What does ῥάπισμα (rhápisma) mean in the Bible?
rhapisma means a slap or blow, especially a humiliating strike. All three direct New Testament witnesses occur in the passion narrative.
Greek · G4475
ῥάπισμα
A slap
Reading a lexicon entry
What this page is: Each lexicon entry shows the original Hebrew or Greek word behind the English translation: its meaning, its range of use, and where it appears in Scripture.
Strong's number: The Strong's code (H- or G-) is the standard reference number for this word. It connects this entry to chapter and passage language tabs.
Where it appears: The witness passages show where this word is used in context. Click any to open the study page for that passage.
This lexicon entry is part of our ongoing editorial review. If you notice missing content, unclear wording, or a possible correction, please send us a note through the Connect page. Screenshots are helpful.
ῥάπισμα G4475
Pronunciation rhápisma
What does ῥάπισμα (rhápisma) mean in the Bible?
rhapisma means a slap or blow, especially a humiliating strike. All three direct New Testament witnesses occur in the passion narrative.
Reader summary
Full entry for ῥάπισμα (G4475) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render G4475?
The BSB source-word alignment has 3 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include . . . (1), slapped [Him] in the face (1), with slaps in His face (1).
Where does ῥάπισμα (rhápisma) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Mark 14:65. Its strongest book concentrations include John (2), Mark (1).
What This Word Actually Means
Rhapisma means a slap or blow, especially a humiliating strike. All three direct New Testament witnesses occur in the passion narrative. Mark describes officers receiving Jesus with slaps after mockery and blindfolding. John records an officer slapping Jesus during the high priestly questioning, and later the soldiers repeatedly mock Him as king while slapping Him.
The word should not be generalized into all suffering language or used to sanitize violence. It names contemptuous bodily dishonor directed at the innocent Christ. Pastorally, rhapisma helps readers slow down before the shame Jesus endured. The Lord's passion includes public insult, physical abuse, and royal mockery, borne without sin for the salvation of His people.
How the Bible Uses It
Rhapisma appears in three direct New Testament witnesses, all in Jesus' passion. The word marks slaps or blows used to shame and mock the innocent Christ.
- Mark.14.65
Then some of them began to spit on Him. They blindfolded Him, struck Him with their fists, and said to Him, “Prophesy!” And the officers received Him with slaps in His face.
Mark places slaps among spitting, blindfolding, and mock prophecy. The word belongs to contempt against Jesus.
- John.18.22
When Jesus had said this, one of the officers standing nearby slapped Him in the face and said, “Is this how You answer the high priest?”
An officer strikes Jesus during questioning. The slap punishes truthful speech with dishonor.
- John.19.3
And they went up to Him again and again, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and slapping Him in the face.
The soldiers combine royal mockery with repeated slaps. The blow becomes part of false homage.
Source Word Evidence
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders It . . . 1× John 19:3
slapped [Him] in the face 1× John 18:22
with slaps in His face 1× Mark 14:65
Show sample aligned rows
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Mark 14:65
Aligned rows 3
Books represented 2
Mark 1 John 2
Source forms
ῥάπισμα 1x rhapisma John 18:22
ῥαπίσμασιν 1x rhapismasin Mark 14:65
ῥαπίσματα 1x rhapismata John 19:3
Parsing patterns
Noun - Accusative Neuter Plural 1x John 19:3
Noun - Accusative Neuter Singular 1x John 18:22
Noun - Dative Neuter Plural 1x Mark 14:65
Using This Word Well
Be careful not to...
- Let the word deepen sober worship of Christ's passion, not curiosity about violence.
- Never use Jesus' endurance of abuse to pressure the vulnerable to remain unsafe.
Avoid claiming...
- Do not claim rhapisma covers every form of persecution or suffering.
- Do not claim the passion narratives minimize the evil of humiliation and violence.
Evidence Summary
Greek word. A blow or slap delivered as insult or punishment, emphasizing humiliation rather than mere physical contact
Strong's G4475
Lexical occurrences 3 verses Greek text appearances 3 times Word forms 3 forms 3 references Verse guides 0 guides
Source Gloss
a slap
Extended definition Source: STEPBible TBESG + Abbott-Smith
A blow or slap delivered as insult or punishment, emphasizing humiliation rather than mere physical contact
a stroke, a slap on the face , (Lucian) (ML)
Greek Text Appearances
Textus Receptus witness, full corpus Greek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
3 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
Mark 14:65 Noun Dative Plural Neuter
ῥαπίσμασιν rapismasin
a slap
Read verse John 18:22 Noun Accusative Singular Neuter
ῥάπισμα rapisma
a slap
Read verse John 19:3 Noun Accusative Plural Neuter
ῥαπίσματα. rapismata
a slap
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.
Grammatical Forms
How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.
This word appears as a noun across 3 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.
Form patterns 3 Aligned forms 3 Case pattern Accusative (2) Number pattern Plural (2)
Verse guides are not available for this word yet, so verse references remain plain evidence markers.
Dative · Plural · Neuter Mark 14:65 1×
Accusative · Singular · Neuter John 18:22 1×
Accusative · Plural · Neuter John 19:3 1×
Word Origins
ῥάπισμα is built from this root:
For the Preacher and Teacher
Rhapisma is a hard word because it forces readers to face the bodily dishonor of Jesus' passion. In Mark, slaps come with spitting, blindfolding, and mocking commands to prophesy. In John 18, an officer slaps Jesus for His answer before the high priest. In John 19, soldiers mock Him as King while slapping Him again and again. These blows do not merely hurt; they humiliate.
The preacher should handle the scenes soberly, without graphic excess and without softening their cruelty. The innocent Christ receives contempt from sinners, yet He remains faithful. His suffering exposes human rebellion and displays the costly path by which the true King saves His people.
Anchor passage
John.18.22
Doctrinal connections
- Innocent suffering: Mark 14:65 shows Jesus abused while false judgment gathers against Him.
- Mock prophecy: Mark 14:65 joins slaps to blindfolded mockery of Jesus' prophetic identity.
- Truth under pressure: John 18:22 shows Jesus struck after speaking before the high priest.
- Royal mockery: John 19:3 places slaps inside false homage to the King of the Jews.
- Passion humility: all three witnesses show Christ receiving shame without sinful retaliation.
- Substitutionary path: the mocked and struck Christ continues toward the cross for sinners.
Rhapisma is a noun for a slap or blow. In these witnesses it carries the social force of public humiliation as well as physical violence.
From Old to New Testament
The suffering servant gives His back to those who strike and His cheeks to those who pull the beard. The passion narratives show Jesus bearing shame and blows as the faithful servant and King.
Sources
MorphGNT Strong's Dictionary XML — CC0 1.0 Public Domain
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible (morphhb/OSHB) — CC BY 4.0
Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon — CC BY 4.0
Berean Standard Bible (BSB) source-word alignment - CC0 Public Domain