ἀποκτείνω
apokteínō
G615 verb
SILEX Entry
Definition
To put to death, to kill, typically in a deliberate, decisive, or direct manner. The verb often indicates the act of causing the death of a person or animal, whether in a judicial, hostile, or violent context. It can also refer, less commonly, to destroying or annihilating more generally (in a figurative sense).
Semantic Range
to put to death, to kill outright, to slay, to execute, to cause to die, (figuratively) to destroy, to exterminate
Root / Etymology
From ἀπό ('from, away from') + κτείνω ('to kill, slay'). The compound reinforces the finality or completeness of the action ('to put completely to death'). κτείνω is an inherited Greek verb attested from Homeric Greek onward; the prepositional prefix ἀπό intensifies the meaning to indicate total or decisive action.
Historical & Contextual Notes
ἀποκτείνω is a compound verb used widely in Koine Greek, including the Septuagint and New Testament, to denote deliberate acts of killing, whether legitimate (e.g., executions), hostile (e.g., murders), or in the context of sacrifices or judicial punishments. In the New Testament, it is often used of capital punishment, martyrdom, or acts of violence by authorities or hostile individuals. Its figurative extension to 'destroy' occurs primarily in apocalyptically or metaphorically charged contexts. Classical Greek used the simplex κτείνω with largely the same sense, but the compound ἀποκτείνω becomes markedly more common in later and Koine usage, perhaps reflecting Semitic influence from Hebrew הרג or מות in translation Greek. English versions often render the term 'kill' or 'put to death'; however, 'put to death' more specifically captures the decisive, completed nature implied in the Greek. ἀποκτείνω can be contrasted with φονεύω ('to murder, to assassinate'), which more specifically denotes unlawful killing. In the Septuagint, ἀποκτείνω frequently translates Hebrew מות (to die, to put to death), often in legal or narrative settings.
Translation Consistency
‘Kill’ is the natural, common English verb that best captures the typical sense of ἀποκτείνω — to put someone or something to death, slay, or execute. It covers both literal and the less common figurative senses (destroy, exterminate) and yields natural renderings in all persons/tenses. Using ‘kill’ is clearer and less ambiguous than the frequent P2 rendering ‘put’ (as in ‘put to death’), which is too generic.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from ἀπό and (to slay); to kill outright; figuratively, to destroy:--put to death, kill, slay.
Root Family
ἀποκτείνω (apokteinō) — to kill, to put to death, to slay
Word Forms
23 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G615-09 |
ἀποκτεῖναι | apokteinai | V AOR ACT INF |
to kill | to put to death | to kill | 16 |
G615-03 |
ἀπέκτειναν | apekteinan | V AOR ACT IND 3P PL |
killed | they put to death | they killed | 10 |
G615-14 |
ἀποκτείνωσιν | apokteinosin | V AOR ACT SUBJ 3P PL |
kill | they might put to death | they might kill | 8 |
G615-23 |
ἀποκτενοῦσιν | apoktenousin | V FUT ACT IND 3P PL |
they will kill | they will put to death | they will kill | 6 |
G615-07 |
ἀποκτανθῆναι | apoktanthenai | V AOR PASS INF |
to be killed | to be put to death | to be killed | 5 |
G615-12 |
ἀποκτείνωμεν | apokteinomen | V AOR ACT SUBJ 1P PL |
let us kill | let us put to death | let us kill | 4 |
G615-02 |
ἀπεκτάνθησαν | apektanthesan | V AOR PASS IND 3P PL |
were killed | they were put to death | they were killed | 4 |
G615-16 |
ἀποκτενεῖ | apoktenei | V FUT ACT IND 3P SG |
he will kill | he will put to death | he will put to death | 3 |
G615-05 |
ἀπέκτεινεν | apekteinen | V AOR ACT IND 3P SG |
killed | he put to death | he killed | 2 |
G615-11 |
ἀποκτείνας | apokteinas | V AOR ACT PTCP NOM M SG |
kills | having put to death | having put to death | 2 |
Occurrences in Scripture
74 occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G615-21 |
Matthew 10:28 | ἀποκτεννόντων | apoktennonton | V PRS ACT PTCP GEN M PL |
killing | of those putting to death | of those putting to death |
G615-09 |
Matthew 10:28 | ἀποκτεῖναι | apokteinai | V AOR ACT INF |
to kill | to put to death | to kill |
G615-09 |
Matthew 14:5 | ἀποκτεῖναι | apokteinai | V AOR ACT INF |
to kill | to put to death | to kill |
G615-07 |
Matthew 16:21 | ἀποκτανθῆναι | apoktanthenai | V AOR PASS INF |
to be killed | to be put to death | to be killed |
G615-23 |
Matthew 17:23 | ἀποκτενοῦσιν | apoktenousin | V FUT ACT IND 3P PL |
they will kill | they will put to death | they will kill |
G615-03 |
Matthew 21:35 | ἀπέκτειναν | apekteinan | V AOR ACT IND 3P PL |
killed | they put to death | they killed |
G615-12 |
Matthew 21:38 | ἀποκτείνωμεν | apokteinomen | V AOR ACT SUBJ 1P PL |
let-us-kill | let us put to death | let us kill |
G615-03 |
Matthew 21:39 | ἀπέκτειναν | apekteinan | V AOR ACT IND 3P PL |
killed | they put to death | they killed |
G615-03 |
Matthew 22:6 | ἀπέκτειναν | apekteinan | V AOR ACT IND 3P PL |
killed | they put to death | they killed |
G615-17 |
Matthew 23:34 | ἀποκτενεῖτε | apokteneite | V FUT ACT IND 2P PL |
you will kill | you will put to death | you will put to death |