Original Word: θυσία
Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine
Transliteration: thusia
Pronunciation: thoo-see'-ah
Phonetic Spelling: (thoo-see'-ah)
KJV: sacrifice
NASB: sacrifice, sacrifices
Word Origin: [from G2380 (θύω - kill)]

1. sacrifice (the act or the victim)
{literally or figuratively}

sacrifice.

From thuo; sacrifice (the act or the victim, literally or figuratively) -- sacrifice.

see GREEK thuo

2378 thysía – properly, an offering (sacrifice); an official sacrifice prescribed by God; hence an offering the Lord accepts because offered on His terms.

2378 /thysía ("sacrifice") refers to various forms of OT blood sacrifices ("types") – all awaiting their fulfillment in their antitype, Jesus Christ (Heb 10:5-12).

Word Origin
from thuó
Definition
a sacrifice
NASB Translation
sacrifice (14), sacrifices (14).

STRONGS NT 2378: θυσία

θυσία, θυσίας, ἡ (θύω) (from Aeschylus down), the Sept. for מִנְחָה an offering, and זֶבַח; a sacrifice, victim;

a. properly: Matthew 9:13 and Matthew 12:7, from Hosea 6:6; Mark 9:40 ((R G L Tr text brackets), see ἁλίζω); Ephesians 5:2; Hebrews 10:5, 28; plural, Mark 12:33; Luke 13:1; Hebrews 9:23; (Hebrews 10:1, 8 (here Rec. singular)); ἀνάγειν θυσίαν τίνι, Acts 7:41; ἀναφέρειν, Hebrews 7:27 (see ἀνάγω, and ἀναφέρω 2); (δοῦναι θυσίαν, Luke 2:24); προσφέρειν, Acts 7:42; Hebrews 5:1; Hebrews 8:3; 10:(),; (); passive Hebrews 9:9; διά τῆς θυσίας αὐτοῦ, by his sacrifice, i. e. by the sacrifice which he offered (not, by offering up himself; that would have been expressed by διά τῆς θυσίας τῆς ἑαυτοῦ, or διά τῆς ἑαυτοῦ θυσίας), Hebrews 9:26; ἐσθίειν τάς θυσίας, to eat the flesh left over from the victims sacrificed (viz. at the sacrificial feasts; cf. (Leviticus 7:15ff; Deuteronomy 12:7f, 17f, etc.) Winer's RWB under the word Opfermahlzeiten), 1 Corinthians 10:18.

b. in expressions involving a comparison: θυσίαι πνευματικαι (see πνευματικός, 3 a.), 1 Peter 2:5; θυσία, a free gift, which is likened to an offered sacrifice, Philippians 4:18; Hebrews 13:16 (τοιαύταις θυσίαις, i. e. with such things as substitutes for sacrifices God is well pleased); θυσία ζῶσα (see ζάω, II.

b. at the end), Romans 12:1; ἀναφέρειν θυσίαν αἰνέσεως, Hebrews 13:15 (if this meant, as it can mean, αἴνεσιν ὡς θυσίαν, the author would not have added, as he has, the explanation of the words; he must therefore be supposed to have reproduced the Hebrew phrase זִבְחֵי־תּודָה, and then defined this more exactly; Leviticus 7:3 (Leviticus 7:13) (cf. Leviticus 7:2 (Leviticus 7:12)); Psalm 106:22 (); see αἴνεσις); ἐπί τῇ θυσία ... τῆς πίστεως ὑμῶν (epexegetical genitive), in the work of exciting, nourishing, increasing, your faith, as if in providing a sacrifice to be offered to God (cf. ἐπί, p. 233b bottom), Philippians 2:17.

Range of New Testament Usage

The term appears twenty-nine times, encompassing literal temple offerings, idolatrous rituals, the once-for-all offering of Christ, and the ongoing “spiritual sacrifices” of the Church. The references cluster especially in Hebrews, where the contrast between shadow and fulfillment is central (Hebrews 7–10). A smaller group describes pagan or misguided worship (Acts 7:41-42; 1 Corinthians 10:18; Luke 13:1), while several passages apply sacrificial language to Christian ethics and ministry (Romans 12:1; Ephesians 5:2; Philippians 2:17; 1 Peter 2:5).

Rooted in the Old Testament Pattern

Every New Testament occurrence presupposes the Levitical system in which blood sacrifices mediated covenant fellowship (Leviticus 17:11). Mark 9:49 alludes to the requirement that “every sacrifice will be salted with salt,” recalling Leviticus 2:13 and showing that Jesus read the sacrificial code as prophetic of discipleship purified by fire. Hebrews 9:23-10:4 repeatedly calls the Mosaic sacrifices “copies” pointing to a greater reality.

Fulfillment in the Once-for-All Sacrifice of Christ

Hebrews presents the climactic theology:

• “But when this Priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, He sat down at the right hand of God.” (Hebrews 10:12)

The uniqueness and sufficiency of Calvary render further sin-offerings unnecessary (Hebrews 10:18). Ephesians 5:2 echoes the same truth in pastoral exhortation: “Christ…gave Himself up for us as a fragrant sacrificial offering to God.”

Contrast with Ineffectual or Idolatrous Sacrifices

Stephen reminds Israel that they “made a calf in those days and brought a sacrifice to the idol” (Acts 7:41). Paul warns Corinth that pagan altars create “fellow partakers” with demons (1 Corinthians 10:18-20). Luke 13:1 records politically motivated sacrifices by Pilate that ended in bloodshed, underscoring how corrupted worship exposes human sinfulness. These texts reinforce that acceptable worship must conform to divine revelation and find its goal in Christ.

The Believer’s Call to Offer Spiritual Sacrifices

Christ’s finished work does not eliminate sacrifice; it transforms it. Believers are now priests who “offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 2:5). Key expressions include:

• Personal consecration: “Offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God” (Romans 12:1).

• Praise: “Let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise” (Hebrews 13:15).

• Doing good and sharing: “With such sacrifices God is pleased” (Hebrews 13:16).

• Financial generosity: Paul calls the Philippians’ gift “a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice” (Philippians 4:18).

Sacrifice in Apostolic Ministry

Paul describes his apostolic labor as priestly service: “Even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service of your faith, I am glad” (Philippians 2:17). The image elevates pastoral work and missionary partnership to temple-language dignity, encouraging sacrificial commitment to gospel advance.

Suffering and Martyrdom

Hebrews 11:4 reaches back to Abel, the first martyr, to show that faith-filled sacrifice still “speaks.” In later Christian history the vocabulary of θυσία becomes associated with martyrdom, reflecting the New Testament trajectory in which suffering for Christ is understood as a holy offering (cf. Philippians 2:17; Revelation 6:9, where the “souls of those slain” lie beneath the altar).

Corporate Worship and Ethical Implications

Mark 12:33 affirms that “to love Him with all your heart… and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.” Love thus defines genuine sacrifice, integrating worship and ethics. Hebrews 10:25 links congregational assembly with maintaining confidence in Christ’s completed offering, showing how Eucharistic remembrance and mutual exhortation arise from the same sacrificial foundation.

Eschatological Rest

Because Christ has “appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of Himself” (Hebrews 9:26), the believer’s future is secured. No additional blood will ever be required. The ultimate “sacrifice of praise” offered throughout eternity (Revelation 5:8-10) celebrates the Lamb who was slain yet lives forever.

Practical Summary

1. Christ’s sacrifice is final, sufficient, and the interpretive key to all prior offerings.
2. Worship detached from obedience or rooted in idolatry is condemned.
3. Christian life, service, generosity, praise, and even suffering are to be offered as ongoing, God-pleasing sacrifices made acceptable through Jesus Christ.

εθυσίαζε εθυσίαζον εθυσίασε εθυσίασεν θυσαίς θυσια θυσία θυσίᾳ θυσιάζη θυσιάζομεν θυσιαζομένων θυσιάζοντες θυσιάζοντι θυσιαζόντων θυσιάζουσι θυσιάζουσιν θυσιάζων θυσιαι θυσίαι θυσιαις θυσίαις θυσιαν θυσίαν θυσιας θυσίας θυσιασμα θυσίασμα θυσιάσματα θυσιάσματος θυσιασμάτων θυσιων θυσιών θυσιῶν θυσίων thusia thusiai thusiais thusian thusias thusion thusiōn thysia thysía thysiai thysíai thysíāi thysiais thysíais thysian thysían thysias thysías thysion thysiôn thysiōn thysiō̂nInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts