4156. pniktos

Lexicon

pniktos: Strangled

Original Word: πνικτός
Part of Speech: Adjective
Transliteration: pniktos
Pronunciation: pnee-k-tos'
Phonetic Spelling: (pnik-tos')
Definition: Strangled
Meaning: strangled (i.e. killed without letting out the blood).

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

strangled.

From pnigo; throttled, i.e. (neuter concretely) an animal choked to death (not bled) -- strangled.

see GREEK pnigo

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
from pnigó
Definition
strangled
NASB Translation
strangled (2), things strangled (1).

Thayer's Greek Lexicon

STRONGS NT 4156: πνικτός

πνικτός, πνικτη, πνικτόν (πνίγω), suffocated, strangled: τό πνικτόν (what is strangled, i. e.) an animal deprived of life without shedding its blood, Acts 15:20, 29; Acts 21:25. ((Several times in Athen. and other later writ, chiefly of cookery; cf. our smothered as a culinary term.))

Topical Lexicon

Word Origin: Derived from the Greek verb πνίγω (pnigō), meaning "to choke" or "to strangle."

Corresponding Greek / Hebrew Entries: While there is no direct Hebrew equivalent for πνικτός, the concept is related to the Hebrew dietary laws concerning blood and the proper method of slaughtering animals, as outlined in passages such as Leviticus 17:10-14 and Deuteronomy 12:16, 23-25. These laws emphasize the prohibition against consuming blood, which is indirectly related to the prohibition against eating strangled animals.

Usage: The word πνικτός is used in the New Testament to describe a category of food that was prohibited for consumption by early Christians, particularly in the context of the Jerusalem Council's decrees to Gentile believers. It appears in the context of dietary restrictions alongside other prohibitions.

Context: The term πνικτός appears in the New Testament in Acts 15:20 and Acts 15:29, as well as in Acts 21:25. These passages record the decisions made by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem regarding the conduct of Gentile converts to Christianity. The council determined that Gentile believers should abstain from certain practices, including the consumption of food that had been sacrificed to idols, blood, and meat from animals that had been strangled (πνικτός).

The prohibition against eating strangled animals is rooted in the Jewish dietary laws found in the Old Testament, which emphasize the importance of blood as the life force of an animal (see Leviticus 17:10-14). By avoiding strangled animals, which would still contain blood, early Christians were adhering to a standard that respected the sanctity of life and the symbolic significance of blood.

This decree was part of a broader effort to maintain unity between Jewish and Gentile believers in the early church, ensuring that Gentile Christians would not offend their Jewish brethren by engaging in practices that were considered abhorrent under Jewish law. The decision reflects the early church's commitment to upholding certain moral and ceremonial standards while allowing for the inclusion of Gentiles into the faith community.

Forms and Transliterations

πνικτον πνικτόν πνικτὸν πνικτου πνικτού πνικτοῦ πνικτων πνικτῶν pnikton pniktòn pniktôn pniktōn pniktō̂n pniktou pniktoû

Englishman's Concordance

Acts 15:20 Adj-GNS
GRK: καὶ τοῦ πνικτοῦ καὶ τοῦ
NAS: and from fornication and from what is strangled and from blood.
KJV: and [from] things strangled, and
INT: and that which is strangled and from

Acts 15:29 Adj-GNP
GRK: αἵματος καὶ πνικτῶν καὶ πορνείας
NAS: and from blood and from things strangled and from fornication;
KJV: and from things strangled, and
INT: from blood and from what is strangled and from sexual immorality

Acts 21:25 Adj-ANS
GRK: αἷμα καὶ πνικτὸν καὶ πορνείαν
NAS: and from blood and from what is strangled and from fornication.
KJV: and from strangled, and
INT: blood and what is strangled and sexual immorality

Strong's Greek 4156
3 Occurrences

πνικτῶν — 1 Occ.
πνικτὸν — 1 Occ.
πνικτοῦ — 1 Occ.