ἀξίνη
axínē
G513 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
A tool with a sharp, typically double-edged metal blade mounted on a handle, used for chopping or cutting wood or similar materials. The term also appears metaphorically in some contexts, symbolizing impending judgment or removal. In Koine Greek, the fundamental sense is of a physical axe used for felling trees, with possible extended metaphorical usage in religious or prophetic discourse to indicate decisive action or termination.
Semantic Range
axe (tool), double-headed axe, metaphor for judgment or decisive action, symbol of removal or destruction
Root / Etymology
Ultimately etymology uncertain; possibly related to the base of Latin 'ascia' (hatchet, adze), or following Indo-European roots for cutting tools; ancient Greek tradition does not securely link ἀξίνη to a Greek root meaning 'to break.' Pre-Greek origin possible, as the word has no clear Indo-European cognates.
Historical & Contextual Notes
Attested from early Greek literature (e.g., Homer) as a basic term for an axe, especially the double-headed axe used in various cultural contexts across the Eastern Mediterranean. In the LXX and NT (e.g., Matthew 3:10; Luke 3:9), ἀξίνη is used both literally and as an image for divine judgment, where the axe lies at the root of the trees, ready to cut down the fruitless. The double-headed axe (labrys) was also a symbol in eastern Mediterranean iconography, but by the Koine period, the term primarily denoted a practical tool. English translations generally render the word simply as 'axe,' which adequately conveys the basic referent but can obscure its metaphorical, symbolic, or ritual connotations in some contexts.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
probably from (to break; compare ῥήγνυμι); an axe:--axe.
Root Family
ἀξίνη (axinē) — cutting tool, axe, to cut, to hew
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G513-01 |
ἀξίνη | axine | N NOM F SG |
axe | axe | axe | 2 |
Occurrences in Scripture
2 occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G513-01 |
Matthew 3:10 | ἀξίνη | axine | N NOM F SG |
axe | axe | axe |
G513-01 |
Luke 3:9 | ἀξίνη | axine | N NOM F SG |
axe | axe | axe |