G4969 — σφάζω (sphazō)¶

Core Data¶

Strong's: G4969
Original: σφάζω
Transliteration: spházō
Pronunciation: sfad'-zo
Part of Speech: Verb (primary)
Root: Primary verb — no derived root
Occurrences: 9 unique verses (10 tokens) in NT
First Occurrence: 1 John 3:12 — "Not as Cain, [who] was of that wicked one, and slew his brother"
Hapax Legomenon: No

Lexicon Definition¶

A primary verb; to butcher (especially an animal for food or in sacrifice); by extension to slaughter, or (figuratively) to maim (violently): — kill, slay, wound.

Semantic Domains¶

Louw-Nida: - Domain 20.004: Kill (subdomain of 20 — Violence, Harm, Destroy, Kill) - Other words in domain: G337 ἀναιρέω (kill), G615 ἀποκτείνω (kill), G443 ἀνθρωποκτόνος (murderer), G607 ἀποκεφαλίζω (behead), G1315 διαχειρίζω (slay)

UBS Semantic Domains: - [020] Violence, Harm, Destroy, Kill

Translation Distribution (KJV)¶

Translation	Count	%
that were slain	2	22%
slew	1	11%
it had been slain	1	11%
slain	1	11%
that was slain	1	11%
they should kill	1	11%
thou wast slain	1	11%
wounded	1	11%

Distribution by Book¶

Book	Count	Per 100 Verses
Revelation	8	2.0
1 John	1	1.0

Concentrated almost entirely in Revelation (89% of uses). The Perfect Passive Participle (ἐσφαγμένον/ἐσφαγμένων) dominates within Revelation — 6 of 8 uses — expressing the ongoing state of having been slaughtered.

Semantic Categories¶

1. The Slaughtered Lamb (Christological)¶

Christ's death expressed through the sacrificial slaughter vocabulary drawn from the LXX rendering of שָׁחַט (shachat). The Perfect Passive Participle emphasizes the Lamb's permanent, ever-present identity as the one who has been slain. - Rev 5:6 — "stood a Lamb as it had been slain (ἐσφαγμένον), having seven horns and seven eyes" - Rev 5:9 — "thou wast slain (ἐσφάγης), and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood" - Rev 5:12 — "Worthy is the Lamb that was slain (ἐσφαγμένον)" - Rev 13:8 — "the Lamb slain (ἐσφαγμένου) from the foundation of the world"

2. Martyrs Slaughtered¶

Believers killed for their testimony are described with the same slaughter vocabulary as Christ — their deaths placed in the same sacrificial register. - Rev 6:9 — "souls of them that were slain (ἐσφαγμένων) for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held" - Rev 18:24 — "the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain (ἐσφαγμένων) upon the earth"

3. Literal Killing / Violence¶

Physical slaughter of persons — both historical murder and eschatological war. - 1 John 3:12 — "Cain...slew (ἔσφαξεν) his brother" - Rev 6:4 — "power was given to him...that they should kill (σφάξουσιν) one another"

4. The Beast's Counterfeit Wound¶

The beast's mortal wound mimics the slain Lamb using the identical vocabulary — a deliberate parody. - Rev 13:3 — "one of his heads as it were wounded (ἐσφαγμένην) to death; and his deadly wound was healed"

Common Collocations¶

Word	Strong's	Co-occurrences	Typical Pattern
γῆ (gē)	G1093	5x (56%)	"all that were slain upon the earth"
πᾶς (pâs)	G3956	4x (44%)	"all that were slain" / "all the world"
ἀρνίον (arnion)	G721	3x (33%)	"the Lamb that was slain"
θεός (theós)	G2316	3x (33%)	slain "for the word of God"
ὁράω (horáō)	G3708	3x (33%)	visionary beholding of the slain
αἷμα (haîma)	G129	2x (22%)	"blood" flowing from the slaughter
ἄξιος (áxios)	G514	2x (22%)	"worthy is the Lamb that was slain"
σφραγίς (sphragís)	G4973	2x (22%)	seals opened to reveal the slain Lamb or martyrs

Word Family / Cognates¶

G4967 σφαγή (sphagē) — slaughter, the act of slaughtering (feminine noun; 3x in NT)
G4968 σφάγιον (sphagion) — slaughter animal, sacrificial victim (neuter noun; 1x in NT)

Synonyms¶

G2380 θύω (thyō) — to slaughter or sacrifice; the closest cultic parallel
G1968 ἐπιπίπτω (epipiptō) — to fall upon, rush upon; violent-overlap neighbor surfaced by the UBS data
G615 ἀποκτείνω (apokteinō) — to kill, put to death; the broader generic counterpart

Antonyms¶

G2513 καθαρός (katharos) — clean, pure; cultic purity stands opposite slaughter/blood contamination (UBS/domain-opposite data)
G2511 καθαρίζω (katharizō) — cleanse, purify; ritual purification rather than ritual killing (UBS/domain-opposite data)
G2808 κλείω (kleiō) — shut, close; surfaced by the relationship tool as a contrasting action, though not a primary lexical opposite of σφάζω

Easily Confused Words¶

Word	Strong's	Shared Translation	Key Difference
ἀποκτείνω (apokteinō)	G615	both → "kill / slain"	apokteinō = generic killing without sacrificial nuance; sphazō = butcher-style slaughter drawing on ritual vocabulary
θύω (thyō)	G2380	both → sacrifice/slaughter	thyō = sacrifice (the broader act of offering); sphazō = specifically the violent killing/cutting
ἀναιρέω (anaireō)	G337	both → "kill"	anaireō = eliminate/take away (judicial or political removal); sphazō = violent butchery

Domain Neighbors (Louw-Nida 020004 — Kill)¶

Word	Strong's	Total Vv	Key Difference
ἀποκτείνω (apokteinō)	G615	25	Generic "kill" — broadest NT killing term
ἀναιρέω (anaireō)	G337	7	Eliminate, put away — often official/judicial
ἀνθρωποκτόνος (anthrōpoktonos)	G443	3	Murderer (noun) — moral category label
ἀποκεφαλίζω (apokefalizo)	G607	5	Behead specifically — mode of execution

Hebrew Source¶

Hebrew Source	Strong's	LXX Co-occ	PMI Score	Notes
שָׁחַט (shachat)	H7819	58	8.09	Primary: sacrificial + violent slaughter
זָרַק (zaraq)	H2236	11	6.75	Sprinkle (blood) — ritual context word
טָבַח (tabach)	H2873	6	7.47	Slaughter for food — less cultic
דָּם (dam)	H1818	22	4.60	Blood — dominant context collocation