G4574 — σέβασμα (sebasma)¶

Core Data¶

Strong's: G4574
Original: σέβασμα
Transliteration: sebasma
Pronunciation: seb'-as-mah
Part of Speech: Neuter noun
Root: σέβομαι (sebomai, G4576) — to revere, worship; via σεβάζομαι (sebazomai, G4573) — to venerate
Occurrences: 2 in NT (2 unique verses)
First Occurrence: Acts 17:23 — "For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD."
Hapax Legomenon: No (appears in 2 verses)

Lexicon Definition¶

Something adored, i.e. an object of worship (god, altar, etc.). From σεβάζομαι (G4573).

Louw-Nida Semantic Domain¶

Domain: 53.007 — Worship, Reverence
Parent Domain: 53 — Religious Activities
Glosses: sanctuary, object of worship
Other words in subdomain: ἀφόβως (G870), γόνυ (G1119), εἰδωλολάτρης (G1496), εἰδωλολατρία (G1495), εὐσεβέω (G2151), κάμπτω (G2578), ὄνομα (G3686), ὀνομάζω (G3687), προσκυνέω (G4352), προσκυνητής (G4353), σεβάζομαι (G4573)

UBS Semantic Domains¶

[053] Religious Activities

Translation Distribution (KJV)¶

Translation	Count	%
devotions	1	50%
that is worshipped	1	50%

Distribution by Book¶

Book	Count	Per 100 Verses
2 Thessalonians	1	2.1
Acts	1	0.1

Only 2 occurrences across 2 books. Both are in Pauline-associated literature (Luke-Acts and Paul's epistles). Absent from the Gospels, the rest of the Pauline corpus, and Revelation.

Semantic Categories¶

1. Concrete Objects of Pagan Worship¶

Acts 17:23 — "For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions [σεβάσματα, plural], I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you."
Paul uses the plural to describe the physical shrines, altars, and images in Athens. The word denotes the tangible objects that receive religious veneration.

2. Any Object of Religious Veneration (Abstract / General)¶

2 Thessalonians 2:4 — "Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped [σέβασμα, singular]; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God."
Here the word is used in a broader, more abstract sense: anything that receives worship or religious reverence — whether pagan or true. The Man of Sin exalts himself above every sebasma.

Morphological Notes¶

Reference	Form	Parsing
Acts 17:23	σεβάσματα	Accusative Plural Neuter
2 Thess 2:4	σέβασμα	Accusative Singular Neuter

The plural in Acts 17:23 refers to the many physical objects of worship in Athens. The singular in 2 Thessalonians 2:4 functions as a generic/collective — "every object of worship."

Common Collocations¶

With only 2 verses, co-occurrence counts are minimal (all 1x). The most theologically significant co-occurring words:

Word	Strong's	Co-occurrences	Typical Pattern
ναός (naos)	G3485	1x	The Man of Sin sits in the "temple" (naos), exalting over the sebasma
βωμός (bomos)	G1041	1x	Paul found an "altar" (bomos) among the sebasmata of Athens
εὐσεβέω (eusebeo)	G2151	1x	"Whom ye ignorantly worship" — the act of worship directed toward the sebasma
ὑπεραίρομαι (huperairomai)	G5229	1x	"exalteth himself above" every sebasma
ἀποδείκνυμι (apodeiknymi)	G584	1x	"shewing himself" as God — self-exaltation over the sebasma
ἀντίκειμαι (antikeimai)	G480	1x	"opposeth" — the Man of Sin opposes every sebasma

Word Family / Cognates¶

G4573 σεβάζομαι (sebazomai) — to venerate, worship (1x: Rom 1:25). Immediate root verb of sebasma.
G4576 σέβομαι (sebomai) — to revere, worship (10x). The primary root verb of the seb- word family.
G4575 σεβαστός (sebastos) — venerable, august (3x: Acts 25:21, 25:25, 27:1). Title of the Roman Emperor ("Augustus"). Same root, applied to imperial reverence.
G2152 εὐσεβής (eusebes) — devout, pious, godly (4x). Compound of εὖ + σέβομαι.
G2150 εὐσέβεια (eusebeia) — godliness, piety (15x). The noun from eusebes.
G2151 εὐσεβέω (eusebeo) — to show piety, to worship (2x). The verb form.

Synonyms¶

No direct synonyms surfaced by search_relationships.py.

Antonyms¶

No direct antonyms surfaced by search_relationships.py.

Easily Confused Words¶

Word	Strong's	Shared Translation	Key Difference
προσκυνέω (proskyneo)	G4352	"worshipped"	proskyneo = the act of worship (bowing, prostrating); sebasma = the object that receives worship
σεβάζομαι (sebazomai)	G4573	"worshipped"	sebazomai = the act of venerating; sebasma = the thing venerated (noun vs. verb)
εἴδωλον (eidolon)	G1497	—	eidolon = a specific idol/image; sebasma = broader term covering any object of worship (altars, shrines, images, even abstract concepts of deity)
θεραπεύω (therapeuo)	G2323	"worshipped" (Acts 17:25)	therapeuo primarily = to heal/serve; rare worship sense is "to serve/attend to" a deity, not an object of worship

Domain Neighbors (Louw-Nida 53.007 — Worship, Reverence)¶

Strong's	Lemma	Total Verses	Primary KJV Translation	Key Difference
G4352	προσκυνέω	37	worship, worshipped	The act of bowing in worship; sebasma is the object receiving it
G4353	προσκυνητής	1	worshippers	A person who worships; sebasma is what they worship
G4573	σεβάζομαι	1	worshipped	The verb "to venerate"; sebasma is the result-noun — the thing venerated
G2151	εὐσεβέω	2	worship, shew piety	To act piously; sebasma is the object of that piety
G1496	εἰδωλολάτρης	7	idolaters	A person who worships idols; sebasma covers any worship object, not just idols
G1495	εἰδωλολατρία	4	idolatry	The practice of idol worship; sebasma is the physical/conceptual object

Hebrew Source¶

No Hebrew sources found via LXX mapping for G4574.