ἀνδροφόνος
androphónos
G409 substantive adjective
SILEX Entry
Definition
A person who kills a man, a murderer. Most specifically, one who intentionally or culpably takes the life of another human being. Can refer to both intentional homicide and, in some contexts, to one guilty of manslaughter.
Semantic Range
murderer, manslayer, killer of a man, one guilty of homicide, slayer
Root / Etymology
Composed of ἀνήρ (anḗr, 'man' or 'male') and φόνος (phónios, 'murder, killing'). The suffix -ος denotes an agent or person characterized by the action.
Historical & Contextual Notes
The term ἀνδροφόνος appears in Hellenistic and Koine Greek, including the Septuagint and the New Testament, with the basic sense of 'murderer' or 'manslayer'. In classical Greek, the term is rare but the formation is transparent. The semantic field overlaps with φονεύς (phoneus), both meaning 'murderer', but ἀνδροφόνος is more specific, emphasizing the victim as ἀνήρ ('man', in the sense of an adult human, not necessarily male), rather than the general sense of one who commits murder. In biblical Greek, it can be used in legal contexts (e.g., Num 35:11 LXX for 'manslayer'), often in relation to someone guilty of bloodshed. English translations typically render it 'murderer' or 'manslayer', but may not fully indicate the nuance of the Greek formation. It is distinct from legal or philosophical terms for 'killer' or those denoting accidental homicide.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from ἀνήρ and φόνος; a murderer:--manslayer.
Root Family
ἀνδροφόνος (androphonos) — man, male; killing, murder
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G409-01 |
ἀνδροφόνοις | androphonois | ADJ.S DAT M PL |
murderers | to man-killers | to man-killers | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
1 occurrence
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G409-01 |
1 Timothy 1:9 | ἀνδροφόνοις | androphonois | ADJ.S DAT M PL |
murderers | to man-killers | to man-killers |