G987 — βλασφημέω (blasphēméō)¶

Core Data¶

Strong's: G987
Original: βλασφημέω
Transliteration: blasphēméō
Pronunciation: blas-fay-meh'-o
Part of Speech: Verb (v)
Root: From βλάσφημος (blasphēmos, G989) — scurrilous, calumnious
Occurrences: 35 unique verses (39 tokens) in NT
First Occurrence: Mat 9:3 — "And, behold, certain of the scribes said within themselves, This man blasphemeth."
Hapax Legomenon: No

Lexicon Definition¶

To vilify; specially, to speak impiously. KJV: (speak) blaspheme(-er, -mously, -my), defame, rail on, revile, speak evil.

Louw-Nida Semantic Domain¶

Domain: 033 — Communication
Subdomain: 033.042 — Insult, Slander
Glosses: to revile, to defame, to blaspheme
Other words in subdomain: βλασφημία (G988), βλάσφημος (G989), διάβολος (G1228), δυσφημέω (G987a), κακολογέω (G2551), καταλαλέω (G2635), λοιδορέω (G3058), ὀνειδίζω (G3679), ὑβρίζω (G5195)

UBS Semantic Domains¶

[033] Communication — search_relationships.py keeps βλασφημέω in the speech/defamation field, emphasizing verbal attack rather than a ritual or material category.

Verb Form Distribution¶

Tense-Voice	Count	Forms
Present Active	16	Indicative (6), Participle (7), Infinitive (3)
Present Passive	6	Indicative (3), Subjunctive (2), Imperative (1)
Aorist Active	8	Indicative (4), Subjunctive (2), Participle (1), Infinitive (1)
Imperfect Active	3	Indicative (3)
Future Passive	1	Indicative (1)

Present tense dominates (22/34 = 65%), suggesting habitual or ongoing action is the typical portrayal. Active voice outnumbers passive 27:7, reflecting that blasphemy is primarily described as something people do, not something experienced.

Translation Distribution (KJV)¶

Translation	Verses	%
blaspheme / blasphemed / blasphemeth / blaspheming / blasphemously	16	46%
speak evil / evil spoken of	8	23%
railed / reviled	4	11%
slanderously reported / defamed	2	6%
Other (be, do, let)	5	14%

Distribution by Book¶

Book	Count	Per 100 Verses
2 Peter	3	4.9
Titus	2	4.3
1 Peter	2	1.9
1 Timothy	2	1.8
Revelation	4	1.0
James	1	0.9
Romans	3	0.7
1 Corinthians	2	0.5
Mark	3	0.4
Acts	4	0.4
Matthew	3	0.3
Luke	3	0.3
John	1	0.1
Jude	2	—

Highest density in the General Epistles (2 Peter, 1 Peter, James, Jude) and Pastorals (Titus, 1 Timothy). Revelation clusters all 4 uses in chs. 13 and 16. Gospels spread usage across Jesus' ministry (charge of blasphemy) and crucifixion narratives (reviling). Absent from Hebrews, Galatians, Philippians, and all Johannine Epistles.

Semantic Categories¶

1. Charge of Blasphemy Against Jesus / His Claims¶

Mat 9:3 — "This man blasphemeth" (scribes, after Jesus forgives sins)
Mat 26:65 — "He hath spoken blasphemy" (high priest at trial)
John 10:36 — "Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the Son of God"
Mark 2:7 — "Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies?" (not G987 verb but same context cluster)

2. Reviling / Mocking at the Cross¶

Mat 27:39 — "they that passed by reviled him, wagging their heads"
Mark 15:29 — "they that passed by railed on him"
Luke 23:39 — "one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him"
Luke 22:65 — "many other things blasphemously spake they against him"

3. Blasphemy Against God / the Holy Spirit¶

Mark 3:28-29 — "All sins shall be forgiven... but he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness"
Luke 12:10 — "unto him that blasphemeth against the Holy Ghost it shall not be forgiven"
Rev 16:9 — "blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues"
Rev 16:11 — "blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains"
Rev 16:21 — "men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail"

4. Blasphemy Against God's Name / Word Through Behavior¶

Rom 2:24 — "the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you"
1 Tim 6:1 — "that the name of God and his doctrine be not blasphemed"
Titus 2:5 — "that the word of God be not blasphemed"
Jas 2:7 — "Do not they blaspheme that worthy name by the which ye are called?"

5. Speaking Evil of Persons or Things¶

Acts 13:45 — "spake against those things which were spoken by Paul, contradicting and blaspheming"
1 Pet 4:4 — "speaking evil of you" (pagans against Christians)
2 Pet 2:10 — "speak evil of dignities"
2 Pet 2:12 — "speak evil of the things that they understand not"
Jude 1:8 — "speak evil of dignities"
Jude 1:10 — "speak evil of those things which they know not"
Titus 3:2 — "To speak evil of no man" (general exhortation)

6. Persecution-Driven Blasphemy¶

Acts 26:11 — "compelled them to blaspheme" (Paul's pre-conversion persecution)
Acts 18:6 — "when they... blasphemed, he shook his raiment"
1 Tim 1:20 — "whom I have delivered unto Satan, that they may learn not to blaspheme"

7. The Apocalyptic Beast's Blasphemy¶

Rev 13:6 — "he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven"

Common Collocations¶

Word	Strong's	Co-occurrences	Typical Pattern
θεός (theos)	G2316	9x (26%)	Object of blasphemy: "blasphemed God"
λέγω (legō)	G3004	8x (23%)	Introduces or reports the act: "saying..."
ὄνομα (onoma)	G3686	6x (17%)	"blaspheme the name of God/Christ"
πᾶς (pas)	G3956	6x (17%)	Universal scope: "all sins," "all men"
ἄνθρωπος (anthrōpos)	G444	5x (14%)	Agent: "men blasphemed"
δόξα (doxa)	G1391	4x (11%)	Object: "speak evil of dignities/glories"
βλασφημία (blasphēmia)	G988	3x (9%)	Cognate pair: verb + noun in same verse
πνεῦμα (pneuma)	G4151	3x (9%)	"blaspheme against the Holy Spirit"
υἱός (huios)	G5207	3x (9%)	"Son of man" in forgiveness contrasts
κεφαλή (kephalē)	G2776	3x (9%)	"wagging their heads" — mockery scenes

Word Family / Cognates¶

G988 βλασφημία (blasphēmia) — noun: blasphemy, reviling, evil speaking (19 occurrences)
G989 βλάσφημος (blasphēmos) — adjective: blasphemous, slanderous, railing (5 occurrences)
G987a δυσφημέω (dysphēmeō) — to defame (1 Cor 4:13, "being defamed")

Synonyms¶

No direct synonyms were returned by search_relationships.py for G987.

Antonyms¶

No antonyms were returned by search_relationships.py for G987.

Easily Confused Words¶

Word	Strong's	Shared Translation	Key Difference
κακολογέω (kakologeō)	G2551	"speak evil"	kakologeō = curse or denounce a person; blasphēmeō = broader: includes reviling sacred things, divine names, or abstract dignities
λοιδορέω (loidoreō)	G3058	"revile"	loidoreō = personal verbal abuse; blasphēmeō = can target God, doctrine, or spiritual realities
ὀνειδίζω (oneidizō)	G3679	"revile, reproach"	oneidizō = reproach or taunt; blasphēmeō carries sacrilegious overtone
ὑβρίζω (hybrizō)	G5195	"treat with insolence"	hybrizō = arrogant mistreatment (physical or verbal); blasphēmeō = verbal defamation, especially of the divine
נָאַץ (naats)	H5006	"blasphemed" (OT)	Hebrew near-equivalent: to scorn, spurn, treat with contempt (primarily toward God in OT)

Domain Neighbors (Louw-Nida 033.042 — Insult, Slander)¶

Word	Strong's	Glosses	Key Difference
βλασφημία (blasphēmia)	G988	revile, defame, blaspheme	Noun form of G987
βλάσφημος (blasphēmos)	G989	insulting, slanderous, blasphemous	Adjective form of G987
διάβολος (diabolos)	G1228	Devil, Satan, slanderer	The archetypal slanderer; etymologically "one who throws across" (accuser)
κακολογέω (kakologeō)	G2551	revile, denounce	Narrower: cursing/denouncing persons
καταλαλέω (katalaleō)	G2635	speak evil of, slander	Backbiting, speaking against someone in their absence
λοιδορέω (loidoreō)	G3058	slander, insult strongly	Face-to-face verbal abuse
ὀνειδίζω (oneidizō)	G3679	insult, reprimand	Reproach or taunt, often public shaming
ὑβρίζω (hybrizō)	G5195	maltreat, insult	Insolent mistreatment, broader than verbal

Hebrew Source (via LXX)¶

Hebrew Source	Strong's	Co-occurrences	PMI
יְהֹוָה (Yᵉhôvâh)	H3068	3	1.64

No dominant Hebrew equivalent. The LXX uses βλασφημέω to render several different Hebrew expressions for scorning, spurning, or reviling God (including H5006 נָאַץ and H1442 גָּדַף), but none maps consistently enough to constitute a primary bridge.