Presentation; concretely, an oblation (bloodless) or sacrifice
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G4376, prosphorá, is a Greek noun for an offering, presentation, or sacrificial gift. Acts uses it for offerings associated with Paul's temple participation and for presentations he brings to Jerusalem.
Reader summary
Full entry for προσφορά (G4376) · Open the biblical lexicon
G4376, prosphorá, is a Greek noun for an offering, presentation, or sacrificial gift. Acts uses it for offerings associated with Paul's temple participation and for presentations he brings to Jerusalem.
The BSB source-word alignment has 9 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include offering (4), [an] offering (1), an offering (1), offerings (1), sacrifice (1).
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Acts 21:26. Its strongest book concentrations include Hebrews (5), Acts (2), Ephesians (1), Romans (1).
G4376, prosphorá, is a Greek noun for an offering, presentation, or sacrificial gift. Acts uses it for offerings associated with Paul's temple participation and for presentations he brings to Jerusalem. Romans calls the Gentiles an acceptable offering within Paul's priestly metaphor for gospel ministry. Ephesians names Christ's loving self-gift as a fragrant offering to God. Hebrews concentrates the noun in its argument that Jesus offers His prepared body once for all and perfects those who are being sanctified, so no further offering for sin is needed.
The occurrences must not be flattened. Paul's participation in temple purification shows a Jewish apostle acting within a Jewish setting and cannot be used as evidence that Judaism is corrupt or that Jewish practice lacks all meaning. Romans' metaphor does not turn Gentile people into property or authorize a minister to possess those served. Ephesians grounds Christian love in Christ's voluntary self-giving; it does not command victims to remain under abuse, surrender bodily safety, or let leaders consume their lives. Agency, truth, and the identity of Christ remain essential.
Hebrews contrasts repeated sacrifices with the effective offering of Jesus' body according to God's will. Its once-for-all claim centers assurance and sanctification on Christ rather than on repeated attempts to pay for sin. That theological argument must be taught without contempt for Jewish people, crude descriptions of Israel's worship, or claims that every form of Christian giving has ended. The text says another offering for sin is no longer needed; it does not abolish gratitude, mercy, generosity, or embodied service. Pastoral application should direct burdened consciences to Christ while preventing sacrificial language from excusing coercion and harm.
G4376 moves from Paul's temple-related offerings and Jerusalem alms through a priestly mission metaphor, Christ's fragrant self-gift, and Hebrews' sustained contrast between repeated sacrifices and Jesus' once-for-all bodily offering.
So the next day Paul took the men and purified himself along with them. Then he entered the temple to give notice of the date when their purification would be complete and the offering would be made for each of them.
Paul participates in purification and gives notice concerning each offering, showing continued Jewish practice within Luke's account of apostolic mission.
After several years, then, I returned to Jerusalem to bring alms to my people and to present offerings.
Paul describes returning with alms for his people and offerings, placing material relief and temple presentation within his defense.
To be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles in the priestly service of the gospel of God, so that the Gentiles might become an offering acceptable to God, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.
Paul portrays his Gentile ministry as priestly gospel service so that Gentiles become an offering sanctified by the Holy Spirit, not possessed by the minister.
And walk in love, just as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us as a fragrant sacrificial offering to God.
Christ's loving and voluntary self-gift becomes the pattern for walking in love, while His unique sacrifice cannot be transferred into demands for victim self-erasure.
Therefore, when Christ came into the world, He said: “Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, but a body You prepared for Me.
The prepared body of Christ answers the psalm's contrast between desired obedience and sacrifices that could not fulfill God's saving purpose.
In the passage above He says, “Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings You did not desire, nor did You delight in them” (although they are offered according to the law).
Hebrews acknowledges that earlier sacrifices were offered according to the law while developing the scriptural argument about God's will.
And by that will, we have been sanctified through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
Believers are sanctified through the offering of Jesus Christ's body once for all, locating cleansing in His effective act.
Because by a single offering He has made perfect for all time those who are being sanctified.
A single offering perfects for all time those who are being sanctified, holding accomplished efficacy and continuing formation together.
And where these have been forgiven, an offering for sin is no longer needed.
Forgiveness means another offering for sin is no longer required, relieving conscience from repeated attempts to secure what Christ has accomplished.
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders ItA compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
Greek word. A concrete sacrificial offering or oblation; often emphasizes the act of presenting rather than the victim itself.
Textus Receptus witness, full corpusGreek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
9 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
an offering, sacrifice
Read versean offering, sacrifice
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Read versean offering, sacrifice
Read versean offering, sacrifice
Read versean offering, sacrifice
Read versean offering, sacrifice
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Read verseFull New Testament corpus: 260 chapters, 7,957 verses, 140,628 tokens. Data source: honza/textus-receptus (data only), with authority check against byztxt/greektext-textus-receptus.
How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.
This word appears as a noun across 5 case and number patterns. The form changes show how the word functions in a sentence; they do not change the basic lexical meaning by themselves.
Verse guides are not available for this word yet, so verse references remain plain evidence markers.
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Showing 4 selected witnesses from 9 lexical occurrence verses.
προσφορά is built from this root:
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
G4376 gathers presentations whose subjects and purposes differ sharply. Paul participates in temple offerings and brings aid, describes Gentile believers through a priestly mission metaphor, and points beyond his own work to sanctification by the Holy Spirit. Ephesians names Christ's loving self-gift, while Hebrews declares His bodily offering effective once for all.
The result is assurance grounded in Jesus rather than repeated attempts to buy, perform, or suffer one's way into forgiveness. Yet the uniqueness of Christ's sacrifice also protects people from abusive imitation. A leader cannot demand that a spouse endure violence, a worker surrender health, or a member give beyond consent by saying love requires sacrifice.
Hebrews' contrast must not become contempt for Jewish people or denial that the Torah's offerings were given within Israel's covenant. Christian gratitude and generosity continue, but they respond to grace rather than completing Christ's work.
Heb.10.10
G4376 is a feminine noun built from the idea of bringing or presenting something. The New Testament applies it to material or temple offerings, persons described metaphorically as an offering, and Christ's sacrificial body in Hebrews' once-for-all argument.
Hebrews reads the Psalms and Israel's sacrificial worship in relation to Jesus' obedient bodily offering, while Acts preserves Jewish temple practice and Romans draws on priestly presentation for Gentile mission. The connections require both christological fulfillment and respect for Israel's covenant history.