G2178 — ἐφάπαξ (ephapax)¶

Core Data¶

Strong's: G2178
Original: ἐφάπαξ
Transliteration: ephapax
Pronunciation: ef-ap'-ax
Part of Speech: Adverb
Root: ἐπί (epi, G1909) + ἅπαξ (hapax, G530) — "upon one occasion"
Occurrences: 5 in NT (5 unique verses across 3 books)
First Occurrence: Rom 6:10 — "For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God."
Hapax Legomenon: No

Lexicon Definition¶

From ἐπί (G1909) and ἅπαξ (G530); upon one occasion (only): — (at) once (for all).

Louw-Nida Semantic Domain¶

Domain 060.005: Once, Twice, Three Times, Etc. (Cardinals of Time)
Other words in subdomain: ἅπαξ (G530), δίς (G1364), ἑβδομηκοντάκις (G1441), ἑπτάκις (G2034), πεντάκις (G3999), τρίς (G5151)
Domain 067.002: A Point of Time with Reference to Other Points of Time
Broader domain 067: Time

Translation Distribution (KJV)¶

Translation	Count	%
once	4	80%
at once	1	20%

Distribution by Book¶

Book	Count	Per 100 Verses
Hebrews	3	1.0
Romans	1	0.2
1 Corinthians	1	0.2

Hebrews accounts for 60% of all uses. All three Hebrews occurrences appear in the high-priestly sacrifice argument (chapters 7, 9, 10). The word is absent from the Gospels, the Pastoral Epistles, and the General Epistles.

Semantic Categories¶

1. Decisive, Unrepeatable Sacrifice¶

The dominant sense (4 of 5 uses). Describes Christ's death or offering as a single, decisive event that cannot and need not be repeated — contrasted with the repetitive Levitical system.

Rom 6:10 — "For in that he died, he died unto sin once (ephapax): but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God."
Heb 7:27 — "Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people's: for this he did once (ephapax), when he offered up himself."
Heb 9:12 — "Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once (ephapax) into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption [for us]."
Heb 10:10 — "By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once (ephapax) [for all]."

2. Simultaneous Occurrence¶

One use carries a different sense: a large number of people present at one time.

1 Cor 15:6 — "After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once (ephapax); of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep."

Common Collocations¶

Word	Strong's	Co-occurrences	Typical Pattern
ἁμαρτία (hamartia)	G266	2x (40%)	"died unto sin once" / sacrifice for sins once
ἔπειτα (epeita)	G1899	2x (40%)	sequential narrative: "first... then... once"
ἴδιος (idios)	G2398	2x (40%)	"his own blood/sins" — the personal nature of the once-for-all act
ἁγιάζω (hagiazo)	G37	1x (20%)	sanctification accomplished through the once-for-all offering
αἷμα (haima)	G129	1x (20%)	"by his own blood entered in once"
αἰώνιος (aionios)	G166	1x (20%)	"eternal redemption" as the result of the once-for-all entrance
ἀρχιερεύς (archiereus)	G749	1x (20%)	high-priestly contrast: daily sacrifices vs. once-for-all
ἀναφέρω (anaphero)	G399	1x (20%)	"offered up himself" — the once-for-all offering verb

Word Family / Cognates¶

G530 ἅπαξ (hapax) — "once, one time" (15 occurrences). The simpler form; ephapax intensifies it with the ἐπί prefix, adding the nuance of finality and decisiveness.
G1909 ἐπί (epi) — preposition "upon." Prefixed to hapax to form the compound.

Easily Confused Words¶

Word	Strong's	Shared Translation	Key Difference
ἅπαξ (hapax)	G530	"once"	hapax = a single time (numerical); ephapax = once for all (with finality). In practice, both words overlap in sacrificial contexts (cf. Heb 9:26–28 uses hapax; 9:12 uses ephapax), but ephapax carries stronger emphasis on unrepeatable decisiveness.
ποτέ (pote)	G4218	"once"	pote = "at some time, formerly" — temporal indefiniteness or past reference ("once upon a time"), not finality.
אֶחָד (echad)	H259	"once" (KJV)	Hebrew numeral "one"; occasionally rendered "once" but lacks the adverbial finality of ephapax.

Semantic Domain Neighbors (Louw-Nida 060.005)¶

Strong's	Lemma	Total Verses	Primary KJV Translation
G530	ἅπαξ	15	once
G1364	δίς	6	twice
G2034	ἑπτάκις	4	seven times
G3999	πεντάκις	1	five times
G5151	τρίς	12	thrice, three times

Hebrew Source¶

No Hebrew sources found via LXX mapping. This compound adverb is a Greek formation without a direct Hebrew equivalent.