Short Answer:
"Koelia" could be a transliteration (writing a word from one alphabet into another) of the Ancient Greek word
κοιλία (koilia). Its core meaning is "cavity," "hollow space," or "belly." In medicine and biology, it is the root for terms related to body cavities, most notably the "coelom" (the main body cavity in animals).
Detailed Explanation:
- The Word Itself: κοιλία (koilia)
- Pronunciation: koy-LEE-ah
- Core Meaning: "Hollow," "cavity," "the belly," "the abdomen." It derives from the Greek adjective koilos (κοῖλος), meaning "hollow."
- Usage in Ancient Texts: It was used literally to refer to the belly, womb, or stomach (the hollow internal organs). For example, in the New Testament, koilia is used for "womb" and "heart" as the seat of emotions.
- Its Legacy in Scientific Terminology:
The Greek koiliais the direct root for many modern scientific terms via the combining form "coelo-" or "coel-".
- Coelom (pronounced SEE-lum): The fundamental, fluid-filled body cavity found in most multicellular animals, lined with mesoderm tissue. It is a key anatomical feature for classifying animal groups (coelomates, acoelomates).
- Coelenterata (an older term for Cnidaria): Referring to animals like jellyfish with a "hollow gut."
- Coelacanth: The famous "living fossil" fish. Its name means "hollow spine," from koilos (hollow) + akantha (spine).
The usage of
κοιλία (koilia) in Ancient Greek texts, with specific references.
Short Answer:
The Ancient Greek word
κοιλία (koilia) is used extensively in texts
from Homer to the New Testament. Its core meaning of "cavity" or "hollow" is applied to three primary contexts:
1) the physical belly/stomach (for eating or as the location of the intestines)
2) the womb
3) figuratively as the inner self, the seat of emotions, thought, and compassion.
The New Testament usage heavily emphasizes the latter two meanings.
Usage in Ancient Greek Literature (Classical and Helenistic):
The term appears from the earliest Greek literature onward, consistently referring to body cavities.
- Homer, Odyssey(c. 8th century BCE):
- Reference: Odyssey 9.296. After blinding Polyphemus, Odysseus and his men hide under the Cyclops's sheep. The text describes the men clinging to the sheep's underbellies: "...ἐνὶ κοιλίῃσι (eni koilīēsi)..." meaning "in/under the bellies" of the rams. Here, κοιλία refers to the abdominal cavity of the animal.
- Hippocratic Corpus (Medical Texts, c. 5th-4th century BCE):
- The physicians used κοιλία clinically to mean the abdominal cavity and its contents (stomach, intestines). For example, in Aphorisms (Section VII.1), it discusses diseases "περὶ κοιλίην (peri koiliēn)"—"concerning the belly." This is its standard anatomical meaning.
Specific examples on the New Testament
The New Testament continues the Septuagint's usage, favoring the metaphorical and womb-related meanings.
A. Koilia as "Womb":
This is one of the most common uses, linking birth, prophecy, and blessing.
- Luke 1:41: When Elizabeth meets Mary, "ἐσκίρτησεν τὸ βρέφος ἐν τῇ κοιλίᾳ αὐτῆς (eskirtēsen to brephos en tē koilia autēs)" — "the baby leaped in her womb." (Referring to John the Baptist in Elizabeth's womb).
- John 3:4: Nicodemus asks Jesus, "μὴ δύναται εἰς τὴν κοιλίαν τῆς μητρὸς αὐτοῦ δεύτερον εἰσελθεῖν καὶ γεννηθῆναι;" — "Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?"
- Matthew 19:12: Jesus mentions those "εἰς τὴν κοιλίαν ἐκ γενετῆς (ek koilias ek genetēs)" — "from the womb from birth."
B. Koilia as the "Inner Self"/"Heart" (Seat of Emotions & Thought):
This figurative use treats the
κοιλία as the center of feeling, compassion, and sometimes spiritual insight.
- John 7:38: Jesus says, "ὁ πιστεύων εἰς ἐμέ... ποταμοὶ ἐκ τῆς κοιλίας αὐτοῦ ῥεύσουσιν ὕδατος ζῶντος" — "He who believes in me... out of his koilia (heart/inner being) will flow rivers of living water." Here, it is the source of spiritual life.
- Philippians 3:19: Paul criticizes those "ὧν ὁ θεὸς ἡ κοιλία (hōn ho theos hē koilia)" — "whose god is their belly." This has a double meaning: literal gluttony and the enslavement to base physical desires.
- 2 Corinthians 4:15 (context): Paul speaks of grace extending to more people, so that "ἡ εὐχαριστία περισσεύσῃ εἰς τὴν δόξαν τοῦ θεοῦ" through the thanksgiving of many. While koilia is not in this exact verse, the concept of gratitude flowing from the inner self is connected to the Johannine usage above. A clearer "seat of emotion" example is found in related vocabulary like σπλάγχνα (splangchna - bowels/compassion), but koilia carries a similar conceptual weight as the container of these depths.
C. Koilia as the Physical "Stomach/Belly":
- 1 Corinthians 6:13: "τὴν δὲ κοιλίαν τοῖς βρώμασιν (tēn de koilian tois brōmasin)" — "The belly for food." Paul is making a physical argument: the stomach is made to digest food, but both it and food are temporal. This is the straightforward anatomical use.
Summary: The word
κοιλία maintained a consistent semantic range from Classical Greek through the New Testament, moving between literal anatomical reference (belly, womb) and profound figurative use for the inner center of a person's emotional and spiritual life.