MANSION. The English word occurs in Scripture only in John 14:2 , ‘In my Father’s house are many man-sioos’ (RVm [Note: Revised Version margin.] ‘Or, abiding places ’). Its retention is an archaism, for the modern connotation of a house of some dignity is quite lacking from the word as used by Tindale (1525), apparently from the Vulg. [Note: Vulgate.] mansiones , ‘abiding places.’ The Gr. word ( monç ), like the Latin, means (1) the act of abiding, (2) a place of abode. In the NT it occurs also in John 14:23 , where ‘make our abode’ is Greek idiom for ‘abide.’ Hence the thought in John 14:2 is simply that there is ample room for the disciples in the Father’s house. In the LXX [Note: Septuagint.] the Gr. word occurs only once, viz. 1Ma 7:38 , ‘give them no abiding place’ (RV [Note: Revised Version.] ‘suffer them not to live any longer’).

S. W. Green.