τραχηλίζω (G5136) — Greek Lexicon

τραχηλίζω

trachēlízō

G5136 verb

SILEX Entry

Definition

To lay bare or expose the throat or neck, particularly in the context of rendering vulnerable, as when seizing or bending back the neck of a victim or animal for slaughter; more broadly, to render defenseless or subject to thorough examination. In metaphorical contexts, to expose, make vulnerable, or reveal fully.

Semantic Range

to bend back the neck, to lay bare the throat, to expose or render vulnerable (esp. before judgment or harm), to make defenseless, to place in a position of helplessness, to subject to examination

Root / Etymology

Derived from τράχηλος ('neck, throat'). Formed with the verbal suffix -ίζω, indicating an action involving the neck or throat.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In classical Greek, τραχηλίζω is rare and appears in medical or anatomical contexts (e.g., Galen), where it can refer to the bending or exposure of the neck for medical procedures. In the Hellenistic and Koine periods, including the Septuagint (where it is largely unattested) and the New Testament, it occurs with the sense of 'laying bare' or 'making exposed/vulnerable,' especially in metaphorical or rhetorical usage. In Hebrews 4:13, the term is used metaphorically for being fully exposed or helpless before God, with the image of a sacrificial animal's neck stretched out, a common motif in Greco-Roman sacrificial language. English translations commonly render as 'opened' or 'laid bare,' but these often underrepresent the vivid, vulnerable imagery of the Greek term. The word is not common outside this context, and Greek literary sources support the sense of total exposure or vulnerability associated with the positioning of the neck.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from τράχηλος; to seize by the throat or neck, i.e. to expose the gullet of a victim for killing (generally, to lay bare):--opened.

Root Family

τραχηλίζω (trachēlízō) — neck, throat, bend back, expose, render vulnerable

Root τραχηλ- neck, throat, to expose, to bend back

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE	Surface	Transliteration	Morphology	Common	SIBI-P1	SIBI-P2	Occurrences
`G5136-01`	τετραχηλισμένα	tetrachelismena	`V PRF PASS PTCP NOM N PL`	laid bare	having been throat-bared	having been throat-bared	1

Occurrences in Scripture

1 occurrence

SIDANCE	Reference	Word	Transliteration	Morphology	Common	SIBI-P1	SIBI-P2
`G5136-01`	Hebrews 4:13	τετραχηλισμένα	tetrachelismena	`V PRF PASS PTCP NOM N PL`	laid bare	having been throat-bared	having been throat-bared

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