Quick Definition
κοιλία, ας, ἡ n.f. belly, womb, the inner man
Strong's Definition
from koilos ("hollow"); a cavity, i.e. (especially) the abdomen; by implication, the matrix; figuratively, the heart
KJV Usage: belly, womb
UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament
noun, f. | -ας
8.67 · Body, Body Parts, and Body Products · Parts of the Body
belly, internal organs the entire digestive apparatus, including stomach and intestines
MAT 12:40 · MAT 15:17 · MRK 7:19 · 1CO 6:13 · 1CO 6:13 · REV 10:9 · REV 10:10
8.69 · Body, Body Parts, and Body Products · Parts of the Body
womb the uterus
MAT 19:12 · LUK 1:15 · LUK 1:41 · LUK 1:42 · LUK 1:44 · LUK 2:21 · LUK 23:29 · JHN 3:4 · ACT 3:2 · ACT 14:8 · GAL 1:15
26.11 · Psychological Faculties
heart, feelings, desires (figurative extension of meaning of κοιλία[a] ‘belly,’ 8.67) the psychological faculty of desire, intent, and feeling Though some persons have attempted to distinguish between σπλάγχνον[b], κοιλία[c], and νεφρός, it is extremely doubtful whether this is really possible or practical. The semantic focus in the use of these terms is clearly the deeper and more intimate feelings and emotions. In some languages one can use a term which literally means ‘belly’ or ‘bowels,’ but more often than not, these emotions are associated with some particular organ of the body such as heart, spleen, liver, etc. Rather, however, than attempting to employ a figurative expression which may or may not be fully equivalent, it is often preferable to refer to the emotional content by using terms such as ‘feelings,’ ‘intents,’ ‘desires,’ or ‘compassion,’ depending upon the context.
25.28 · Attitudes and Emotions · Desire Strongly
physical desires, desires of the body desire for gratification of the body It is also possible that κοιλία in ROM 16:18 refers to Jewish dietary laws and regulations.
23.51 · Physiological Processes and States · Birth, Procreation
Collocation: ἡ κοιλία βαστάζει
to be pregnant with, to carry in the womb (an idiom, literally: the womb carries) to experience the process of pregnancy It may, however, be necessary in some languages to render LUK 11:27 as ‘fortunate is the woman who gave you birth,’ since a literal reference to carrying in the womb may seem unduly crude.
1 It would be possible to treat σπλάγχνα[b], κοιλία[c], and νεφρός in this figurative sense in Domain 25 Attitudes and Emotions, but these meanings have been assigned to this domain of Psychological Faculties since the meanings involve aspects of personality which function as agents or presumed locations of psychological dispositions.
UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament © United Bible Societies, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Thayer's Greek Lexicon
κοιλία, -as, 7, (κοῖλος hollow); Sept. for 03 the belly, Dyn the bowels, 27p the interior, the midst of a thing, Dn the womb; the belly: and 1. the whole belly, the entire cavity; hence ἡ ἄνω and ἡ κάτω κοιλία, the upper [i. e. the stomach] and the lower belly are distinguished ; very often so in Grk. writ. fr. Hdt. down. 2. the lower belly, the alvine region, the receptacle of the exerement (Plut. symp. 7, 1, 3 sub fin. εἴπερ εἰς κοιλίαν ἐχώρει διὰ στομάχου πᾶν τὸ πινόμενον) : Mt. xv. 17; Mk. vii. 19. 3. the ψωμί ει (Lat. stomachus): Mt. xii. 40; Lk. xv. 16 [WH Trmmrg. χορτασθῆναι ἐκ etc.]; 1 Co. vi. 13; Rev. x. 9 sq.; δουλεύειν τῇ κοιλίᾳ, to be given up to the pleasures of the palate, to gluttony, (see δουλεύω, 2 b.), Ro. xvi. 18; also ὧν ὁ θεὸς ἡ κοιλία, Phil. iii. 19; κοιλίας ὄρεξις, Sir. xxiii. 6. 4. the womb, the place where the fetus is conceived and nourished till birth: Lk. i. 41 sq. 44; ii. 21; xi. 27; xxiii. 29; Jn. 11. 4, (very often so in Sept.; very rarely in prof. auth. ; Epict. diss. 3, 22, 74; of the uterus of animals, ibid. 2, 16,43); ἐκ (beginning from [see ἐκ, IV. 17) κοιλίας μητρός, Mt. xix. 12; Lk. i. 15; Acts iii. 2; xiv. 8; Gal. i. 15, (for DX 13:2, Ps. xxi. (xxii.) 11; Ixx. (Ixxi.) 6; Job i. 21; 15. xlix. 1; Judg. xvi. 17 [ Vat. ἀπὸ x. p.; ef. W. 33 (52)]). 5. in imitation of the Hebr. 13, tropically, the innermost part of a man, the soul, heart, as the seat of thought, feeling, choice, (Job xv. 35; xxxii. 18 [Sept. γαστήρ]; Prov. xviii. 8 ‘Sept. ψυχή]; xx. 27, 30; xxvi. 22 [Sept. σπλάγχνα]; Hab. iii. 16; Sir. xix. 12; li. 21): In. vii. 38.
Mounce Concise Greek Dictionary
κοιλία koilia 22x
a cavity; the belly, Mt. 15:17; Mk. 7:19; the stomach, Mt. 12:40; Lk. 15:16; the womb, Mt. 19:12; Lk. 1:15; from the Hebrew, the inner self, Jn. 7:38
Abbott-Smith Greek Lexicon
κοιλία, -ας, ἡ
(< κοῖλος, hollow), [in LXX chiefly for בֶּטֶן, מֵעִים, קֶרֶב, De 7:13, II Ki 7:12, Ge 41:21, al.; also (Jb 3:11 10:18 31:15 38:8) for רֶחֶם;]
the belly (stomach or intestines or both): Mt 12:40 15:17, Mk 7:19, Lk 15:16, Ro 16:18, I Co 6:13, Phl 3:19, Re 10:9, 10.
(As often in LXX) the womb: Lk 1:41, 42, 44 2:21 11:27 23:29, Jo 3:4; ἐκ κ. μητρός (cf. Ps 21 (22):11, Jb 1:21, al.), Mt 19:12, Lk 1:15, Ac 3:2 14:8, Ga 1:15.
Metaph. (as Heb. בֶּטֶן, cf. Jb 15:35, Pr 20:27, Si 19:12), of the heart: Jo 7:38.†
Moulton & Milligan — Vocabulary of the Greek NT
κοιλία. For κοιλία (MGr κοιλιά) ‘‘belly,” ‘‘abdomen,” it is sufficient to cite P Magd 334 (B.c. 221) κατέκαυσεν τήν τε κοιλίαν Kal Tov ἀριστερὸν μηρόν, P Leid Ui 8 (ji/B.c.) (= I. p. 124) πεσόντα ἐπὶ κοιλίαν, P Par 18 42513 (Rom.) ἐπιγεγραμμένον ἐπὶ τῆς κοιλίας τὸ ὄνομα αὐτῆς οἵ a dead body, P Ryl II. 635 (astrological—iii/a.p.) Λέοντος κοιλία, and from the inscrr. Sy// 8035 (iii/B.c.) ἀνὴρ ἐ[ντὸ]ς τᾶς κοιλίας ἕλκος ἔχων. For the usage in Phil 319 it is customary to quote Eupolis Κόλακ. Fr. 172 (Kock I.) κοιλιοδαίμων, **a devotee of the belly,” and for the deeper, inner sense, which the word has in Jn 788, see the passages from the LXX cited in Grimm-Thayer. An interesting ex. of κοίλωμα = “hollow,” as in the LXX, occurs in P Petr II. 13 (18a) (B.c. 258-3) where preparations are made—tva ἀναχωσθῆι καὶ ὁμαλισθῇ τὰ κοιλώμα[τα] πρὸ [τοῦ] τὸν βασιλέα παραγενέσθαι, ‘that the excavation may be filled up and levelled before the king arrives” (Ed.): cf. Lk 3°.
Liddell-Scott-Jones — Greek-English Lexicon
κοιλία (koilia) — belly/womb/stomach. κοιλί-α, Ionic dialect κοιλί-η, ἡ, (κοῖλος) cavity of the body, i.e. thorax with abdomen, [Refs 5th c.BC+], = thorax, ἡ κάτω, = abdomen, accusative to [Refs 2nd c.AD+]; τὰ κατὰ κ. νουσήματα diseases of the thoracic cavity, [Refs 5th c.BC+]
2. belly, abdomen, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; opposed to ἡ ἄνω κ., stomach, [Refs 5th c.BC+][same place]; κ. alone frequently = stomach, [Refs]; of birds, [Refs]; also, paunch or rumen of animals, [NT]
3. intestines, κ. κείνη [Refs 5th c.BC+], etc.; of animals, κ. ὑεία pig's tripe, [Refs 5th c.BC+]: plural, tripe and puddings, [Refs 5th c.BC+]
3. b phrases, κ. σκληρὰν ἔχειν to be costive, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; τὴν κ. λύειν to relax the bowels, [Refs 4th c.BC+]; αἱ κ. λύονται, ἀναλύονται,[Refs]; εὔλυτοί [εἰσι] [Refs 5th c.BC+]; [οἶνος] κοιλίας μαλακτικός, κοιλίας ἐφεκτικά, Mnesith. cited in [Refs 2nd c.AD+]; κ. ἐκλύειν, ὑπάγειν, μαλάσσειν, [Refs 1st c.BC+]
4. excrement, especiallyin plural, κ. συνεστηκυῖαι excrements of firm consistency, [Refs 5th c.BC+]
II. any cavity in the body, ventricle, chamber, as in the lungs, heart, liver, brain, κ. αἱ τὸ πνεῦμα δεχόμεναι καὶ προπέμπουσαι [Refs 4th c.BC+]
II.2. socket of a bone, [Refs 5th c.BC+]
II.3. supposed cavities inside the muscles, [Refs 3rd c.BC+]; compare νηδύς.
II.4. womb, [NT+5th c.BC+]
III. any hollow or cavity, in the earth, [Refs 4th c.BC+]; in the clouds,[Refs]
IV. perhaps finger-tip, [Refs 2nd c.AD+]