STRONGS NT 3964: πατρολῴαςπατρολῴας, see πατραλῴας.

The sole New Testament occurrence of πατρολῴαις appears in 1 Timothy 1:9, where Paul catalogs those for whom “the Law is enacted, not for the righteous, but for the lawless and rebellious, for the ungodly and sinful, for the unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers”. The term sits amid a crescendo of offenses meant to illustrate humanity’s deepest moral deformities and to validate the continuing pedagogical role of God’s law in exposing sin and driving sinners to the only sufficient Mediator (1 Timothy 2:5).

Jewish and Greco-Roman backdrop

1. Jewish context
• The fifth commandment, “Honor your father and your mother” (Exodus 20:12), stands at the pivot of the Decalogue between duty toward God and duty toward neighbor, making its violation uniquely offensive.
• Torah legislation prescribed death for striking or cursing parents (Exodus 21:15, 17; Leviticus 20:9) and even for persistent, violent rebelliousness (Deuteronomy 21:18-21). Patricide was thus emblematic of covenant rupture.
2. Greco-Roman context
• Classical writers denounced πατροκτονία (patricide) as the epitome of impiety; Roman law treated it as a parricidium deserving the poena cullei (sewing the offender in a sack with animals and drowning).
• Paul’s Greek readers therefore heard an offense universally abhorred in civil society and unmistakably condemned within the revealed moral order.

Literary function in 1 Timothy

By pairing “murderers of fathers” with “murderers of mothers,” Paul intensifies the vice list, moving from general lawlessness to crimes that shatter the most basic human relationship. The progression reinforces his thesis: Scripture’s ethical demands remain necessary because the gospel message is not antinomian; it fulfills rather than abolishes (compare Romans 3:31). The list also mirrors the sixth commandment (“You shall not murder”) immediately after the fifth, showing that violation of parental honor naturally flows into violence against life itself.

Theological themes

• Authority and order: The parent-child relation mirrors God’s authority over creation. Assault on that relation is tacit rebellion against God (Malachi 1:6).
• Depravity exposed: Patricide exemplifies the extreme endpoint of human sin when left unchecked (Romans 1:30, “disobedient to parents”).
• Law as tutor: The Mosaic sanctions and Paul’s catalog both underscore the law’s role in confronting sinners, preparing them for the gospel’s offer of forgiveness (Galatians 3:24).
• Redemption’s reach: While the offense is heinous, the context of 1 Timothy centers on “the glorious gospel of the blessed God” (1 Timothy 1:11), implying that even such sinners are not beyond divine mercy (1 Timothy 1:15-16).

Pastoral and practical implications

1. Upholding parental honor
• Christian teaching must continually reinforce the sanctity of the family structure, grounding obedience to parents in the Lord (Ephesians 6:1-3).
2. Counseling broken relationships
• Where relationships have been marred by violence or hatred, ministers call perpetrators to repentance and victims to the healing justice of Christ.
3. Guarding against cultural drift
• Societies that erode respect for parental authority invite broader violence. The church’s prophetic witness includes modeling households where fathers are loving, mothers are honored, and children are discipled in the fear of the Lord (Colossians 3:20-21).
4. Prison and restorative ministries
• Because incarcerated populations often include those guilty of severe familial crimes, ministries have opportunity to display the gospel’s power to forgive and transform the worst offenders.

Connections with other biblical concepts

• Matricide (μητρολῴαι, 3389) in the same verse underscores the comprehensive rupture of both paternal and maternal bonds.
• “Disobedience to parents” (Romans 1:30; 2 Timothy 3:2) appears as a precursor to more violent forms of parental hatred, forming a continuum of rebellion.
• The fatherhood of God (Matthew 6:9) contrasts the violence of patricide with the tenderness of divine adoption (Romans 8:15). Reconciled children of God now honor their earthly parents as an echo of honoring their heavenly Father.

Historical testimony

Early Christian apologists such as Athenagoras cited the believers’ rejection of infanticide and parricide as evidence of moral superiority to pagan society. Church canons echoed biblical penalties with excommunication for those guilty of familial murder, yet simultaneously offered paths of penance—living proof that “where sin increased, grace abounded all the more” (Romans 5:20).

Contemporary relevance

While literal patricide remains rare, its underlying spirit surfaces whenever authority structures are despised. Whether through elder abuse, cultural disdain for fatherhood, or ideological attacks on the nuclear family, the church’s call is to hold forth the gospel that heals generational fractures, restores honor to parents, and reconciles sinners to the Father through the Son by the Spirit.