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πορθέω

porthéō

G4199 verb

SILEX Entry

Definition

To destroy or lay waste, especially with violence; to ravage, sack, or cause extensive ruin to a city, region, group, or institution. In Hellenistic and New Testament contexts, typically denotes violent attacks against communities, property, or social order, but may also refer metaphorically to systemic or repeated destructive action.

Semantic Range

to ravage violently, to sack (especially cities), to eradicate or devastate, to attack destructively, to persecute or oppress systematically

Root / Etymology

Derived from the root πορθ- in Greek, meaning destructive violence or sacking, especially in a military or hostile context; cognate with Classical Greek πορθέω (to destroy, ravage). Not derived from an external language.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In Classical Greek, πορθέω primarily described the sacking or destruction of cities in warfare, and this martial nuance carries into Hellenistic and Koine Greek. In the New Testament, notably in Acts and Galatians, the term is used for Paul's violent persecution of early followers of Jesus, illustrating not just physical violence but organizational destruction—an attempt to uproot or eradicate an entire movement. The term is more specific and forceful than general terms for 'destroy,' emphasizing active, hostile devastation. Standard English translations as 'destroy' or 'waste' often flatten the word's intensive sense of violent, systematic havoc. In the Septuagint and other Koine literature, πορθέω is similarly employed for military or insurrectionary contexts, highlighting its connotation of organized, thorough ruination.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

prolongation from (to sack); to ravage (figuratively):--destroy, waste.

Root Family

πορθέω (portheō) — destroy, sack, lay waste, ravage

Root πορθ- to destroy, to sack, to lay waste

Word Forms

3 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
G4199-01 ἐπόρθει eporthei V IMPF ACT IND 3P SG destroyed was laying waste was laying waste 1
G4199-03 πορθήσας porthesas V AOR ACT PTCP NOM M SG who destroyed having ravaged one who ravaged 1
G4199-02 ἐπόρθουν eporthoun V IMPF ACT IND 1P SG tried to destroy I was ravaging I was ravaging 1

Occurrences in Scripture

3 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
G4199-03 Acts 9:21 πορθήσας porthesas V AOR ACT PTCP NOM M SG who destroyed having ravaged one who ravaged
G4199-02 Galatians 1:13 ἐπόρθουν eporthoun V IMPF ACT IND 1P SG tried to destroy I was ravaging I was ravaging
G4199-01 Galatians 1:23 ἐπόρθει eporthei V IMPF ACT IND 3P SG destroyed was laying waste was laying waste
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