ἁγιάζω
hagiazō
to sanctify
Lexicon Entry
Lexicon data from STEPBible TIPNR, Tyndale House, Cambridge. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.
What Original Readers Understood
ExploredThe Greek word ἁγιάζω (hagiazō) is used to describe the action of sanctification, which can be translated to English as "to sanctify." In its core meaning, hagiazō implies setting someone or something apart for a particular purpose, especially in a context of consecration or dedication to a higher authority. This concept is fundamental to various aspects of worship and ritual in the Greek-speaking world of the biblical era. Across its 28 occurrences in the Bible, hagiazō demonstrates a range of usage that encompasses both individuals and objects, such as people, places, and items associated with worship. This word can indicate the consecration of people (e.g., priests, leaders) to serve in a special capacity or the setting apart of objects for sacred purposes (e.g., sacrifices). The emphasis lies on the act of separation, making something holy or acceptable to the divine. The significance of hagiazō lies in its connection to the concept of holiness and the separation of things for divine purposes. Through this word, we see that sanctification is not just an abstract idea but a concrete, practical action that involves setting people and objects apart for the sake of worship and serving a higher authority. This understanding is crucial in understanding the rituals, rituals practices, and the role of leaders in worship and communal life in ancient Greek-speaking communities.
Source data & methodology
Occurrences in Scripture
28 total occurrences across the text
Pray like this: ‘Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy.
Matthew 23:17You blind fools! For which is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifies the gold?
Matthew 23:19You blind fools! For which is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifies the gift?
Luke 11:2He said to them, “When you pray, say, ‘Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy. May your Kingdom come. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.
John 10:36do you say of him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, ‘You blaspheme,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God?’
John 17:17Sanctify them in your truth. Your word is truth.
John 17:19For their sakes I sanctify myself, that they themselves also may be sanctified in truth.
John 17:19For their sakes I sanctify myself, that they themselves also may be sanctified in truth.
Acts 20:32Now, brothers, I entrust you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build up, and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified.
Acts 26:18to open their eyes, that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive remission of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’
Romans 15:16that I should be a servant of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles, serving as a priest of the Good News of God, that the offering up of the Gentiles might be made acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.
1 Corinthians 1:2to the assembly of God which is at Corinth—those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called saints, with all who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ in every place, both theirs and ours:
1 Corinthians 6:11Some of you were such, but you were washed. But you were sanctified. But you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and in the Spirit of our God.
1 Corinthians 7:14For the unbelieving husband is sanctified in the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified in the husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but now they are holy.
1 Corinthians 7:14For the unbelieving husband is sanctified in the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified in the husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but now they are holy.
Ephesians 5:26that he might sanctify it, having cleansed it by the washing of water with the word,
1 Thessalonians 5:23May the God of peace himself sanctify you completely. May your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Timothy 4:5For it is sanctified through the word of God and prayer.
2 Timothy 2:21If anyone therefore purges himself from these, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified, and suitable for the master’s use, prepared for every good work.
Hebrews 2:11For both he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified are all from one, for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brothers,
Hebrews 2:11For both he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified are all from one, for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brothers,
Hebrews 9:13For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled, sanctify to the cleanness of the flesh,
Hebrews 10:10by which will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
Hebrews 10:14For by one offering he has perfected forever those who are being sanctified.
Hebrews 10:29How much worse punishment do you think he will be judged worthy of who has trodden under foot the Son of God, and has counted the blood of the covenant with which he was sanctified an unholy thing, and has insulted the Spirit of grace?
Hebrews 13:12Therefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people through his own blood, suffered outside of the gate.
1 Peter 3:15But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts. Always be ready to give an answer to everyone who asks you a reason concerning the hope that is in you, with humility and fear,
Revelation 22:11He who acts unjustly, let him act unjustly still. He who is filthy, let him be filthy still. He who is righteous, let him do righteousness still. He who is holy, let him be holy still.”