G530 — ἅπαξ (hapax)¶

Core Data¶

Strong's: G530
Original: ἅπαξ
Transliteration: hapax
Pronunciation: hap'-ax
Part of Speech: Adverb
Root: Probably from G537 (hapas, "all at once")
Occurrences: 15 unique verses (15 tokens) across 6 books
First Occurrence: 2 Cor 11:25 — "Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned"
Hapax Legomenon: No

Lexicon Definition¶

One (or a single) time, numerically or conclusively. An adverb denoting single occurrence — either a bare numerical "once" (as opposed to twice/thrice) or a conclusive "once for all" (an event whose nature excludes repetition).

Louw-Nida Semantic Domain¶

Domain: 60 — Number
Subdomain: 60.005 — Once, Twice, Three Times, Etc. (Cardinals of Time)
Glosses: once | one time | once and for all
Other words in subdomain: ἐφάπαξ (G2178), δίς (G1381), τρίς (G5040), πεντάκις (G3902), ἑβδομηκοντάκις (G1464), ἑπτάκις (G2052)

Domain Neighbors (Subdomain 60.005)¶

Strong's	Lemma	Verses	Primary KJV Translation(s)
G2178	ἐφάπαξ (ephapax)	5	once (80%), at once (20%)
G1381	δίς (dis)	6	twice, again, two
G5040	τρίς (tris)	12	thrice, three times
G3902	πεντάκις (pentakis)	1	five times
G1464	ἑβδομηκοντάκις (hebdomekontakis)	1	seventy times
G2052	ἑπτάκις (heptakis)	4	seven times

Translation Distribution (KJV)¶

Translation	Count	%
once	9	60.0%
once more	2	13.3%
was once	2	13.3%
hath once	1	6.7%
were once	1	6.7%

Distribution by Book¶

Book	Count	Per 100 Verses
Hebrews	8	2.6
1 Peter	2	1.9
Jude	2	—
1 Thessalonians	1	1.1
2 Corinthians	1	0.4
Philippians	1	—

Hebrews accounts for over half of all NT uses (8 of 15). The word clusters in theological argumentation about Christ's sacrifice and eschatological finality. Outside Hebrews, usage is spread thinly — Paul uses it for bare numerical counting (once vs. thrice, once and again), Peter for Christ's suffering and a past historical moment, and Jude for completed past events.

Semantic Categories¶

1. Numerical "Once" (Single Time vs. Multiple)¶

Bare counting — one time as opposed to twice or thrice. No overtone of finality. - 2 Cor 11:25 — "Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck" - Phil 4:16 — "For even in Thessalonica ye sent once and again unto my necessity" - 1 Thess 2:18 — "we would have come unto you, even I Paul, once and again; but Satan hindered us"

2. Unrepeatable Sacrifice / Offering¶

Christ's offering presented as a single, sufficient act requiring no repetition — contrasted with the repeated Levitical offerings. - Heb 9:26 — "but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself" - Heb 9:28 — "So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many" - 1 Pet 3:18 — "For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust" - Heb 9:7 — "But into the second [went] the high priest alone once every year" (Levitical contrast — annual repetition)

3. Unrepeatable Human Experience¶

A single event in the nature of things — death happens once per person. - Heb 9:27 — "And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment"

4. Past Completed State¶

A former condition or event viewed as settled — "at one time" (temporal past). - Heb 6:4 — "those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift" - Heb 10:2 — "the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins" - 1 Pet 3:20 — "when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah" - Jude 1:3 — "the faith which was once delivered unto the saints" - Jude 1:5 — "though ye once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt"

5. Eschatological Finality¶

A future decisive act that will end the present order — unrepeatable cosmic shaking. - Heb 12:26 — "Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven" - Heb 12:27 — "And this word, Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken"

Common Collocations¶

Word	Strong's	Co-occurrences	Typical Pattern
ἁμαρτία (hamartia)	G266	4x (27%)	"once [suffered/offered] for sins" — sacrifice-for-sin formula
δεύτερος (deuteros)	G1208	3x (20%)	"the second time" contrasted with the first/once — once vs. again
ἔτι (eti)	G2089	3x (20%)	"yet once more" — eschatological finality clause (Heb 12:26–27)
προσφέρω (prosphero)	G4374	3x (20%)	"once offered" — sacrificial offering vocabulary
ποιέω (poieo)	G4160	3x (20%)	General verb in surrounding clauses
δίς (dis)	G1364	2x (13%)	"once... twice" — numerical contrast pair
σαλεύω (saleuo)	G4531	2x (13%)	"once more I shake" — cosmic shaking
σωτηρία (soteria)	G4991	2x (13%)	Salvation as outcome of the once-offered sacrifice
Χριστός (Christos)	G5547	2x (13%)	Christ as subject of the "once" action
χωρίς (choris)	G5565	2x (13%)	"without sin" — second appearance clause

Easily Confused Words¶

Word	Strong's	Shared Translation	Key Difference
ἐφάπαξ (ephapax)	G2178	"once" (4x overlap)	Compound of ἐπί + ἅπαξ. Intensified form — "upon once," i.e., decisively and finally. In NT always carries the "once for all" finality sense, never bare numerical counting. Used in Rom 6:10, Heb 7:27, 9:12, 10:10.
ποτέ (pote)	G4218	"once" (2x overlap)	Indefinite temporal adverb — "at some time, formerly, once upon a time." Refers to a past time period rather than a single-occurrence event. Never sacrificial; primarily "in time past" / "sometimes" (27 occurrences, widely varied translations).
אֶחָד (echad)	H259	"once" (13x in LXX mapping)	Hebrew numeral "one." When rendered "once" it is strictly numerical — "one time." No inherent finality overtone.
פַּעַם (paam)	H6471	"once" (16x in LXX mapping)	Hebrew noun "stroke, step, time." The standard Hebrew counting-word for occurrences — "once," "twice" (paam, paamayim). Purely numerical.

Note on hapax vs. ephapax in Hebrews¶

Both words appear in Hebrews. The author uses hapax (G530) eight times and ephapax (G2178) three times (7:27, 9:12, 10:10). Ephapax always modifies the sacrificial act directly. Hapax has broader range — it modifies sacrifice (9:26, 28), human death (9:27), past experience (6:4, 10:2), the Levitical annual entrance (9:7), and the eschatological shaking (12:26–27). Grammatically, both are adverbs modifying the verb of their clause. Neither word inherently specifies the scope of what it modifies beyond its immediate clause.

Hebrew Source (LXX Mapping)¶

Hebrew Source	Strong's	Co-occurrences	PMI Score
פַּעַם (paam)	H6471	16	19.66
אֶחָד (echad)	H259	14	10.70
חָלָל (chalal)	H2491	3	6.66
אַךְ (ak)	H389	3	5.49
שְׁנַיִם (shenayim)	H8147	5	4.74

The LXX uses ἅπαξ predominantly to translate the Hebrew time-counting noun paam ("one time/stroke") and the numeral echad ("one"). This confirms the word's primary semantic range as numerical — "one time" — with the conclusive/finality sense being a contextual development rather than an inherent lexical feature.