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διχοτομέω

dichotoméō

G1371 verb

SILEX Entry

Definition

To cut in two, to divide into two parts. In extended use, to subject someone to a severe or exemplary punishment, especially by executing or punishing them as an example (often by a violent form of execution). In some contexts, the term carries the sense of 'dismember' or 'put to death by dividing,' and in later metaphorical or hyperbolic usage, to chastise or punish severely.

Semantic Range

to cut in two, to physically divide in half, to dismember, to punish or execute by dividing, to punish severely (figuratively), to assign to severe judgment

Root / Etymology

Formed from διχός ('in two, asunder') and the verbal root of τέμνω ('to cut'), literally meaning 'to cut in two.'

Historical & Contextual Notes

διχοτομέω is a rare verb in Greek literature, attested most notably in the Septuagint (LXX) translation of the Hebrew Bible and in the New Testament (e.g., Matthew 24:51; Luke 12:46), where it conveys a particularly severe and exemplary punishment. In classical Greek, the literal sense 'to cut in two' is primary and describes physical cutting: e.g., dismemberment in execution or sacrifice. In Hellenistic-Jewish usage (notably the LXX), it translates the Hebrew verb בָּקַע (bāqa‘, 'to split, cleave') as a method of severe judgment (cf. 1 Samuel 15:33 LXX). In the New Testament, the verb is largely figurative or hyperbolic: it communicates the idea of ultimate or exemplary punishment (possibly alluding to ancient Near Eastern or Hellenistic judicial executions, where literal cutting apart was a penalty for serious crime or covenant breaking). English translations often render it as 'cut asunder' or 'assign to punishment,' but the notion of physical violence is strong or assumed in the underlying metaphor. The verb's rarity and severity mark it for emphatic, even shocking use. The standard translation 'to flog severely' is not a direct sense of the word but an interpretive softening; the original imagery is much stronger.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from a compound of a derivative of δίς and a derivative of (to cut); to bisect, i.e. (by extension) to flog severely:--cut asunder (in sunder).

Root Family

διχοτομέω (dichotomeō) — cut in two, divide, bisect, dismember, execute by dividing, punish severely

Root διχοτομ- to cut in two, divide, bisect

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
G1371-01 διχοτομήσει dichotomesei V FUT ACT IND 3P SG he will cut in pieces he will cut in two he will cut in two 2

Occurrences in Scripture

2 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
G1371-01 Matthew 24:51 διχοτομήσει dichotomesei V FUT ACT IND 3P SG he will cut in pieces he will cut in two he will cut in two
G1371-01 Luke 12:46 διχοτομήσει dichotomesei V FUT ACT IND 3P SG will cut in pieces he will cut in two he will cut in two
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