G2378 — θυσία (thysía)¶

Core Data¶

Strong's: G2378
Original: θυσία
Transliteration: thysía
Pronunciation: thoo-see'-ah
Part of Speech: Feminine noun
Root: θύω (thyō, G2380) — to rush, breathe hard; by extension, to sacrifice/slay
Occurrences: 29 in NT
First Occurrence: Matt 9:13 — "I will have mercy, and not sacrifice"
Hapax Legomenon: No

Lexicon Definition¶

From G2380; sacrifice (the act or the victim, literally or figuratively).

Semantic Domains¶

Louw-Nida: - 53.002 — Offering, Sacrifice (under 53: Religious Activities)

Other words in subdomain: ἀνάθημα (G334), ἀναφέρω (G399), ἀπαρχή (G536), θυμίαμα (G2368), θύω (G2380), ὁλοκαύτωμα (G3646), κορβᾶν (G2878), πρόθεσις (G4286)

UBS Semantic Domains: - [053] Religious Activities

Translation Distribution (KJV)¶

Translation	Count	%
sacrifices	12	41%
sacrifice	11	38%
a sacrifice	3	10%
Sacrifice	2	7%
the sacrifice	1	3%

Essentially a single-gloss word — every KJV rendering is "sacrifice."

Distribution by Book¶

Book	Count	Per 100 Verses
Hebrews	15	5.0
Mark	2	0.3
Matthew	2	0.2
Acts	2	0.2
Luke	2	0.2
Philippians	2	—
Romans	1	0.2
1 Corinthians	1	0.2
Ephesians	1	0.6
1 Peter	1	1.0

Pattern: Hebrews dominates (52% of all uses) due to its systematic treatment of OT sacrificial typology. All 10 NT books using the word are Pauline or deutero-Pauline, plus the Gospels/Acts for historical references to temple practice.

Semantic Categories¶

1. OT Sacrificial System (as typological shadow)¶

Referring to animal sacrifices prescribed under Mosaic law, especially as compared unfavorably to Christ's offering in Hebrews.

Heb 10:1 — "the law having a shadow of good things to come, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect"
Heb 9:9 — "gifts and sacrifices, that could not make him that did the service perfect"
Heb 10:11 — "every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins"
Acts 7:41–42 — "offered sacrifice unto the idol...to worship the host of heaven" (quoting Amos 5:25)

2. Christ's Once-for-All Sacrifice¶

The definitive, unrepeatable offering of Christ in contrast to the repeated OT rite.

Heb 10:12 — "this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God"
Heb 7:27 — "needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice...this he did once, when he offered up himself"
Eph 5:2 — "Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour"
Heb 9:26 — "now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself"

3. Mercy Over Sacrifice (Prophetic Critique)¶

OT prophetic formula (from Hos 6:6) cited by Jesus to contrast inward obedience with external ritual.

Matt 9:13 — "I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners"
Matt 12:7 — "if ye had known what this meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless"
Mark 12:33 — "to love him with all the heart...is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices"

4. Living/Spiritual Sacrifice (the Believer's Offering)¶

Metaphorical extension to non-animal offerings — the believer's life, praise, and generosity.

Rom 12:1 — "present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service"
1 Pet 2:5 — "an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ"
Heb 13:15–16 — "the sacrifice of praise to God continually...with such sacrifices God is well pleased"
Phil 4:18 — "an odour of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, wellpleasing to God"

Common Collocations¶

Word	Strong's	Co-occurrences	Typical Pattern
θεός (theós)	G2316	10x (34%)	Sacrifice offered to/for God
προσφέρω (prosphérō)	G4374	9x (31%)	"offer a sacrifice"
ἁμαρτία (hamartía)	G266	7x (24%)	"sacrifice for sins"
πᾶς (pâs)	G3956	7x (24%)	"all sacrifices" (in comparative statements)
δῶρον (dōron)	G1435	4x (14%)	"gifts and sacrifices" (paired hendiadys)
θέλω (thélō)	G2309	4x (14%)	"thou wouldest not" sacrifice (from Ps 40)
προσφορά (prosphorá)	G4376	3x (10%)	"offering and sacrifice" (paired)
νόμος (nómos)	G3551	3x (10%)	Sacrifices as part of the Mosaic law

Word Family / Cognates¶

G2380 θύω (thyō) — root verb: to sacrifice, slay (also used of slaughtering for food)
G2379 θυσιαστήριον (thysiastērion) — the altar, place of sacrifice (from θυσία + suffix)
G2368 θυμίαμα (thymiama) — incense offering (cognate root: smell/smoke of sacrifice)

Synonyms¶

No direct synonyms were returned by search_relationships.py for G2378.

Antonyms¶

No antonyms were returned by search_relationships.py for G2378.

Easily Confused Words¶

Word	Strong's	Shared Translation	Key Difference
H2077 זֶבַח (zebach)	H2077	"sacrifice"	OT animal slaughter offering; θυσία is its standard Greek equivalent
προσφορά (prosphorá)	G4376	both rendered "offering"	prosphorá = the act of presenting/bringing; θυσία = the offering itself (act or victim)
δῶρον (dōron)	G1435	both rendered "offering/gift"	dōron = any gift to God; θυσία specifically involves the notion of slaughter/consecration
ὁλοκαύτωμα (holokautōma)	G3646	both in sacrificial contexts	holokautōma = whole burnt offering (entirely consumed); θυσία = broader term for any sacrifice
H4503 מִנְחָה (minchah)	H4503	"offering/sacrifice"	minchah = grain/cereal offering; θυσία = primarily animal sacrifice

Domain Neighbors (Louw-Nida 53.002)¶

Strong's	Lemma	Total Vv	Primary KJV	Key Difference
G2379	θυσιαστήριον	23	altar	The place of sacrifice vs. the sacrifice itself
G2380	θύω	3	kill, sacrifice	The verbal act of slaughtering vs. the noun
G4376	προσφορά	~11	offering	The presentation/act vs. the victim
G3646	ὁλοκαύτωμα	3	burnt offerings	Wholly consumed offering; θυσία is broader
G2368	θυμίαμα	5	incense	Incense offering; θυσία refers to animal offerings
G1435	δῶρον	85	gift	General gift; θυσία has sacrificial/cultic specificity

Hebrew Source (via LXX)¶

Hebrew Source	Strong's	Co-occ	PMI	Notes
זֶבַח (zebach)	H2077	130	6.08	Primary — slaughter offering; θυσία is its standard LXX rendering
מִנְחָה (minchah)	H4503	142	5.85	Grain/tribute offering; less common LXX mapping to θυσία
שֶׁלֶם (shelem)	H8002	60	5.82	Peace/fellowship offering
עֹלָה (ʻôlâh)	H5930	77	4.53	Burnt offering (ascending); often paired with θυσία in LXX