G37 — ἁγιάζω (hagiazo)¶

Core Data¶

Strong's: G37
Original: ἁγιάζω
Transliteration: hagiázō
Pronunciation: hag-ee-ad'-zo
Part of Speech: Verb
Root: ἅγιος (hagios, G40) — holy
Occurrences: 26 unique verses (29 tokens)
Books: 14
First Occurrence: Matt 6:9 — "Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name."
Hapax Legomenon: No

Lexicon Definition¶

From ἅγιος (G40); to make holy, i.e. (ceremonially) purify or consecrate; (mentally) to venerate.

Greek Voice/Tense Distribution¶

Voice–Tense	Count	Typical Meaning
Aorist Active	7	decisive act of setting apart (John 10:36, Heb 13:12)
Present Active	4	ongoing sanctifying action (Heb 2:11 "he that sanctifieth")
Aorist Passive	5	petition or decisive reception of holiness (Matt 6:9 "Hallowed be")
Perfect Passive	9	completed state of being sanctified (1 Cor 1:2 "them that are sanctified")
Present Passive	3	progressive sanctification (Heb 10:14 "them that are sanctified")

Active vs. passive split: 11 active, 17 passive (passive dominant — the word predominantly describes what God does to people/things).

Louw-Nida Semantic Domain¶

Domain 53.44: Dedicate, Consecrate (Religious Activities)
Subdomain 88.26: Holy, Pure (Moral and Ethical Qualities)
Other words in domain 53.44: ἁγιασμός (G38), ἅγιος (G40), ἁγιωσύνη (G42), ὁσιότης (G3742), ὅσιος (G3741), βαπτίζω (G907), περιτέμνω (G4059), τελειόω (G5048)

Domain Neighbors (53.44 — Dedicate, Consecrate)¶

Strong's	Word	Total Verses	Primary KJV Translation(s)
G38	ἁγιασμός	10	holiness, sanctification
G40	ἅγιος	161	holy, saints, Holy One
G42	ἁγιωσύνη	3	holiness
G3742	ὁσιότης	2	holiness
G3741	ὅσιος	8	holy, Holy One, mercies
G907	βαπτίζω	62	baptize
G5048	τελειόω	23	make perfect, perfect, finish

Translation Distribution (KJV)¶

Translation	Verses	%
sanctify / Sanctify	4	15.4%
sanctifieth	4	15.4%
are sanctified	4	15.4%
Hallowed be	2	7.7%
he might sanctify	2	7.7%
sanctified	2	7.7%
be sanctified	1	3.8%
being sanctified	1	3.8%
hath sanctified	1	3.8%
is sanctified	1	3.8%
let him be holy	1	3.8%
that are sanctified	1	3.8%
to them that are sanctified	1	3.8%
ye are sanctified	1	3.8%

KJV renders this word as "sanctif-" 92% of the time (24/26 verses). The two exceptions: "Hallowed" (Matt 6:9, Luke 11:2) and "let him be holy" (Rev 22:11).

Distribution by Book¶

Book	Count	Per 100 Verses
Hebrews	6	2.0
2 Timothy	1	1.2
1 Thessalonians	1	1.1
1 Peter	1	1.0
1 Timothy	1	0.9
1 Corinthians	3	0.7
Ephesians	1	0.6
Matthew	3	0.3
John	3	0.3
Acts	2	0.2
Romans	1	0.2
Revelation	1	0.2
Luke	1	0.1
Jude	1	—

Hebrews is the densest book (6 of 26 verses, 23%), developing the theology of Christ's sanctifying work most systematically. The Gospels use it primarily in Jesus' own words (Lord's Prayer, High Priestly Prayer, temple sayings). Absent from the Pastoral Epistles except 1 Tim 4:5 and 2 Tim 2:21, and absent from 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Philippians, Colossians, 2 Thessalonians, Philemon, James, 2 Peter, and 1–3 John.

Semantic Categories¶

1. Reverence for God's Name¶

Matt 6:9 — "Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name."
Luke 11:2 — "When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name."

Aorist passive imperative: a petition that God's name be treated as holy, acknowledged as sacred.

2. Christ's Sanctifying Work on Behalf of Believers¶

Heb 2:11 — "For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one"
Heb 10:10 — "By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all"
Heb 10:14 — "For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified"
Heb 13:12 — "Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate"

The largest cluster. Christ is the active agent; believers are passive recipients. Hebrews uses both perfect passive (completed act) and present passive (ongoing process).

3. Sanctification Through Truth and the Word¶

John 17:17 — "Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth."
John 17:19 — "And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth."
Eph 5:26 — "That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word"
1 Tim 4:5 — "For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer."

The instrumentality of truth, word, and prayer in the sanctifying process.

4. Positional Sanctification / Status of Believers¶

1 Cor 1:2 — "to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints"
1 Cor 6:11 — "but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus"
Acts 20:32 — "the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified"
Acts 26:18 — "that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith"
Jude 1:1 — "to them that are sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ, and called"

Perfect passive participle — a completed state describing believers' standing.

5. The Father's Sanctifying Authority¶

John 10:36 — "Say ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world"
1 Thess 5:23 — "And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly"

The Father as the agent who sets apart — both the Son for his mission and believers for holiness.

6. Ritual / Relational Consecration¶

Matt 23:17 — "the temple that sanctifieth the gold"
Matt 23:19 — "the altar that sanctifieth the gift"
1 Cor 7:14 — "the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife"
Heb 9:13 — "the blood of bulls and of goats... sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh"

Contact-holiness: the greater consecrates the lesser through association or ritual.

7. Human Response / Volitional Sanctification¶

1 Pet 3:15 — "But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts"
2 Tim 2:21 — "a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master's use"
Rev 22:11 — "he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still"
Rom 15:16 — "the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable, being sanctified by the Holy Ghost"

Human agency in sanctification — setting God apart in the heart, purging oneself, pursuing holiness.

Common Collocations¶

Word	Strong's	Co-occurrences	Typical Pattern
θεός (theos)	G2316	11x (42%)	God as agent of sanctification
Ἰησοῦς (Iesous)	G2424	7x (27%)	sanctified "in/through Jesus"
πᾶς (pas)	G3956	5x (19%)	"all" who are sanctified
Χριστός (Christos)	G5547	5x (19%)	sanctified "in Christ"
ἅγιος (hagios)	G40	4x (15%)	cognate: sanctify → saints/holy
κύριος (kyrios)	G2962	4x (15%)	"Lord" as sanctifier or object
λόγος (logos)	G3056	4x (15%)	sanctified through "the word"
ὄνομα (onoma)	G3686	4x (15%)	"in the name" of the Lord
πατήρ (pater)	G3962	4x (15%)	"Father" who sanctifies
πνεῦμα (pneuma)	G4151	4x (15%)	"Spirit" as agent of sanctification
αἷμα (haima)	G129	3x (12%)	sanctified through "blood"
προσφορά (prosphora)	G4376	3x (12%)	sanctified through "offering"

Word Family / Cognates¶

G40 ἅγιος (hagios) — holy, saint (root adjective; 161v)
G38 ἁγιασμός (hagiasmos) — sanctification, holiness (noun; 10v)
G42 ἁγιωσύνη (hagiosyne) — holiness (noun; 3v)
G41 ἁγιότης (hagiotes) — holiness (noun; 1v)

Synonyms¶

G2511 καθαρίζω (katharizo) — to cleanse, purify (ritual and moral)
G48 ἁγνίζω (hagnizo) — to purify, make clean (ceremonial purification)
G2407 ἱερατεύω (hierateuo) — to serve as priest (priestly consecration)

Antonyms¶

G953 βεβηλόω (bebeloo) — to profane, desecrate
G952 βέβηλος (bebelos) — profane, worldly, godless
G3392 μιαίνω (miaino) — to defile, pollute (implied by context)

Easily Confused Words¶

Word	Strong's	Shared Translation	Key Difference
קָדַשׁ (qadash)	H6942	sanctify, sanctified	OT Hebrew root; hagiazo is its standard LXX/NT equivalent
καθαρίζω (katharizo)	G2511	—	katharizo removes impurity; hagiazo sets apart for God's use
ἁγνίζω (hagnizo)	G48	—	hagnizo emphasizes ceremonial purification; hagiazo is broader (ceremonial + moral + positional)

Hebrew Source¶

Hebrew Source	Strong's	Co-occ	PMI	Notes
קָדַשׁ (qadash)	H6942	119	6.95	Primary equivalent — overwhelmingly dominant
קֹדֶשׁ (qodesh)	H6944	30	3.63	Noun "holiness/holy thing"
שַׁבָּת (shabbath)	H7676	13	4.51	"Sabbath" — sanctified time
מִשְׁחָה (mishchah)	H4888	6	5.48	"Anointing" — consecration ritual
מָשַׁח (mashach)	H4886	9	4.50	"To anoint" — related consecration
קָדוֹשׁ (qadosh)	H6918	10	3.86	"Holy one" — adjective form

The Hebrew-to-Greek bridge is extremely strong: H6942 qadash → G37 hagiazo with 119 co-occurrences (PMI 6.95). This is effectively a one-to-one translation equivalent across the LXX.