θύω G2380
To sacrifice an animal ritually to God or gods, or to slaughter/kill for a feast or figuratively for destruction.
A verb rooted in ancient sacrificial practice, covering both the cultic act of offering an animal to God and the more general act of slaughtering for a meal or celebration. When Jesus says the thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10), the word carries lethal force stripped of any sacred overtone. Yet in Mark 14:12 and Luke 22:7, it describes the Passover lamb being sacrificed — a solemn liturgical moment. The multilingual evidence mirrors this split: Spanish renders it 'sacrificar' in ritual contexts but 'matar' when the emphasis falls on killing, while German consistently uses 'opfern' (to offer/sacrifice) across both senses, preserving the older unity of slaughter and offering.
Senses
1. offer ritual sacrifice — Denotes the cultic act of presenting an animal as a religious offering, whether to the God of Israel or to pagan deities. In Acts 14:13 the priest of Zeus wanted to offer sacrifice (spa 'sacrificar,' deu 'opfern'), and in Mark 14:12 / Luke 22:7 it refers to the Passover lamb being ritually slaughtered. The multilingual glosses consistently favor sacred vocabulary here — French 'sacrifier,' German 'opfern' — underscoring the liturgical register. 9×
AR["أَن-يَذبَحوا", "أَن-يَذبَحَ", "أَنْ-يُذْبَحَ", "ذُبِحَ", "كَانُوا-يَذْبَحُونَ", "يَذبَحونَ", "ٱذْبَحْ"]·ben["তারা-বলিদান-করে", "তারা-বলিদান-করে।", "বধ-কর", "বলি-দিতে", "বলি-দিতেন", "বলিদান-হয়েছে,"]·DE["opfern", "opfert"]·EN["sacrifice", "they-sacrifice", "they-were-sacrificing", "to-be-sacrificed", "to-sacrifice", "was-sacrificed"]·FR["sacrifier"]·heb["זָבְחוּ", "זוֹבְחִים", "לִזְבֹּחַ", "לִשְׁחֹט", "נִזְבַּח", "שְׁחַט"]·HI["बलि-करना", "बलि-चढ़ाते-थे", "बलि-दिया-गया", "बलि-देते-हैं", "बलिदान-देना", "बलिदान-देने-से", "मार"]·ID["dikurbankan", "dikurbankan,", "mempersembahkan-korban", "mereka-menyembelih", "mereka-persembahkan", "sembelihlah"]·IT["sacrificare"]·jav["dipun-sembelèh", "kasembeleh,", "kurban", "kurban.", "sami-nyembelih", "sami-nyembelih.", "sembelih"]·KO["잡아", "잡아서", "잡았다", "잡히기를", "잡히셨다", "제사하는", "제사하려고", "제사하지", "제사한다"]·PT["foi-sacrificada", "sacrificam", "sacrificam.", "sacrificar.", "sacrificarem", "sacrificavam"]·RU["закалывали", "закалывать", "заклана,", "заколи", "приносить-жертву", "приносят-в-жертву", "приносят-в-жертву."]·ES["fue-sacrificada", "sacrifica", "sacrificaban", "sacrifican", "sacrificar", "ser-sacrificada"]·SW["amechinjwa,", "chinja", "kuchinjwa", "kutoa-dhabihu", "walichinja", "wanayatoa.", "wanayoyatoa"]·TR["bizim", "değil", "kes", "kesilmesi", "kurban-ediyorlardı", "kurban-kesmek", "kurban-kesmekten", "o-"]·urd["ذبح-کر", "ذبح-کرتے-تھے", "ذبح-کیا-جانا", "ذبح-ہوا", "قربانی-کرتیں-ہیں", "قُربانی-کرنا", "قُربانی-کرنے"]
2. slaughter or kill — Describes the physical act of slaughtering or killing an animal (or figuratively a person) without primary focus on ritual. In Luke 15:23 the father orders the fattened calf killed for a feast of celebration (spa 'matadlo'), and in John 10:10 it carries the violent sense of destroying life. Spanish clearly distinguishes this from sense 1 by shifting from 'sacrificar' to 'matar,' while French retains 'sacrifier' — an interesting case where the Romance languages diverge in how far they secularize the term. 5×
AR["اِذْبَحُوهُ", "ذَبَحَ", "ذَبَحْتَ", "مَذبوحَةٌ", "يَذبَح"]·ben["বধ-করে", "বলি-দাও", "বলি-দিয়েছ", "বলি-দিয়েছেন", "বলি-দেওয়া"]·DE["opfern", "opfert"]·EN["having-been-slaughtered", "might-kill", "slaughter", "slaughtered", "you-slaughtered"]·FR["sacrifier"]·heb["לִ-זְבֹחַ", "נִשְׁחָטוּ", "שְׁחָטוּ", "שָׁחַט", "שָׁחַטְתָּ"]·HI["काटा", "काटा-तूने", "काटो", "मारे", "मारे-गए"]·ID["engkau-menyembelih", "ia-membunuh", "menyembelih", "sembelihlah", "telah-disembelih"]·IT["sacrificare"]·jav["nyembelih,", "nyembelèh", "nyembelèh,", "panjenengan-nyembelèh", "sampun-kasembelèh"]·KO["잡아라", "잡았다", "잡았습니다", "죽이고"]·PT["foram-mortos,", "matai", "mataste", "mate", "matou"]·RU["заколите", "заколол", "заколол-ты", "заколоты,", "убить,"]·ES["matadlo", "mataste", "mate", "mató", "sacrificados"]·SW["achinje", "amemchinja", "mchinjeni", "na", "umemchinjia"]·TR["kesilmiş", "kesin", "kessin", "kesti", "kestin"]·urd["ذبح-کرو", "ذبح-کرے", "ذبح-کیا", "ذبح-کیے"]
Related Senses
H3548 1. priest, cultic officiant (750×)G5547 1. Christ, Messiah, Anointed One (540×)H5030 1. Prophet, divine spokesperson (317×)H5930a 1. burnt offering (sacrifice) (286×)H3881 1. Levites (priestly class) (283×)G4396 1. prophet, spokesperson of God (146×)H6944 1. sanctuary, holy place (129×)G0749 1. high priest, chief priest (123×)H6944 2. holiness, sacredness (abstract quality) (123×)G5330 1. Pharisee (99×)G4336 1. pray to God (86×)H6944 3. holy things, sacred offerings (plural) (86×)H3722a 1. make ritual atonement (Piel) (85×)H6912 1. bury (Qal active) (82×)H6419 1. pray (Hitpael) (80×)H6944 4. holiness (with possessive pronoun) (77×)H6942 1. sanctify, consecrate (Piel factitive) (76×)H2930a 1. Qal: be/become unclean (75×)H7819a 1. slaughter an animal (Qal active) (72×)H1486 1. lot (object cast for decisions) (71×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
θύω, __Aimperfect ἔθυον, Epic dialect θῦον Refs 8th c.BC+, Ionic dialect θύεσκον Refs 6th c.BC+future θύσω [ῡ] Refs 5th c.BC+, Doric dialect θυσῶ Refs 3rd c.BC+; 3rd.pers. plural θυσέοντι Refs: aorist ἔθῡσα Refs 8th c.BC+, Epic dialect θῦσα Refs: perfect τέθῠκα Refs 5th c.BC+:—middle, future θύσομαι Refs 5th c.BC+ (as passive, Refs 5th c.BC+: aorist ἐθυσάμην Refs 5th c.BC+:—passive, future…