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πατραλῴας

patralṓias

G3964 substantive adjective

SILEX Entry

Root πατρ-λωι- father, to kill, to slay

Definition

A person who kills their own father; specifically, one who commits the act of murdering their biological or legal father (parricide). In a broader or legal sense, may denote one guilty of violence, assault, or grave dishonor toward a father figure.

Semantic Range

murderer of one's father, parricide, patricide, one guilty of violence or sacrilege against a father

Root / Etymology

From πατήρ ('father') and the suffix -λωίας, which forms agent nouns denoting perpetrators of a particular crime. The suffix is comparable to that found in μητραλῴας ('mother-murderer').

Historical & Contextual Notes

The term πατραλῴας is rare and primarily attested in legal and moral contexts. It is a technical term for parricide, distinguished from generic terms for 'murderer' (e.g., φονεύς). In the Greco-Roman world, patricide (parricide) was among the most heinous crimes, heavily sanctioned both legally and socially. The word is extremely rare in both the Septuagint and New Testament—its presence typically indicates a formal enumeration of grave offenses, often in vice lists. In later Greek, especially in legal codes, it came to encompass any slayer of ascendants (parents, grandparents), though its etymological sense is more specific. English translations often use 'murderer of fathers' or 'parricide'; the latter is more precise, but may be less familiar.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from πατήρ and the same as the latter part of μητραλῴας; a parricide:--murderer of fathers.

Root Family

πατραλῴας (patralōias) — father, to kill, parricide

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
G3964-01 πατρολῴαις patroloais ADJ.S DAT M PL murderers of fathers to father-murderers 1

Occurrences in Scripture

1 total occurrence

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
G3964-01 1 Timothy 1:9 πατρολῴαις patroloais ADJ.S DAT M PL murderers of fathers to father-murderers
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