φον-εύς G5406
A murderer, killer, or slayer; one who unlawfully takes human life, used both of literal killers and of those who persecute the righteous.
Designates a person who takes another's life unlawfully — a murderer or killer. In the NT it appears in contexts ranging from royal retribution (Matt 22:7, the king destroying the murderers who killed his servants) to prophetic accusation (Acts 7:52, Stephen charging the Sanhedrin as 'betrayers and murderers' of the Righteous One). In Acts 28:4, pagan islanders assume Paul must be a murderer when a viper fastens on his hand, and in 1 Peter 4:15 Christians are warned not to suffer as a murderer. The multilingual evidence is consistent — Spanish 'asesino,' French 'meurtrier,' German 'Mörder' — each naming a deliberate, culpable killer.
Senses
1. murderer, killer — A murderer or slayer — one who unlawfully kills another human being. Spanish 'asesino,' French 'meurtrier,' and German 'Mörder' all consistently render it as a deliberate, culpable killer. Stephen uses it to accuse the Sanhedrin of being 'murderers' of the Righteous One (Acts 7:52; cf. Acts 3:14), while in Matt 22:7 a king destroys the murderers who killed his messengers. In Acts 28:4 the Maltese assume Paul is a murderer when a viper strikes him, and 1 Pet 4:15 lists it among the disgraces a Christian must not incur. 7×
AR["القَتَلَةَ", "القَتَلَةُ", "قاتِلٌ", "قاتِلٍ", "قَاتِلًا", "قَاتِلُونَ"]·ben["খুনি", "ঘাতক", "ঘাতকদের", "হত্যাকারী", "হত্যাকারীদের", "হত্যাকারীরা"]·DE["Moerder", "φονέα", "φονεύς", "φονεῖς"]·EN["a-murderer", "murderer", "murderers"]·FR["meurtrier"]·heb["אֶת-", "הָ-רוֹצְחִים", "רוֹצְחִים", "רוֹצֵחַ"]·HI["तुम्हें", "हत्यारा", "हत्यारे", "हत्यारों", "हर"]·ID["pembunuh", "pembunuh-pembunuh"]·IT["assassino", "phoneis", "phoneus", "phoneusin"]·jav["ingkang-mejahi", "pembunuh,", "tiyang-mejahi", "tukang-mrajaya", "tukang-pejah", "tukang-raja-pèjah"]·KO["살인자", "살인자-를", "살인자들", "살인자들-이", "살인자들과"]·PT["assassino", "assassinos", "homicida", "homicida,", "homicidas"]·RU["убийц", "убийца", "убийца,", "убийцам", "убийцами", "убийцу", "убийцы"]·ES["asesino", "asesinos", "asesinos,", "homicida"]·SW["muuaji", "mwuaji", "wale", "wauaji", "wauaji,"]·TR["hangi", "katil", "katiller", "katilleri", "katillerin", "ve"]·urd["قاتل", "قاتل،", "قاتلوں", "قاتلوں-کو"]
Related Senses
H7200 1. Qal: to see, perceive (1257×)G4771 2. you (singular address) (1077×)H8085 1. Qal: hear, perceive aurally (921×)H0859a 1. you (2nd person masculine singular pronoun) (743×)H0398 1. eat (consume food) (697×)H4191 1. die (Qal: natural/general death) (645×)G3708 1. see, perceive visually (419×)G0191 1. hear, perceive sound (360×)H???? 3. (352×)G3708 2. behold, look (exclamatory) (256×)H7272 1. foot (body part) (236×)H8354 1. drink, consume liquid (209×)H3205 1. Qal active: bear/give birth (female subject) (204×)H3205 2. Qal active: beget/father (male subject) (198×)H2421 1. Qal: live, be alive (177×)H8085 2. Qal: listen, heed, pay attention (172×)H2416a 1. alive, living (state/attribute) (146×)H2416e 1. life, lifespan, lifetime (145×)G2198 1. be alive, have life (133×)H8193 1. lip, lips (body part) (123×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
φον-εύς, ὁ, genitive έως, Epic dialect ῆος Refs 8th c.BC+; accusative φονέα (in first foot of trimeter) Refs 5th c.BC+: nominative plural φονέες Refs 2nd c.AD+, Attic dialect φονῆς Refs 5th c.BC+; but contraction φονεῖς Refs 1st c.AD+:—slayer, Refs 8th c.BC+; φονέας αὑτῶν self-murderers, Refs 5th c.BC+ [same place]; τοσούτῳ μᾶλλον φονεύς ἐστιν is so much more justly accounted a murderer, Refs 5th…