λῡμαίνομαι G3075
to ravage, devastate, destroy violently
This verb describes violent destruction or devastation, originally used for the destructive cleaning work of fullers but extended to any ruinous damage. In Acts 8:3, it characterizes Saul's persecution of the church before his conversion—he was ravaging the church, entering house after house, dragging off men and women to prison.
Senses
1. sense 1 — Acts 8:3 employs this vivid verb to describe Saul's pre-conversion persecution: he ravaged the church, invading homes and imprisoning believers. The term's violent intensity captures Saul's zeal as a persecutor. Multilingual glosses (was-ravaging, asolaba, dévaster) reflect the destructive force implied, making his later transformation to Paul the apostle all the more dramatic and evidence of grace's power. 1×
AR["كَانَ-يُخَرِّبُ"]·ben["ধ্বংস-করছিল"]·DE["ἐλυμαίνετο"]·EN["was-ravaging"]·FR["dévaster"]·heb["הָיָה-מַשְׁחִית"]·HI["उजाड़ता-था"]·ID["merusak"]·IT["devastare"]·jav["ngrisak"]·KO["황폐하고-있었다"]·PT["assolava"]·RU["опустошал"]·ES["asolaba"]·SW["aliharibu"]·TR["harap-ediyordu"]·urd["تباہ-کرتا-تھا"]
Related Senses
H4421 1. war, battle, armed conflict (319×)H0341 1. enemy, adversary, foe (284×)H3898a 1. Nifal: to fight, wage war (167×)H2026 1. kill, slay (active) (146×)H2451 1. wisdom, discernment (146×)H5483b 1. horse (the animal) (138×)H0006 1. to perish, be destroyed (105×)H7843 1. Hifil: destroy, annihilate (83×)H2491a 1. slain, fatally pierced (74×)H6862c 1. adversary, enemy, foe (69×)H8045 1. destroy, exterminate (69×)G0615 1. kill, put to death (60×)H6571b 1. horseman, cavalryman (52×)H8077a 1. desolation, waste (abstract state) (52×)G4678 1. of wisdom (51×)G4717 1. crucify, fasten to a cross (46×)H2763a 1. utterly destroy (Hifil active) (44×)G0622 1. perish, be destroyed (intransitive) (41×)H0006 2. to destroy, annihilate (Piel) (38×)H8074 1. be desolate, lie waste (36×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
λῡμαίνομαι, (λῦμα A) __A cleanse from dirt, of fullers, Refs 5th c.BC+; see at {ἀπολυμαίνομαι}.