(beth 'abh, beth 'abhoth): Father's house in the Old Testament is
(1) a dwelling, the family home (Ge 12:1;31:14,30;38:11;1Sa 18:2);
(2) a family or household (Ge 41:51;46:31;Ex 12:3, the Revised Version (British and American) "fathers' houses");
(3) the group of households, of several of which the "family' or "clan" was constituted, aggregations of which formed the "tribe," generally "fathers' houses" (Nu 1:18,20;17:2;Ezr 2:59;Ne 10:34, etc.);
(4)the "family" (clan), mishpachah, "fathers' houses" (Ex 6:14f; Nu 3:20);
(5) the tribe, "fathers' house," "houses" (Nu 7:2;17:1-3, etc.).
In the New Testament "father's house" (oikos tou patros) occurs in the sense of dwelling, house (Lu 16:27; compare 16:4). our Lord also uses the phrase
(1) of the earthly temple-dwelling of God at Jerusalem (Joh 2:16, "Make not my Father's house a house of merchandise"; comparePs 11:4;Isa 63:15);
(2) of heaven as the abode of God and His children (Joh 14:2, "In my Father's house are many mansions," the Revised Version, margin "abiding places," oikia "house," "dwelling," also household, family; comparePs 33:13;Isa 63:15;Mt 6:9). The phrase occurs also (Ac 7:20) of Moses, "nourished.... in his father's house" (oikos).
Revised Version has "father's hquse" for "principal household" (1Ch 24:6), "heads of the fathers' houses" for "chief fathers" (Nu 31:26;32:28;36:1;1Ch 9:34, etc.); "one prince of a father's house," for "each of" (Jos 22:14); "the heads of the fathers' (houses)" for "the chief of the fathers," and "the fathers' houses of the chief," for "the principal fathers" (1Ch 24:31).
W. L. Walker