Word Study for G5407 (φονεύω)

phoneúō /fon-yoo'-o/ Ask about this word

Rootfrom φονεύς

Meaningto be a murderer (of)

KJV usagekill, do murder, slay.

Word Study

In depth

A plain-language study of phoneúō — the range of meaning it carries, how Scripture actually uses it, and where it points. Written for readers who don’t know the original language.

Core Meaning & Semantic Range

The Greek word phoneúō, represented by G5407, is a direct and forceful term for the act of murder. Its base definition is to be a murderer, to kill, do murder, or slay. It appears 18 times across 10 unique verses, primarily serving as a key term in moral and legal commandments and in accusations of grave sin.

Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis

In biblical usage, G5407 is most frequently found within the list of core prohibitions from the law. The command, "Thou shalt not kill," is repeated in several gospels and epistles, establishing it as a foundational principle of righteousness (Matthew 5:21; Mark 10:19; Romans 13:9). Beyond a simple command, the word is used to describe the ultimate consequence of unchecked desire, as when James states, "Ye lust, and have not: ye kill" James 4:2. It is also used to level charges of extreme wickedness, such as the accusation that the audience's ancestors killed the prophets G4396 Matthew 23:31 and slew righteous men from Abel G6 to Zacharias G2197 Matthew 23:35.

Related Words & Concepts

Several related words help define the context and consequences surrounding the act of murder:

G1342 díkaios (just, righteous): This word often describes the victims of murder. Scripture speaks of the shedding of righteous blood and the act of condemning and killing the just James 5:6, highlighting murder as an attack on innocence.
G1632 ekchéō (to pour forth, shed): This word is directly linked to the physical result of murder. The guilt for all the righteous blood shed upon the earth is laid upon those who kill God's messengers Matthew 23:35.
G1937 epithyméō (lust after, covet): This term points to the internal motivation that can lead to murder. James connects the outward act of killing directly to the inward sin of lust James 4:2.
G2613 katadikázō (to adjudge against, condemn): This word is used in conjunction with G5407 to show a process of unrighteous judgment leading to death. The audience in James is accused, "Ye have condemned and killed the just" James 5:6.

Theological Significance

The theological weight of G5407 is significant, framing murder as a violation of divine law and a sign of spiritual corruption.

A Foundational Prohibition: The command "Thou shalt not kill" is a pillar of the moral law cited by both Jesus and the apostles. To break this commandment is to become a "transgressor of the law" James 2:11.
The Fruit of Sinful Desire: The act of killing is not presented in isolation but as the culmination of internal sin. It is the physical expression of lust, fighting, and warring within the human heart James 4:2.
Rebellion Against God: Murder is frequently characterized as an act against God's representatives. The killing of the prophets Matthew 23:31 and the righteous Matthew 23:35 is treated as a historical pattern of rejecting God's authority.

Summary

In summary, G5407 is more than a legal term; it is a word with profound moral and theological implications. It functions as a clear line in God's law, the violation of which has severe consequences. As seen in scripture, the act to kill or murder is the terrible outcome of a heart given over to lust and rebellion, often directed at the very people who are righteous and just.

How the KJV Renders It

Translation

Strong’s lists the renderings but not their weight. These are counted from the King James text of the tagged verses — the bar under each is how often the translators actually reached for it. Select one to filter the occurrences below.

Grammatical Forms

Morphology

In the Greek New Testament, this word appears as a verb across 12 occurrences, inflected in 7 grammatical forms — each row is one form, and the bar is how often it is that form.

Aorist Active Subjunctive 2nd Singular 3×
Future Active Indicative 2nd Singular 3×
Aorist Active Indicative 2nd Plural 2×
Aorist Active Participle Genitive Plural Masculine 1×
Aorist Active Subjunctive 3rd Singular 1×
Present Active Indicative 2nd Plural 1×
Present Active Indicative 2nd Singular 1×

Genitive: Possession or source — often "of".
Singular: One.
Plural: More than one.
Masculine: Masculine grammatical gender.
2nd: Second person — the one addressed ("you").
3rd: Third person — the one spoken about ("he"/"they").
Present: Action in progress or repeated — happening now or continually.
Future: Action yet to take place.
Aorist: Action viewed as a single whole — usually a simple past event.
Active: The subject performs the action.
Indicative: A plain statement of fact.
Subjunctive: Possibility or purpose — "might", "should".
Participle: A verbal adjective — describes while carrying the verb's action.

Related Words

Other entries the study above points to — each one is drawn from a reference it makes. Follow the trail to see how the words connect.

Theographic Context

Context

The people, places, and span of history the verses containing this word touch on — drawn from the theographic tagging of Scripture. Select any name to isolate its verses in the occurrence list.

Biblical Distribution

Distribution

Appears in 10 verses across 5 of the 27 books. Most frequent in Matthew (4 verses); never once in the other 22.

Matthew

Mark

Luke

Romans

James

Every Occurrence

Concordance

Every verse where the word is tagged in the King James text. Filter by book, by the English word the translators chose, or search within the verses.

Sources. Definition and numbering: James Strong, Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (1890). Morphology: STEPBible / Tyndale House (CC BY). Verse tagging: the King James text keyed to Strong’s numbers. Every count on this page is computed from the tagged corpus, not estimated.