.