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“human race, mankind,” e.g., Matt. 5:14; John 1:9 [here “that cometh (
RV
, ‘coming’) into
the world” is said of Christ, not of “every man”; by His coming into the world He was the
light for all men]; v. 10; 3:16, 17 (thrice), 19; 4:42, and frequently in Rom., 1 Cor. and 1
John; (d) “Gentiles” as distinguished from Jews, e.g., Rom. 11:12, 15, where the meaning
is that all who will may be reconciled (cf. 2 Cor. 5:19); (e) the “present condition of
human affairs,” in alienation from and opposition to God, e.g., John 7:7; 8:23; 14:30; 1
Cor. 2:12; Gal. 4:3; 6:14; Col. 2:8; Jas. 1:27; 1 John 4:5 (thrice); 5:19; (f) the “sum of
temporal possessions,” Matt. 16:26; 1 Cor. 7:31 (1st part); (g) metaphorically, of the
“tongue” as “a world (of iniquity),” Jas. 3:6, expressive of magnitude and variety.
2.
(
*0
, 165), “an age, a period of time,” marked in the NT usage by spiritual
or moral characteristics, is sometimes translated “world”; the
RV
marg. always has “age.”
The following are details concerning the world in this respect; its cares, Matt. 13:22; its
sons, Luke 16:8; 20:34; its rulers, 1 Cor. 2:6, 8; its wisdom, 1 Cor. 1:20; 2:6; 3:18; its
fashion, Rom. 12:2; its character, Gal. 1:4; its god, 2 Cor. 4:4. The phrase “the end of the
world” should be rendered “the end of the age,” in most places (see
END
, A, No. 2); in 1
Cor. 10:11,
KJV
, “the ends ( ) of the world,”
RV
, “the ends of the ages,” probably
signifies the fulfillment of the divine purposes concerning the ages in regard to the church
[this would come under END, A, No. 1, (c)]. In Heb. 11:3 [lit., “the ages (have been
prepared)”] the word indicates all that the successive periods contain; cf. 1:2.
*
is always to be distinguished from
, even where the two seem to express
the same idea, e.g., 1 Cor. 3:18,
, v. 19,
;
the two are used together in Eph.
2:2, lit., “the age of this world.” For a list of phrases containing
, with their
respective meanings, see
EVER
, B.
3.
$
(
*
!
, 3625), “the inhabited earth” (see
EARTH
, No. 2), is used (a)
of the whole inhabited world, Matt. 24:14; Luke 4:5; 21:26; Rom. 10:18; Heb. 1:6; Rev.
3:10; 16:14; by metonymy, of its inhabitants, Acts 17:31; Rev. 12:9; (b) of the Roman
Empire, the world as viewed by the writer or speaker, Luke 2:1; Acts 11:28; 24:5; by
metonymy, of its inhabitants, Acts 17:6; 19:27; (c) the inhabited world in a coming age,
Heb. 2:5.¶
Notes:
(1) In Rev. 13:3,
KJV
, , “the earth” (
RV
), is translated “world.” (2) For
phrases containing
, e.g., Rom. 16:25; 2 Tim. 1:9; Titus 1:2, see
ETERNAL
, No. 2.
WORLDLY
(
, 2886), “pertaining to this world,” is used (a) in Heb. 9:1, of the
tabernacle,
KJV
, “worldly,”
RV
, “of this world” (i.e., made of mundane materials, adapted
to this visible world, local and transitory); (b) in Titus 2:12, ethically, of “worldly lusts,”
or desires.¶
For
WORLD RULERS,
Eph. 6:12
,
RV
, see
RULER
, No. 3
WORM
1.
@
(
0
, 4663), “a worm which preys upon dead bodies,” is used
metaphorically by the Lord in Mark 9:48; in some mss. vv. 44, 46, cf. Isa. 66:24. The
statement signifies the exclusion of the hope of restoration, the punishment being
eternal.¶