Define

• Hebrew: zə·ḇaḥ (זְבַח) – sacrifice, slaughter (as an offering to God)

  • often in the context of a ritual offering to God - a type of Peace Offering

• Greek: thysia (θυσία) – sacrifice, offering

Related words

• ze·ḇaḥ (זֶבַח) – sacrifice (noun form)
• še·lem - (שֶׁלֶם) – Peace Offering, sacrifice of fellowship
• ō·lāh (עֹלָה) – Burnt Offering
• min·ḥāh (מִנְחָה) – Grain Offering, tribute
• ḥaṭ·ṭāṯ (חַטָּאת) – Sin Offering
• ʾā·šām (אָשָׁם) – Guilt Offering

Additional Info

• Occurs over 160 times in the Hebrew Bible, primarily in contexts of ritual animal sacrifice (Leviticus, Numbers, Psalms, etc.)
• In Psalm 50:14 used in the imperative: “Sacrifice to God thanksgiving”

Connections

• Leviticus 7:11–15 – תּוֹדָה (tō·w·ḏāh) as a type of זֶבַח שְׁלָמִים (thanksgiving peace offering)
• Psalm 116:17 – אֶזְבְּחָה לְךָ זֶבַח תּוֹדָה (“I will sacrifice to You a sacrifice of thanksgiving”)
• Hosea 14:2 – פָּרִים שְׂפָתֵינוּ (“the calves of our lips” – parallel to verbal thanksgiving instead of animal זְבַח)
• Psalm 50:23 – זֹבֵחַ תּוֹדָה (“he who sacrifices thanksgiving”) – same root verb used later in the psalm
• Jonah 2:9 – אֶזְבְּחָה־לְּךָ בְּקוֹל תּוֹדָה (“I will sacrifice to You with the voice of thanksgiving”) and נְדַרְתִּי אֲשַׁלֵּמָה (“I will pay what I have vowed”) – links זְבַח and שׁלם as in Psalm 50:14