Luke 22:36
Footnote:
| 77 | Abraham's Knife The term μάχαιρα, though often broadly translated as sword, more precisely refers to a large knife or dagger, particularly in Classical and Hellenistic usage. The LSJ defines μάχαιρα as "a large knife or dirk," with early attestations in Homer (e.g., Il. 11.844) describing it as a weapon distinct from the longer, straight ξίφος (sword). The term frequently denotes a short-bladed weapon, suitable for close combat or assassination—hence its identification as "an assassin’s weapon" (Antiphon 5.69). While the word later encompasses curved or sabre-like cavalry blades (μ. ἱππική, IG XI.2.161), it remains consistently distinct from ξίφος, which denotes a longer, straighter blade. In philosophical and legal texts, μάχαιρα is even contrasted with ξίφος in contexts that stress this morphological and functional difference (e.g., Xen. Eq. 12.11). Therefore, in many literary and historical settings, μάχαιρα is best rendered as dagger or dirk, not merely sword. |