What does κτίσμα (ktísma) mean in the Bible?
G2938 is a noun for something created or a creature. Its four governed forms occur in four distinct settings.
Greek · G2938
κτίσμα
Creature
Reading a lexicon entry
What this page is: Each lexicon entry shows the original Hebrew or Greek word behind the English translation: its meaning, its range of use, and where it appears in Scripture.
Strong's number: The Strong's code (H- or G-) is the standard reference number for this word. It connects this entry to chapter and passage language tabs.
Where it appears: The witness passages show where this word is used in context. Click any to open the study page for that passage.
This lexicon entry is part of our ongoing editorial review. If you notice missing content, unclear wording, or a possible correction, please send us a note through the Connect page. Screenshots are helpful.
κτίσμα G2938
Pronunciation ktísma
What does κτίσμα (ktísma) mean in the Bible?
G2938 is a noun for something created or a creature. Its four governed forms occur in four distinct settings.
Reader summary
Full entry for κτίσμα (G2938) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render G2938?
The BSB source-word alignment has 4 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include creation (2), creature (1), creatures (1).
Where does κτίσμα (ktísma) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at 1 Timothy 4:4. Its strongest book concentrations include Revelation (2), 1 Timothy (1), James (1).
What This Word Actually Means
G2938 is a noun for something created or a creature. Its four governed forms occur in four distinct settings. First Timothy 4:4 says every creation of God is good within Paul's response to people who forbid marriage and certain foods; verse 5 continues with God's word and prayer. In James 1:18, God wills and brings forth a community through the word of truth, describing it as a kind of firstfruits within His creation.
Revelation 5:13 presents every creature joining a visionary chorus of praise, while Revelation 8:9 refers concretely to living creatures in the sea dying under the second trumpet. The noun identifies created entities, but it does not by itself establish how every created gift should be used, what the firstfruits image promises for the rest of creation, or the saving state of every participant in Revelation's vision.
Lexical sourcePassage contextCanonical parallel
How the Bible Uses It
The governed witness contains four G2938 forms in four verses. The uses concern God's good creation, firstfruits among His creation, every creature in heavenly praise, and living sea creatures struck in judgment.
- 1Tim.4.4
For every creation of God is good, and nothing that is received with thanksgiving should be rejected,
Verse 5 continues the argument by naming God's word and prayer. The local concern is the rejection of God's created gifts as defiling.
- Jas.1.18
He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we would be a kind of firstfruits of His creation.
The firstfruits description follows God's will and the word of truth. Broader new-creation conclusions require canonical synthesis beyond the noun itself.
- Rev.5.13
And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying: “To Him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power forever and ever!”
The creature language serves a comprehensive doxological scene. It should not be converted by itself into a claim about universal salvation.
- Rev.8.9
A third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.
This occurrence concerns mortal sea life affected by the trumpet judgment and keeps the noun grounded in ordinary created entities.
Passage context
Source Word Evidence
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders It creation 2× 1 Timothy 4:4, James 1:18
creature 1× Revelation 5:13
creatures 1× Revelation 8:9
Show sample aligned rows
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row 1 Timothy 4:4
Aligned rows 4
Books represented 3
1 Timothy 1 James 1 Revelation 2
Source forms
κτίσμα 2x ktisma 1 Timothy 4:4, Revelation 5:13
κτισμάτων 2x ktismatōn James 1:18, Revelation 8:9
Parsing patterns
Noun - Genitive Neuter Plural 2x James 1:18, Revelation 8:9
Noun - Accusative Neuter Singular 1x Revelation 5:13
Noun - Nominative Neuter Singular 1x 1 Timothy 4:4
Using This Word Well
Be careful not to...
- Receive God's gifts under His word and with thanksgiving rather than treating the word good as permission for any use.
- Let James and Revelation establish their own image and scene before drawing conclusions from creature language.
Avoid claiming...
- Do not claim that every practice involving a created thing is good because the thing itself comes from God.
- Do not claim that firstfruits of creation by itself proves a particular full-corpus renewal scheme.
- Do not claim that every creature's praise in Revelation 5 settles the saving state of every being.
Evidence Summary
Greek word. creature
Strong's G2938
Lexical occurrences 4 verses Greek text appearances 4 times Word forms 3 forms 4 references Verse guides 0 guides
Source Gloss
creature
Greek Text Appearances
Textus Receptus witness, full corpus Greek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
4 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
1 Timothy 4:4 Noun Nominative Singular Neuter
κτίσμα ktisma
a created thing, creature
Read verse James 1:18 Noun Genitive Plural Neuter
κτισμάτων. ktismatwn
a created thing, creature
Read verse Revelation 5:13 Noun Accusative Singular Neuter
κτίσμα ktisma
a created thing, creature
Read verse Revelation 8:9 Noun Genitive Plural Neuter
κτισμάτων ktismatwn
a created thing, creature
Read verseFull New Testament corpus: 260 chapters, 7,957 verses, 140,628 tokens. Data source: honza/textus-receptus (data only), with authority check against byztxt/greektext-textus-receptus.
Grammatical Forms
How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.
This word appears as a noun across 3 case and number patterns. The form changes show how the word functions in a sentence; they do not change the basic lexical meaning by themselves.
Form patterns 3 Aligned forms 4 Case pattern Genitive (2) Number pattern Plural (2)
Verse guides are not available for this word yet, so verse references remain plain evidence markers.
Nominative · Singular · Neuter 1 Tim 4:4 1×
Genitive · Plural · Neuter Jas 1:18 · Rev 8:9 2×
Accusative · Singular · Neuter Rev 5:13 1×
Word Origins
κτίσμα is built from this root:
Part of These Phrases
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
For the Preacher and Teacher
A created thing remains dependent on its Creator, and the four governed passages develop that dependence in different ways. First Timothy directs believers to receive God's creation with thanksgiving under His word and prayer rather than rejecting it as inherently defiling. James describes those born through the word of truth as a kind of firstfruits among God's creation.
Revelation 5 hears every creature directing praise to God and the Lamb, while Revelation 8 depicts living sea creatures dying under judgment. Gratitude, truth-born identity, praise, and creaturely vulnerability therefore belong to the witness, but they are not interchangeable claims. Teachers serve these passages best by preserving each setting and by refusing to make the noun settle questions the surrounding text has not addressed.
Anchor passage
1Tim.4.4
Doctrinal connections
- First Timothy 4:1-5 connects created food, thanksgiving, God's word, and prayer.
- James 1:17-18 connects God's good giving, His will, the word of truth, and firstfruits.
- Revelation 5:13 places every creature within praise directed to God and the Lamb.
- Revelation 8:9 places living sea creatures within the second trumpet judgment.
G2938 is a created-thing noun related to G2936 and G2937. The governed forms are singular in 1 Timothy and Revelation 5, and plural in James and Revelation 8. Translation alternates between creation, creature, and creatures according to context.
From Old to New Testament
Genesis repeatedly calls God's creative work good, and the Psalms summon creatures to praise their Maker. Those canonical themes illuminate the New Testament passages, but each connection should remain subordinate to the local argument.
Sources
MorphGNT Strong's Dictionary XML — CC0 1.0 Public Domain
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible (morphhb/OSHB) — CC BY 4.0
Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon — CC BY 4.0
Berean Standard Bible (BSB) source-word alignment - CC0 Public Domain