G4625 — σκάνδαλον (skándalon)¶

Core Data¶

Strong's: G4625
Original: σκάνδαλον
Transliteration: skándalon
Pronunciation: skan'-dal-on
Part of Speech: Neuter noun
Root: Probably from a derivative of κάμπτω (to bend); a "trap-stick" — the bent spring-stick of a snare whose dislodging triggers the trap
Occurrences: 13 unique verses (15 tokens) in 8 NT books
First Occurrence: Matt 13:41 — "gather out of his kingdom all things that offend (σκάνδαλα)"
Hapax Legomenon: No

Lexicon Definition¶

Originally the trigger-stick of a trap or snare — the bent stick on which the bait rested, whose disturbance released the mechanism. By metonymy: any obstacle or inducement that catches someone unawares and brings them down. In biblical Greek (LXX, NT) the word is figurative from the start — a stumbling-block, a cause of sin or apostasy, an occasion of moral ruin. The English word "scandal" derives from this term.

Semantic Domains¶

Louw-Nida: - 6.24 — Traps, Snares (Domain 6: Artifacts) - 25.016 — Offend, Be Offended (Domain 25: Attitudes and Emotions) - 88.307 — Sin, Wrongdoing, Guilt - Other words in 6.24: θήρα (G2339), παγίς (G3803) - Other words in 25.016: σκανδαλίζω (G4624), πρόσκομμα (G4348), προσκοπή (G4349), προσκόπτω (G4350), ἀπρόσκοπος (G0677), ἐγκόπτω (G1465)

UBS Semantic Domains: - [006] Artifacts - [025] Attitudes and Emotions - [088] Moral and Ethical Qualities and Related Behavior

Translation Distribution (KJV)¶

Translation	Verses	%
a stumblingblock	3	23.1%
offences	3	23.1%
of offence	2	15.4%
offence	2	15.4%
an occasion to fall	1	7.7%
an offence	1	7.7%
occasion of stumbling	1	7.7%
offend (Matt 13:41, substantival)	1	7.7%

Distribution by Book¶

Book	Abbrev	Count	Book Vv	Per 100
1 Peter	1Pe	1	105	1.0
1 John	1Jo	1	105	1.0
Romans	Rom	4	433	0.9
Galatians	Gal	1	149	0.7
Matthew	Mat	3	1071	0.3
1 Corinthians	1Co	1	437	0.2
Revelation	Rev	1	404	0.2
Luke	Luk	1	1151	0.1

Densest in Romans (4 of 13 uses). Paul is the heaviest user of the noun; Mark and John never use it (Mark/John prefer the verb G4624). Peter (1 Pet 2:8) couples it with πρόσκομμα in the Isaiah 8:14 "stone of stumbling" citation.

Semantic Categories¶

1. Christ Himself as "Stumbling-Stone" to Unbelievers¶

A fixed early-Christian use: Jesus and the cross are σκάνδαλον to those who refuse him — a fulfilment of Isa 8:14 / 28:16.

Rom 9:33 — "Behold, I lay in Sion a stumblingstone and rock of offence"
1 Cor 1:23 — "we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock"
Gal 5:11 — "then is the offence of the cross ceased"
1 Pet 2:8 — "a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence"

2. That Which Causes a Brother to Stumble (Ethical Use — Paul)¶

Paul uses σκάνδαλον for behaviors that trip up fellow believers — especially eating, liberty, and divisive teaching.

Rom 14:13 — "that no man put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in his brother's way"
Rom 16:17 — "mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine"
1 John 2:10 — "there is none occasion of stumbling in him"

3. Satanic or Corrupting Counsel as a Snare¶

A specific-agent use: σκάνδαλον as diabolical temptation or deceptive doctrine.

Matt 16:23 — "Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me"
Rev 2:14 — "the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock"

4. Snare / Judicial Recompense in Quotation from Psalm¶

A direct OT citation: David's imprecation becomes Paul's description of Israel's hardened state.

Rom 11:9 — "Let their table be made a snare, and a trap, and a stumblingblock"

5. "Offenses" in the Abstract — Inevitable Occasions of Sin¶

Jesus' dominical saying: σκάνδαλα will come; woe to the one who brings them.

Matt 13:41 — "gather out of his kingdom all things that offend (σκάνδαλα)"
Matt 18:7 — "Woe unto the world because of offences! for it must needs be that offences come"
Luke 17:1 — "It is impossible but that offences will come"

Common Collocations¶

Word	Strong's	Co-vv	Typical Pattern
ἀδελφός (brother)	G80	4x (31%)	"in his brother's way" — ethical use
ἄνθρωπος (man)	G444	3x (23%)	"woe to that man by whom..."
πρόσκομμα (stumbling-block)	G4348	3x (23%)	paired synonymously in stone/path texts
τίθημι (put / lay)	G5087	3x (23%)	"lay a stumblingstone"; "put a stumblingblock"
διδαχή (doctrine)	G1322	2x (15%)	divisive or Balaamite teaching
λίθος (stone)	G3037	2x (15%)	"stumblingstone" — Isa 8:14 tradition
πέτρα (rock)	G4073	2x (15%)	"rock of offence" — Isa 8:14 tradition
κηρύσσω (preach)	G2784	2x (15%)	"we preach Christ crucified... stumblingblock"
υἱός (son)	G5207	2x (15%)	Son of Man / sons of Israel contexts

Word Family / Cognates¶

σκανδαλίζω (skandalízō) G4624 — the denominative verb: to cause to stumble / be caught in the snare (28 vv)

Synonyms¶

G4348 πρόσκομμα (proskomma) — stumblingblock, obstruction placed in the way; the closest Pauline synonym (Rom 14:13)
G3803 παγίς (pagis) — snare, trap; broader trap vocabulary overlapping LN 6.24
G1350 δίκτυον (diktyon) — net; capture imagery adjacent to the trap/snare field
G4979 σχοινίον (schoinion) — cord; instrumental snare-line vocabulary returned by search_relationships.py

Antonyms¶

No antonyms were returned by search_relationships.py for G4625.

Easily Confused Words¶

Word	Strong's	Shared KJV Translation	Key Difference
πρόσκομμα (proskomma)	G4348	"stumblingblock," "offence"	Functionally near-synonymous in Pauline ethics (both appear in Rom 14:13 side-by-side). Proskomma emphasizes the obstruction one trips on; skandalon emphasizes the trap that springs on one. In Isa 8:14 LXX they render different Hebrew words.
παράπτωμα (paraptōma)	G3900	"offence" (the outcome)	Paraptōma = the lapse/transgression itself (the fall); skandalon = the cause of the fall (the trap). Paul uses both in Romans but distinctly.
προσκοπή (proskopē)	G4349	"offence"	Abstract noun: act/occasion of stumbling (1x: 2 Cor 6:3). Skandalon is more concrete: the object placed.
παγίς (pagis)	G3803	"snare"	Co-member of LN 6.24. Pagis = any snare or trap (often metaphorical for sudden judgment, Luke 21:35); skandalon focuses on the trigger-bait and its moral inducement.
מִכְשׁוֹל (mikshôl)	H4383	"stumblingblock" (2v overlap)	The Hebrew source-word most often rendered σκάνδαλον in the LXX.

Domain Neighbors (Louw-Nida 6.24 — Traps, Snares)¶

Strong's	Lemma	Total vv	Primary KJV	Key Difference
G2339	θήρα	1	a trap (Rom 11:9)	Generic word for "prey" or "net"; appears only in the composite Rom 11:9 quotation
G3803	παγίς	5	snare	Springe / trap — used broadly for sudden catastrophe (Luke 21:35; 1 Tim 3:7; 6:9; 2 Tim 2:26; Rom 11:9)

Hebrew Source (Greek ← Hebrew/Aramaic, LXX PMI)¶

Hebrew	Strong's	Word	Co-occ	PMI	Score
H4170	מוֹקֵשׁ (môqêsh)	noose / snare / fowler's gin	8	8.91	19.57
H6341	פַּח (pach)	bird-snare, metal sheet / trap	4	8.02	12.90
H4383	מִכְשׁוֹל (mikshôl)	stumbling-block, obstacle	3	8.44	11.70

σκάνδαλον is the standard LXX rendering of מוֹקֵשׁ — a Hebrew word that straddles "bird-snare" and "moral entrapment" exactly as σκάνδαλον does in the NT. The Isa 8:14 / 28:16 "stone of stumbling" texts use מִכְשׁוֹל, which the LXX sometimes renders σκάνδαλον (and which Paul likely has in mind at Rom 9:33; 1 Pet 2:8).

Pauline Context — Rom 14:13; 1 Cor 8:9 (paired with G4348)¶

In Paul's weak-brother ethics, σκάνδαλον (Rom 14:13) and πρόσκομμα (Rom 14:13, 20; 1 Cor 8:9) function as interchangeable labels for what a mature believer's exercise of liberty can become to the conscience-weak. Rom 14:13 stacks them: "no man put a proskomma or skandalon in his brother's way." The two nouns together cover the full semantic field — obstacle plus trap.