Meaning of FAMILY

«house», «father's house».
It was the smallest society in worship, law and economy. Married male children and their offspring also belonged to the family as long as the father of the family lived.

The head of the family (generally the father) was solely responsible for the religious cult (Judges 17:5), had judicial power (Gen. 42:37) and had to ensure the future of the family, to which they belonged. also slaves and family property (cf. Ex. 20:7).

This "strong" position of the family corresponded to the customs of a time in which a higher authority could hardly be effective. Led to the fear that any imbalance in family solidarity would cause the collapse of the very foundations on which Jewish society rested, obedience to parents was convincingly encouraged (cf. Ex. 20:12; 21:15; Deut. 5:16; Lev. 19:3).

And certain laws that seem barbaric to us today, such as those of the levirate, had no other purpose than to defend the family.
After the conquest of Canaan, the family little by little lost most of its rights, that is, they were taken away by the central power.

In the family, children were educated and introduced to worship and professional work (Deut. 6:20 ff.; Si. 7:23 ff.; 30:1-30). The family had to take care of its elderly and sick members.

The prestige of a mother of a family grew with the number of her children. The wisdom books have very sound and pertinent advice regarding the obligations of children towards their parents (Prov. 17:1; 19:26; 20:20; 28:24; 31:10-31).

The main centers of community life in the early Christian churches were "houses" whose leaders had converted to Christianity (Acts 11:24; 16:15, 31-34; Phm. 2).

It is lawful for Christians to call themselves family members of God, since they belong to his family (Eph. 2:19). The Kingdom of God takes precedence over the family (Mark 6:4; 10:29; Mt. 10:37; Luke 14:26).