3622. oikonomia
Lexical Summary
oikonomia: Stewardship, administration, management, dispensation

Original Word: οἰκονομία
Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine
Transliteration: oikonomia
Pronunciation: oy-kon-om-ee'-ah
Phonetic Spelling: (oy-kon-om-ee'-ah)
KJV: dispensation, stewardship
NASB: administration, management, stewardship
Word Origin: [from G3623 (οἰκονόμος - manager)]

1. administration (of a household or estate)
2. (specially) a (religious) "economy"

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
dispensation, stewardship.

From oikonomos; administration (of a household or estate); specially, a (religious) "economy" -- dispensation, stewardship.

see GREEK oikonomos

HELPS Word-studies

3622 oikonomía (from 3621 /oikonoméō, "a steward, managing a household") – properly, a stewardship, management (administration), i.e. where a person looks after another's affairs (resources).

[A "dispensation" can also refer to a special period of time (management). But this is a secondary (not primary) meaning of 3622 (oikonomía).]

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
from oikonomeó
Definition
stewardship, administration
NASB Translation
administration (3), management (3), stewardship (3).

Thayer's Greek Lexicon
STRONGS NT 3622: οἰκονομία

οἰκονομία, οἰκονομίας, (οἰκονομέω), from Xenophon, and Plato down, "the management of a household or of household affairs; specifically, the management, oversight, administration, of others' property; the office of a manager or overseer, stewardship": Luke 16:2-4; hence, the word is transferred by Paul in a theocratic sense to the office (duty) intrusted to him by God (the lord and master) of proclaiming to men the blessings of the gospel, 1 Corinthians 9:17; , οἰκονομία τοῦ Θεοῦ, the office of administrator (stewardship) intrusted by God, Colossians 1:25. universally, administration, dispensation, which in a theocratic sense is ascribed to God himself as providing for man's salvation: αἵτινες ... οἰκονομίαν Θεοῦ τήν ἐν πίστει, which furnish matter for disputes rather than the (knowledge of the) dispensation of the things by which God has provided for and prepared salvation, which salvation must be embraced by faith, 1 Timothy 1:4 L T Tr WH; ἥν προέθετο ... καιρῶν, which good will he purposed to show with a view to (that) dispensation (of his) by which the times (namely, of infancy and immaturity cf. Galatians 4:1-4) were to be fulfilled, Ephesians 1:9f; οἰκονομία τῆς χάριτος τοῦ Θεοῦ τῆς δοθείσης μοι, that dispensation (or arrangement) by which the grace of God was granted me, Ephesians 3:2; οἰκονομία τοῦ μυστηρίου, the dispensation by which he carried out his secret purpose, Ephesians 3:9 G L T Tr WH.

Topical Lexicon
The Household Metaphor

The term denotes the orderly administration of a household—an image that threads through Scripture to describe how God arranges, dispenses, and supervises His redemptive purposes. Within that metaphor lie two inseparable ideas: (1) accountability to the owner and (2) provision for the household members. Every New Testament occurrence carries one or both of those ideas into its context.

Foreshadowing in the Old Testament

Although the noun itself is Greek, the concept appears in passages such as Genesis 39, where Joseph is given charge over Potiphar’s house, and in Numbers 4, where the Levites receive specific duties under Moses. These portraits anticipate a divine pattern in which God entrusts people with resources, revelation, and responsibility while retaining ultimate ownership.

Luke 16 and Personal Accountability

Luke 16:1-8 uses the parable of the unjust steward to show that every manager must render an account. “Give an account of your stewardship” (Luke 16:2) echoes the coming day when God will audit each life. The servant’s craftiness is not commended as dishonesty but as timely preparedness. The lesson is that temporal resources should be leveraged for eternal good before the opportunity is removed.

Pauline Theology: The Divine Economy

1. A cosmic plan. Ephesians 1:10 speaks of “a plan for the fullness of time, to bring all things in heaven and on earth together in Christ.” Here the word stretches beyond a household to the entire created order, underscoring God’s comprehensive, purposeful arrangement of history.

2. A grace-administration. Twice in Ephesians 3 (verses 2 and 9) Paul testifies that he was entrusted with “the stewardship of God’s grace.” What God arranged in eternity He now dispenses through apostolic witness so that Gentiles and Jews become “fellow heirs.”

3. A gospel commission. “If it is not voluntary, I am still entrusted with a stewardship” (1 Corinthians 9:17). Paul’s ministry is not self-chosen but assigned. Colossians 1:25 echoes the same calling: “I became its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness.”

4. A pastoral mandate. 1 Timothy 1:4 contrasts speculative teaching with “the stewardship of God’s work, which is by faith.” Sound doctrine channels the divine economy; vain discussion squanders it.

Dispensations and Continuity

Because the word may be rendered “dispensation,” some have used these texts to segment history into rigid time periods. While Scripture does reveal successive eras (law, grace, consummation), Paul’s emphasis is continuity: all stewardships converge in Christ, not compete with one another. Each phase unfolds more of the same sovereign purpose.

Christocentric Fulfillment

The ultimate “householder” is the Father; the perfect “steward” is the Son. Hebrews 3:6 observes, “Christ is faithful as the Son over God’s house.” By His obedience, atonement, and resurrection, Jesus secures the resources of salvation and distributes them through the Spirit to every believer, guaranteeing that the household lacks nothing.

Implications for the Church

• Stewardship of the gospel: Every congregation, like Paul, is “entrusted with a stewardship” to proclaim the word faithfully.
• Stewardship of gifts: Spiritual gifts are divinely allocated “as each has received a gift, use it to serve one another as good stewards” (1 Peter 4:10).
• Stewardship of possessions: The parable in Luke 16 frames giving and benevolence as wise management under the Master’s eye.

Historical Trajectory

Early church fathers used oikonomia to describe both salvation history and the incarnation (“the economy of Christ”). The Reformers reclaimed the idea of every vocation as stewardship, while modern missions movements highlight the unfinished task entrusted to the church.

Pastoral Applications

1. Teach accountability—every believer will give an account.
2. Cultivate faithfulness over results—stewards obey; owners measure the harvest.
3. Emphasize generosity—earthly wealth is temporary capital for eternal investment.
4. Guard sound doctrine—administration of truth, not speculation, nourishes God’s household.

Eschatological Perspective

The present stewardship will close when “the fullness of time” arrives. Until then, believers work “as those who must give account” (Hebrews 13:17), confident that the Master’s final audit will vindicate every act done in faith.

Summary

Strong’s 3622 portrays God’s orderly, purposeful administration of salvation history and the privileges He entrusts to His servants. From Luke’s parable to Paul’s apostleship, Scripture presents stewardship as the intersection of divine sovereignty and human responsibility, calling every disciple to faithful management until Christ unites all things under His lordship.

Forms and Transliterations
οικονομια οἰκονομία οικονομιαν οικονομίαν οἰκονομίαν οικονομιας οικονομίας οἰκονομίας oikonomia oikonomía oikonomian oikonomían oikonomias oikonomías
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Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
Luke 16:2 N-GFS
GRK: λόγον τῆς οἰκονομίας σου οὐ
NAS: an accounting of your management, for you can
KJV: of thy stewardship; for
INT: account of the stewardship of you not

Luke 16:3 N-AFS
GRK: ἀφαιρεῖται τὴν οἰκονομίαν ἀπ' ἐμοῦ
NAS: is taking the management away
KJV: from me the stewardship: I cannot dig;
INT: is taking away the management from me

Luke 16:4 N-GFS
GRK: ἐκ τῆς οἰκονομίας δέξωνταί με
NAS: I am removed from the management people will welcome
KJV: I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive
INT: from the management they might receive me

1 Corinthians 9:17 N-AFS
GRK: δὲ ἄκων οἰκονομίαν πεπίστευμαι
NAS: against my will, I have a stewardship entrusted
KJV: against my will, a dispensation [of the gospel] is committed unto me.
INT: however unwillingly an administration I am entrusted with

Ephesians 1:10 N-AFS
GRK: εἰς οἰκονομίαν τοῦ πληρώματος
NAS: with a view to an administration suitable
KJV: That in the dispensation of the fulness
INT: for [the] administration of the fullness

Ephesians 3:2 N-AFS
GRK: ἠκούσατε τὴν οἰκονομίαν τῆς χάριτος
NAS: you have heard of the stewardship of God's
KJV: ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace
INT: you heard of the administration of the grace

Ephesians 3:9 N-NFS
GRK: τίς ἡ οἰκονομία τοῦ μυστηρίου
NAS: what is the administration of the mystery
INT: what [is] the administration of the mystery

Colossians 1:25 N-AFS
GRK: κατὰ τὴν οἰκονομίαν τοῦ θεοῦ
NAS: according to the stewardship from God
KJV: according to the dispensation of God
INT: according to the administration of God

1 Timothy 1:4 N-AFS
GRK: μᾶλλον ἢ οἰκονομίαν θεοῦ τὴν
NAS: than [furthering] the administration of God
INT: rather than stewardship of God which [is]

Strong's Greek 3622
9 Occurrences


οἰκονομία — 1 Occ.
οἰκονομίαν — 6 Occ.
οἰκονομίας — 2 Occ.

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