☀️
← Back to Lexicon
G3216 · Greek · New Testament
Μετοικεσια
Metoikesia
Noun, Feminine
Deportation / Exile / Carrying Away

Definition

From metoikeō (to change one's dwelling). Refers specifically to the forced deportation or exile of a people — used in the New Testament exclusively of the Babylonian captivity of Israel. Appears in Matthew's genealogy of Jesus.

Usage & Theological Significance

Matthew structures his genealogy of Jesus around three pivotal events: Abraham, David, and the deportation to Babylon (Matthew 1:11-12, 17). By giving the exile this prominence, Matthew shows that Jesus came to end the ultimate exile — humanity's separation from God. The Babylonian captivity was not just a political disaster but a theological crisis: had God abandoned His covenant? Jesus' coming answers with a resounding no.

Key Bible Verses

Matthew 1:11 And Josiah the father of Jeconiah and his brothers at the time of the exile to Babylon.
Matthew 1:12 After the exile to Babylon: Jeconiah was the father of Shealtiel.
Matthew 1:17 Thus there were fourteen generations in all from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the exile to Babylon, and fourteen from the exile to the Messiah.
Jeremiah 29:10 When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place.
Daniel 9:2 I, Daniel, understood from the Scriptures, according to the word of the Lord given to Jeremiah the prophet, that the desolation of Jerusalem would last seventy years.

Related Words

External Resources

🌙
☀️