Definition

apparently strengthened from G4685 (σπάω) through the idea of spasmodic contraction); to mangle, i.e. convluse with epilepsy

Etymology

prolongation from (to grasp;

Where the KJV renders it

• rend
• tear

Every distinct English word the King James Version uses to translate this Greek term. The variety shows what readers in English receive across many different surface words — the same underlying word, scattered across the English Bible under different names.

What the first audience heard

A deep-dive treatment of this word is in the works. The featured chapter above carries the long form of what this word meant to its first audience.