Recently I opined that to translate two or more Greek words into the same English word made it difficult to discern what (if any) distinction the inspired word choice was intended to convey.
Naturally someone countered with the observation sometimes two or more different Greek words are used to convey the same idea. Which of course is true.
A family of Greek words, G2936-39, falls into this vortex of confusion. This family includes verbs, nouns, participles all pointing to either the action to make or create something, the thing or things created, or the entity creating the thing or things. These interpretations are conveyed by words like "creation, "creature," "creatures" and Creator. And words like creation or creature(s) could refer to everything created or a subset, such as human creation or creatures or even a smaller subset, born anew creation or creatures, those who have been saved, i.e the firstborn of all creation. To arrive at our best understanding of this confusing topic will take hours of study.
Here are the four Greek words and the verses where those words are used:
1) G2936, "Ktize" a verb (or verb participle) used in: Matthew 19:4, Mark 13:19, Romans 1:25, 1 Corinthians 11:9, Ephesians 2:10, 2:15, 3:9, 4:24, Colossians 1:16, 3:10, 1 Timothy 4:3, Revelation 4:11 and 10:6.
2) G2937, "Ktisis" a female noun, used in: Mark 10:6, 13:19, 16:15, Romans 1:20, 1:25, 8:19, 8:20, 8:21, 8:22, 8:39, 2 Corinthians 5:17, Galatians 6:15, Colossians 1:15, 1:23, Hebrews 4:13, 19:11, 1 Peter 2:13, 2 Peter 3:4, and Revelation 3:14.
3) G2938, "Ktisma" a neuter noun, used in: 1 Timothy 4:4, James 1:18, Revelation 5:13, and 8:9.
4) G2939, "Ktistes" a masculine noun, used in: 1 Peter 4:13.
Naturally someone countered with the observation sometimes two or more different Greek words are used to convey the same idea. Which of course is true.
A family of Greek words, G2936-39, falls into this vortex of confusion. This family includes verbs, nouns, participles all pointing to either the action to make or create something, the thing or things created, or the entity creating the thing or things. These interpretations are conveyed by words like "creation, "creature," "creatures" and Creator. And words like creation or creature(s) could refer to everything created or a subset, such as human creation or creatures or even a smaller subset, born anew creation or creatures, those who have been saved, i.e the firstborn of all creation. To arrive at our best understanding of this confusing topic will take hours of study.
Here are the four Greek words and the verses where those words are used:
1) G2936, "Ktize" a verb (or verb participle) used in: Matthew 19:4, Mark 13:19, Romans 1:25, 1 Corinthians 11:9, Ephesians 2:10, 2:15, 3:9, 4:24, Colossians 1:16, 3:10, 1 Timothy 4:3, Revelation 4:11 and 10:6.
2) G2937, "Ktisis" a female noun, used in: Mark 10:6, 13:19, 16:15, Romans 1:20, 1:25, 8:19, 8:20, 8:21, 8:22, 8:39, 2 Corinthians 5:17, Galatians 6:15, Colossians 1:15, 1:23, Hebrews 4:13, 19:11, 1 Peter 2:13, 2 Peter 3:4, and Revelation 3:14.
3) G2938, "Ktisma" a neuter noun, used in: 1 Timothy 4:4, James 1:18, Revelation 5:13, and 8:9.
4) G2939, "Ktistes" a masculine noun, used in: 1 Peter 4:13.