αἷμα
haîma
G129 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
Primary meaning: blood, the vital fluid circulating in humans and animals. By extension, it can refer to blood as a symbol or metonymy for life, lineage, or death (by violence or sacrifice). In some cases, it may refer metaphorically to grape juice (as the "blood of the grape") or, more rarely, to bloodshed or acts of violence. In Second Temple and early Christian texts, it may also allude to ritual or sacrificial blood, which acquires special significance in discussions of atonement. Context determines whether it is used literally (actual blood), symbolically (representing kinship or life), or metonymically (death, bloodshed).
Semantic Range
blood (literal fluid), life-force, kinship/descent (by blood), bloodshed (act of violence), sacrificial blood, grape juice (metaphorical), violent death, atonement (ritual context)
Root / Etymology
etymology uncertain. The word is well-attested in Greek literature and may be of pre-Greek origin. No clear Indo-European root.
Historical & Contextual Notes
αἷμα is the standard Greek word for 'blood' from Homeric through Koine Greek. In classical usage, it refers to blood both within the body (as the vehicle of life) and as shed by injury or in ritual sacrifice. The term is also used metaphorically for kinship or descent ('of the same blood'), an idiom continuing in Jewish and broader Mediterranean cultures. In the Septuagint and New Testament, αἷμα retains its literal sense but also becomes significant within sacrificial, covenantal, and ritual contexts, particularly in connection with animal sacrifice (e.g., Levitical laws) and the significance of blood in atonement. In the New Testament, especially in connection to Jesus' death, the phrase 'τοῦ αἵματος' acquired particular soteriological weight, but the primary lexical sense remains blood, whether literal or ritual. Greek, Latin, and later English translation traditions often broadened the semantic field to include metaphorical senses (e.g., bloodshed as guilt, or bloodline as kinship), but the underlying Greek usage is more concrete. The metaphor 'blood of the grape' for wine appears both in Hellenistic and Hebrew texts (Genesis 49:11, Deuteronomy 32:14 LXX). Unlike terms such as ἄιματι ('for nothing'), which is unrelated, αἷμα does not connote 'for free'. Distinguish from terms like σάρξ (flesh) and ψυχή (life/soul), as these indicate different anthropological concepts in Greek.
Translation Consistency
Most natural and common English noun covering the full semantic range (literal blood, life-force, kinship/lineage, sacrificial blood, bloodshed, metaphorical grape-juice). It matches the overwhelmingly dominant P2 renderings ("blood" 82/97) and provides a consistent, natural base term for all forms of G129.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
of uncertain derivation; blood, literally (of men or animals), figuratively (the juice of grapes) or specially (the atoning blood of Christ); by implication, bloodshed, also kindred:--blood.
Root Family
αἷμα (haima) — blood, life-fluid, to bleed
Word Forms
4 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G129-01 |
αἷμα | aima | N NOM N SG |
blood | blood | blood | 43 |
G129-04 |
αἵματος | aimatos | N GEN N SG |
blood | of blood | of blood | 33 |
G129-02 |
αἵματι | aimati | N DAT N SG |
blood | in blood | in blood | 20 |
G129-03 |
αἱμάτων | aimaton | N GEN N PL |
blood | of bloods | bloods | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
97 occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G129-01 |
Matthew 16:17 | αἷμα | aima | N NOM N SG |
blood | blood | blood |
G129-02 |
Matthew 23:30 | αἵματι | aimati | N DAT N SG |
blood | in blood | in blood |
G129-01 |
Matthew 23:35 | αἷμα | aima | N NOM N SG |
blood | blood | blood |
G129-04 |
Matthew 23:35 | αἵματος | aimatos | N GEN N SG |
blood | of blood | of blood |
G129-04 |
Matthew 23:35 | αἵματος | aimatos-2 | N GEN N SG |
blood | of blood | of blood |
G129-01 |
Matthew 26:28 | αἷμά | aima | N NOM N SG |
blood | blood | blood |
G129-01 |
Matthew 27:4 | αἷμα | aima | N ACC N SG |
blood | blood | blood |
G129-04 |
Matthew 27:6 | αἵματός | aimatos | N GEN N SG |
of blood | of blood | of blood |
G129-04 |
Matthew 27:8 | Αἵματος | aimatos | N GEN N SG |
of Blood | of blood | of blood |
G129-04 |
Matthew 27:24 | αἵματος | aimatos | N GEN N SG |
blood | of blood | of blood |