κολαφίζω
kolaphízō
G2852 verb
SILEX Entry
Definition
To strike with the fist, to hit with a clenched hand; in extended sense, to beat or physically abuse, especially by striking blows to the face or head, often as an act of violence or humiliation. More generally, to subject someone to mistreatment involving repeated blows or rough handling.
Semantic Range
to strike with the fist, to beat forcibly, to subject to blows, to mistreat physically, to abuse with repeated punching
Root / Etymology
Derived from κόλαφος (kolaphos), meaning 'blow with the fist,' with the verb-ending -ίζω indicating causative or iterative action, thus 'to strike blows with the fist.' Related to κολάζω (kolazō, 'to punish'), but differentiated in focus; etymology tied to the concept of physical striking rather than punitive discipline.
Historical & Contextual Notes
In classical Greek, κολαφίζω is rarely attested but appears in later Hellenistic sources. Its main use in the New Testament and contemporary literature is to describe striking someone with the fist, often on the face, as an act of public humiliation or violence (e.g., Matthew 26:67; Mark 14:65; 1 Corinthians 4:11). The act distinguished κολαφίζω from ῥαπίζω (to slap with the open hand), emphasizing greater violence or insult. LXX usage is minimal or absent, but the verb reflects Greco-Roman patterns of corporal mistreatment. Standard English translations often render as 'buffet' or 'strike with the fist,' but these do not always capture the specifically humiliating or abusive dynamics of the action in Greco-Roman social context, where public blows to the face were forms of dishonoring abuse.
Translation Consistency
Fits the primary sense of hitting/inflicting blows (including with a fist), is natural English and common in Bible diction, and can be used consistently for all forms (strike, struck, striking) to render the semantic range of κολαφίζω.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from a derivative of the base of κολάζω; to rap with the fist:--buffet.
Root Family
κολαφίζω (kolaphizō) — to strike, to beat, to hit with the fist
Word Forms
5 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G2852-05 |
κολαφιζόμεθα | kolaphizometha | V PRS PASS IND 1P PL |
are buffeted | we are being beaten with fists | we are being beaten with fists | 1 |
G2852-02 |
κολαφίζῃ | kolaphize | V PRS ACT SUBJ 3P SG |
he might buffet | may strike with the fist | may strike with the fist | 1 |
G2852-04 |
κολαφιζόμενοι | kolaphizomenoi | V PRS PASS PTCP NOM M PL |
being buffeted | being beaten with fists | being beaten with fists | 1 |
G2852-03 |
κολαφίζειν | kolaphizein | V PRS ACT INF |
to beat | to strike with the fist | to strike with the fist | 1 |
G2852-01 |
ἐκολάφισαν | ekolaphisan | V AOR ACT IND 3P PL |
they struck | they struck with fists | they struck with fists | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
5 occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G2852-01 |
Matthew 26:67 | ἐκολάφισαν | ekolaphisan | V AOR ACT IND 3P PL |
they struck | they struck with fists | they struck with fists |
G2852-03 |
Mark 14:65 | κολαφίζειν | kolaphizein | V PRS ACT INF |
to beat | to strike with the fist | to strike with the fist |
G2852-05 |
1 Corinthians 4:11 | κολαφιζόμεθα | kolaphizometha | V PRS PASS IND 1P PL |
are buffeted | we are being beaten with fists | we are being beaten with fists |
G2852-02 |
2 Corinthians 12:7 | κολαφίζῃ | kolaphize | V PRS ACT SUBJ 3P SG |
he might buffet | may strike with the fist | may strike with the fist |
G2852-04 |
1 Peter 2:20 | κολαφιζόμενοι | kolaphizomenoi | V PRS PASS PTCP NOM M PL |
being buffeted | being beaten with fists | being beaten with fists |