HOUSEHOLDER.—This term as well as ‘goodman of the house,’ ‘master of the house,’ are different translations of the same Greek word οἰ?κοδεσπότης . It is rendered ‘householder’ in the parables of the Tares and the Wheat (Matthew 13:27), of the Owner bringing forth his treasures new and old (Matthew 13:52), of the Labourers in the Vineyard (Matthew 20:1), of the Vineyard let out to husbandmen (Matthew 21:33), with special application to Christ as Head of the Church. The phrase ‘goodman of the house’ is applied (Mark 14:14, Luke 22:11) to the owner of the house in which the Last Supper was to be prepared. The translation ‘master of the house’ is found in Luke 12:39 Revised Version NT 1881, OT 1885 (Authorized Version ‘goodman’), Matthew 24:43, of the owner or overseer whose duty it is to protect his property against the thief in the night. It occurs also in the parable of the Great Supper, Luke 14:21 (corresponding to the king of Matthew 22:2, Matthew 22:7), also as denoting the head of the house whose persecution involves that of his subordinates, Matthew 10:25 (see Household); and once more in the parable of the Unfaithful, against whom the door was shut, Luke 13:25 (cf. parable of the Ten Virgins, Matthew 25).
C. H. Prichard.