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G982 · Greek · New Testament
βιωτικός
Biōtikos
Adjective
Pertaining to life, worldly

Definition

Biōtikos (βιωτικός) is an adjective meaning "pertaining to life" — specifically to ordinary earthly life and its affairs. It appears twice in the New Testament: Luke 21:34, where Jesus warns against hearts weighed down by "dissipation, drunkenness and the anxieties of life," and 1 Corinthians 6:3–4, where Paul references "matters pertaining to this life" that are brought before secular courts.

Usage & Theological Significance

Jesus' warning against the "cares of this life" (merimnas biōtikas, Luke 21:34) reveals that the greatest threat to spiritual readiness is not dramatic sin but mundane distraction. The day of the Lord will come "as a snare" on those whose hearts are weighted down by everyday worries and pleasures. Paul's use in 1 Corinthians 6 shows that biōtika — earthly disputes about money, property, and relationships — were consuming the Corinthian church's energy. Both passages call believers to keep eternal perspective while navigating temporal affairs.

Key Bible Verses

Luke 21:34 Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you suddenly like a trap.
1 Corinthians 6:3 Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more the things of this life!
1 Corinthians 6:4 Therefore, if you have disputes about such matters, do you ask for a ruling from those whose way of life is scorned in the church?
Matthew 13:22 The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word.
Luke 21:36 Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.

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