μητραλῴας (mētralōas)
mētralōas
matricide
Quick Reference
- Language
- Koine Greek
- Testament
- New Testament
- Occurrences
- 1 verses
- Root
- —
Word Overview
The noun mētralōas refers specifically to a person who kills their mother, or more literally, one who strikes her down. It appears only once in the New Testament, within the list of lawbreakers in 1 Timothy 1:9. The word combines terms for "mother" and "to strike," emphasizing the violent physical act against the parent.
This singular usage places the crime alongside other severe moral failures, such as murder and sexual immorality, to illustrate behavior that contradicts sound teaching. By including it in this context, the text highlights the gravity of violating fundamental family bonds, treating the killing of a mother as a definitive example of extreme lawlessness.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word mētralōas describes a person who kills their mother. It appears only once in the New Testament, in 1 Timothy 1:9. Paul lists this act alongside other severe crimes to show what it looks like when people completely reject God's law. This specific term highlights the depth of brokenness that can occur when family bonds are destroyed by violence.
Understanding this word helps us see how seriously Scripture treats the violation of fundamental relationships. It reminds us that God values the safety and dignity of every person, especially within the family. The list serves as a stark contrast to the righteousness found in Christ, showing the extent of human sinfulness apart from grace.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 1 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- murderers of mothers,1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- μητρολῴαις,1×
Key Verses
-
I Timothy 1:9
as knowing this, that law is not made for a righteous person, but for the lawless and insubordinate, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers,
This is the only occurrence of the word, where it identifies extreme lawlessness as a reason why God's law exists.