Lexical Summary androphonos: Manslayer, murderer Original Word: ἀνδροφόνος Strong's Exhaustive Concordance murderer. From aner and phonos; a murderer -- manslayer. see GREEK aner see GREEK phonos NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom anér and phonos Definition a manslayer NASB Translation murderers (1). Thayer's Greek Lexicon STRONGS NT 409: ἀνδροφόνοςἀνδροφόνος, ἀνδροφονου, ὁ, a manslayer: 1 Timothy 1:9. (2 Macc. 9:28; Homer, Plato, Demosthenes, others) (Cf. φονεύς.) Topical Lexicon Root and Conceptual Background The word translated “murderers” in 1 Timothy 1:9 stands within a broad biblical theology of homicide that traces back to the sixth commandment, “You shall not murder” (Exodus 20:13). Scripture treats the unlawful taking of human life as a direct assault on the image of God (Genesis 9:6). Accordingly, the Mosaic Law legislated capital consequences for premeditated murder while permitting cities of refuge for accidental manslaughter (Numbers 35:9-34). By the first century, Jewish jurisprudence distinguished intentional killing (Hebrew rāṣaḥ) from unintentional death, a distinction echoed in the New Testament vocabulary. Scriptural Usage 1 Timothy 1:9 lists “murderers” among those for whom “the law is not enacted for the righteous, but for the lawless and rebellious.” Paul’s catalog parallels the Decalogue: Paul thus upholds the enduring moral core of God’s law while placing it within a gospel framework. The single appearance of this specific term intensifies the list, highlighting homicide as a particularly flagrant violation of God’s order. Theological Significance 1. Sanctity of Life. Murder breaches the sacredness of life endowed by the Creator (Psalm 139:13-16). Historical Context Greco-Roman culture tolerated exposure of infants, gladiatorial games, and political assassinations. Against that backdrop, early Christian teaching on the inviolability of life was countercultural. Church fathers such as Didache 5:1 (“You shall not murder a child, whether by abortion or after birth”) extended the command to all forms of bloodshed. The singular Pauline term thus crystallized a non-negotiable boundary for the emerging Christian ethic. Ministry Application • Evangelism and Counseling. Murder, whether literal or of the heart, exposes humanity’s need for the gospel. Yet even a “murderer” can be washed, sanctified, and justified (cf. 1 Corinthians 6:11). Pastoral ministry must hold out both the gravity of sin and the sufficiency of Christ’s atonement. Typological and Christological Reflections Ironically, the only perfectly innocent Man was murdered (Acts 3:15). The cross reveals humanity at its murderous worst and God at His redemptive best. Jesus’ prayer, “Father, forgive them” (Luke 23:34), transforms the crime of deicide into the means of salvation. In Him, the cycle of blood guilt is broken; He “made peace through the blood of His cross” (Colossians 1:20). Summary Though the Greek word occurs but once, its placement in 1 Timothy 1:9 anchors the Christian condemnation of homicide within the perennial moral law, points to the universal need of the gospel, and fuels the church’s life-affirming witness in every generation. Forms and Transliterations ανδροφονοις ανδροφόνοις ἀνδροφόνοις ανδρωθέντα ανδρωθώσι androphonois androphónoisLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts |
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