Greek verb · G4969
σφάζω
sphazosfad'-zo
to slaughter
10 uses in the Greek text, one for each word STEP Bible has tagged with this key
Concordance spelling: spházō
Word page · Part of the concordance, one page for every word of the Hebrew and Greek text. Strong's G4969is this word's number in James Strong's 1890 index of the King James Bible.
- 2 of 27New Testament books
- 7spellings
The definition in full
Strong's key (1890) · G4969
to butcher (especially an animal for food or in sacrifice) or (generally) to slaughter, or (specially), to maim (violently)
The King James renders it: kill, slay, wound.
James Strong, The Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (1890), public domain. Strong indexed the King James text, and this site quotes his entry as that index.
Summary
sphazo is rendered "to slaughter". It stands 10 times in the Greek text, across two books.
- Eight of the uses stand in Revelation, more than in any other book.
- Its first use in canonical order opens the ledger below.1 John 3:12Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did Cain slay him? Because his own deeds were evil, while those of his brother were righteous.
- The Greek text spells it seven different ways.
The first use
Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did Cain slay him? Because his own deeds were evil, while those of his brother were righteous.
1 John 3:12ἔσφαξεν
The first use, in the order of the New Testament's books.
Where the word stands
Eight of the word's ten uses are in Revelation.
What the word means
Each meaning, and the words it is translated by
How the Greek text is glossed, word by word
- slain6
- he slayed1
- he slew1
- they will slay1
- You were slain1
The words built on the same word-part
Each word below begins with the same letters this one begins with. A shared word-part shows a family. It does not settle what any one of them means, so each word carries its own uses on its own page. Scholars call that shared part the stem.
All 10, in canonical order
Every use, in order
Every use, grouped by book, with its verse.
7 spellings and their grammar
STEP Bible tags every word of the Hebrew and Greek text with its spelling and its grammar. Both lists below count the rows printed underneath, written out in English, with the code beside each one as it was tagged.
How it is spelled
- ἐσφαγμένον2
- ἐσφαγμένων2
- ἔσφαξεν2
- ἐσφάγης1
- ἐσφαγμένην1
- ἐσφαγμένου1
- σφάξουσιν1
The grammar of each form
- verb · aorist active, indicative · 3rd person singular2V-AAI-3S
- verb · perfect passive, participle · genitive (“of”) · masculine plural2V-RPP-GPM
- verb · perfect passive, participle · nominative (subject) · neuter singular2V-RPP-NSN
- verb · aorist passive, indicative · 2nd person singular1V-2API-2S
- verb · future active, indicative · 3rd person plural1V-FAI-3P
- verb · perfect passive, participle · accusative (object) · feminine singular1V-RPP-ASF
- verb · perfect passive, participle · genitive (“of”) · neuter singular1V-RPP-GSN
1 John
two uses
Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did Cain slay him? Because his own deeds were evil, while those of his brother were righteous.
- ἔσφαξενesphaxenverb · aorist active, indicative · 3rd person singulartagged: he slew
- ἔσφαξενesphaxenverb · aorist active, indicative · 3rd person singulartagged: he slayed
Revelation
eight uses
Then I saw a Lamb who appeared to have been slain, standing in the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. The Lamb had seven horns and seven eyes, which represent the seven Spirits of God sent out into all the earth.
- ἐσφαγμένονesphagmenonverb · perfect passive, participle · nominative (subject) · neuter singulartagged: slain
And they sang a new song: “Worthy are You to take the scroll and open its seals, because You were slain, and by Your blood You purchased for God those from every tribe and tongue and people and nation.
- ἐσφάγηςesphagesverb · aorist passive, indicative · 2nd person singulartagged: You were slain
In a loud voice they were saying: “Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing!”
- ἐσφαγμένονesphagmenonverb · perfect passive, participle · nominative (subject) · neuter singulartagged: slain
Then another horse went forth. It was bright red, and its rider was granted permission to take away peace from the earth and to make men slay one another. And he was given a great sword.
- σφάξουσινsphaxousinverb · future active, indicative · 3rd person pluraltagged: they will slay
And when the Lamb opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony they had upheld.
- ἐσφαγμένωνesphagmenonverb · perfect passive, participle · genitive (“of”) · masculine pluraltagged: slain
One of the heads of the beast appeared to be mortally wounded. But the mortal wound was healed, and the whole world marveled and followed the beast.
- ἐσφαγμένηνesphagmenenverb · perfect passive, participle · accusative (object) · feminine singulartagged: slain
And all who dwell on the earth will worship the beast—all whose names have not been written from the foundation of the world in the Book of Life belonging to the Lamb who was slain.
- ἐσφαγμένουesphagmenouverb · perfect passive, participle · genitive (“of”) · neuter singulartagged: slain
And there was found in her the blood of prophets and saints, and of all who had been slain on the earth.
- ἐσφαγμένωνesphagmenonverb · perfect passive, participle · genitive (“of”) · masculine pluraltagged: slain
Where it leads
How the numbers are counted
Every count on this page comes from STEP Bible's tagged Hebrew and Greek text, the same text the ledger prints. A use is counted once each time the tagging marks a word with this key.
Spellings are counted as the Greek text spells them, with the sentence's own punctuation taken off the word first, so a form that ends a clause is not counted as a second spelling.