"sacrifice, the act of sacrificing, Heb. 9:26; the thing sacrificed, a victim, Mt. 9:13; 12:7; the flesh of victims eaten by the sacrificers, 1 Cor. 10:18; in NT an offering or service to God, Phil. 4:18"
Definition and meaning
sacrifice, the act of sacrificing, Heb. 9:26; the thing sacrificed, a victim, Mt. 9:13; 12:7; the flesh of victims eaten by the sacrificers, 1 Cor. 10:18; in NT an offering or service to God, Phil. 4:18
In the original Greek the word is written: θυσία
Historical context
Rome had controlled Judea since 63 BC. Herod the Great rebuilt the Temple into one of the most magnificent structures in the ancient world — and simultaneously murdered members of his own family. The common people paid multiple layers of taxation and were politically powerless. Into that world a carpenter from Galilee began teaching that the kingdom of God had arrived.
The people who first heard this word were not reading a book — they were living through empires, oppression, exile, and covenant. Every word carried the weight of that reality. Understanding it changes how you read Scripture.
Scripture references
These are the most notable occurrences of thusia (G2378) across the King James Bible.
But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
But if ye had known what this meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless.
For every one shall be salted with fire, and every sacrifice shall be salted with salt.
And to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbour as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.
And to offer a sacrifice according to that which is said in the law of the Lord, A pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.
There were present at that season some that told him of the Galilaeans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.
And they made a calf in those days, and offered sacrifice unto the idol, and rejoiced in the works of their own hands.
Then God turned, and gave them up to worship the host of heaven; as it is written in the book of the prophets, O ye house of Israel, have ye offered to me slain beasts and sacrifices by the space of forty years in the wilderness?
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
Behold Israel after the flesh: are not they which eat of the sacrifices partakers of the altar?
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Common questions
Strong's G2378 (thusia) is a Greek word that means: sacrifice, the act of sacrificing, Heb. 9:26; the thing sacrificed, a victim, Mt. 9:13; 12:7; the flesh of victims eaten by the sacrificers, 1 Cor. 10:18; in NT an offering or service to God, Phil. 4:... It appears 29 times in the King James Bible.
The word thusia (G2378) appears 29 times in the original Greek text.
Strong's G2378 is thusia, a Greek word defined as: sacrifice, the act of sacrificing, Heb. 9:26; the thing sacrificed, a victim, Mt. 9:13; 12:7; the flesh of victims eaten by the sacrificers, 1 Cor. 10. James Strong catalogued this in his 1890 concordance to help English readers study the original languages of the Bible.
thusia is a Greek word found in the New Testament.