G988 — βλασφημία (blasphemia)¶

Core Data¶

Strong's: G988
Original: βλασφημία
Transliteration: blasphemia
Pronunciation: blas-fay-me'-ah
Part of Speech: Feminine noun
Root: From G989 (blasphemos); vilification, especially against God
Occurrences: 18 unique verses (19 tokens) in NT
Books: 9
First Occurrence: Matt 12:31 — "All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy [against] the [Holy] Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men."
Hapax Legomenon: No

Lexicon Definition¶

From G989 (blasphemos); vilification (especially against God): blasphemy, evil speaking, railing.

Louw-Nida Semantic Domain¶

Domain: 33 — Communication
Subdomain: 33.42 — Insult, Slander
Gloss: to revile, to defame, to blaspheme
Other words in subdomain: βλασφημέω (blasphemeo, G987), βλάσφημος (blasphemos, G989), λοιδορέω (loidoreo, G3058), λοιδορία (loidoria, G3059), καταλαλέω (katalaleo, G2635), καταλαλιά (katalalia, G2636), δυσφημία (dysphemia, G1426), κακολογέω (kakologeo, G2551), διάβολος (diabolos, G1228)

UBS Semantic Domains¶

[033] Communication — search_relationships.py likewise groups βλασφημία with speech-act vocabulary for slander, reviling, and insulting accusation.

Translation Distribution (KJV)¶

Translation	Verses	%
blasphemy	8	44.4%
blasphemies	5	27.8%
of blasphemy	2	11.1%
the blasphemy	1	5.6%
evil speaking	1	5.6%
a railing	1	5.6%
railings	1	5.6%

Note: "Blasphemy/blasphemies" accounts for 89% of uses. KJV translates as "evil speaking" (Eph 4:31) and "railing(s)" (1 Tim 6:4, Jude 1:9) when the target is human rather than divine.

Distribution by Book¶

Book	Count	Per 100 Verses
Revelation	5	1.24
Colossians	1	1.05
1 Timothy	1	0.88
Mark	4	0.59
Ephesians	1	0.65
Matthew	3	0.28
John	1	0.11
Luke	1	0.09
Jude	1	—

Revelation has the highest concentration (5 of 18 uses). The Synoptic Gospels cluster around the charge of blasphemy against Jesus (8 of 18). Pauline epistles list it among vices to be put away.

Semantic Categories¶

1. Blasphemy Against God / the Holy Spirit¶

Speech that directly vilifies God, his name, or his Spirit. - Matt 12:31 — "All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy [against] the [Holy] Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men." - Rev 13:6 — "And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven." - Rev 2:9 — "I know... the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but [are] the synagogue of Satan."

2. Charge of Blasphemy Against Jesus¶

The accusation that Jesus' claims or actions constituted blasphemy — claiming divine prerogatives. - Matt 26:65 — "He hath spoken blasphemy; what further need have we of witnesses?" - Mark 14:64 — "Ye have heard the blasphemy: what think ye? And they all condemned him to be guilty of death." - Mark 2:7 — "Why doth this [man] thus speak blasphemies? who can forgive sins but God only?" - John 10:33 — "For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God." - Luke 5:21 — "Who is this which speaketh blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but God alone?"

3. Apocalyptic Blasphemy — the Beast¶

Blasphemy as a defining characteristic of the beast power in Revelation. - Rev 13:1 — "upon his heads the name of blasphemy" - Rev 13:5 — "a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies" - Rev 17:3 — "a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns"

4. Vice Lists — Blasphemy Among Sins of Speech¶

Blasphemia grouped with other sins of the tongue or character flaws. - Matt 15:19 — "out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies" - Mark 7:22 — "Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness" - Col 3:8 — "put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth" - Eph 4:31 — "Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you" - Mark 3:28 — "All sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men, and blasphemies wherewith soever they shall blaspheme"

5. Railing / Reviling — Speech Against Persons or Powers¶

When directed at supernatural beings or persons rather than directly at God, KJV renders as "railing." - Jude 1:9 — "Michael the archangel... durst not bring against him a railing accusation" - 1 Tim 6:4 — "doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings"

Common Collocations¶

Word	Strong's	Co-occurrences	Typical Pattern
λέγω (lego)	G3004	6x	"speaking blasphemy" — introducing or reporting blasphemous speech
πᾶς (pas)	G3956	5x	"all manner of blasphemy" — universal scope of forgiveness or accusation
ἀφίημι (aphiemi)	G863	4x	"shall be forgiven" — blasphemy in the context of forgivability
θεός (theos)	G2316	4x	"blasphemy against God" — identifying the target of blasphemy
ἁμαρτία (hamartia)	G266	3x	"sin and blasphemy" — paired as categories of offense
βλασφημέω (blasphemeo)	G987	3x	cognate verb in same verse — intensifying or defining the noun
στόμα (stoma)	G4750	3x	"a mouth speaking... blasphemies" — mouth as instrument
ὄνομα (onoma)	G3686	3x	"name of blasphemy" / "blaspheme his name" — name as target
θηρίον (therion)	G2342	2x	beast characterized by blasphemy (Rev 13)
πονηρός (poneros)	G4190	3x	blasphemy listed among evils proceeding from the heart

Word Family / Cognates¶

G987 βλασφημέω (blasphemeo) — verb: to blaspheme, revile, speak evil of (35 occurrences)
G989 βλάσφημος (blasphemos) — adjective: blasphemous, slanderous, railing (5 occurrences)

Synonyms¶

No direct synonyms were returned by search_relationships.py for G988.

Antonyms¶

No antonyms were returned by search_relationships.py for G988.

Easily Confused Words¶

Word	Strong's	Shared Translation	Key Difference
λοιδορία (loidoria)	G3059	"railing"	loidoria = personal insult/slander between persons; blasphemia = vilification that may target God or sacred things
καταλαλιά (katalalia)	G2636	"evil speaking"	katalalia = speaking against someone behind their back (backbiting); blasphemia = open reviling, especially sacrilegious
βλάσφημος (blasphemos)	G989	"blasphemous / railing"	blasphemos is the adjective form describing a person or speech; blasphemia is the noun for the act or content

Domain Neighbors (Louw-Nida 33.42 — Insult, Slander)¶

Word	Strong's	Verses	Primary KJV Translation	Key Difference
βλασφημέω (blasphemeo)	G987	35	blasphemed, speak evil	Verb form of the same concept
βλάσφημος (blasphemos)	G989	5	blasphemous, blasphemer	Adjective/substantive describing the person or speech
λοιδορέω (loidoreo)	G3058	4	revile	Strong personal verbal abuse
λοιδορία (loidoria)	G3059	3	railing, reproach	Noun for abusive speech directed at persons
καταλαλέω (katalaleo)	G2635	5	speak evil, speak against	Speaking against someone, often behind their back
δυσφημία (dysphemia)	G1426	1	evil report	Defamation, public slander
κακολογέω (kakologeo)	G2551	4	speak evil, curse	Denouncing, speaking ill of authority figures

Hebrew Source¶

No Hebrew sources found via LXX mapping for G988. The concept of blasphemy in the OT is expressed through several Hebrew words: - H1442 גָּדַף (gadaph) — to revile, blaspheme (7x in OT) - H5344 נָקַב (naqab) — to pierce, blaspheme (by "piercing" God's name) (4x) - H5006 נָאַץ (naats) — to spurn, blaspheme, contemn (12x) - H5007 נְאָצָה (neatsah) — blasphemy, contempt (5x)