（利01）“牺牲”的词源 The Etymology of “Sacrifice” (Leviticus 01)
(Translated and edited with ChatGPT from a Chinese draft, 中文在后面）
In My Childhood Understanding
When I was a child in China, the word “sacrifice” (牺牲) generally referred to dying for the cause of the Communist Party. For example, Mao Zedong lost many family members to violent deaths, and after the Communist Party came to power, he wrote a poem saying:
“For great ambition, sacrifice is needed, dare to make the sun and moon change their sky.”
(See: Mao Zedong’s Poem – “To Shaoshan“)
However, the word “sacrifice” is actually related to the ancient practice of slaughtering animals as offerings. The Book of Leviticus contains many teachings about offering sacrifices to the Creator, and the New Testament frequently uses sacrifices as metaphors.
I have noticed that some biblical concepts related to sacrifice are reflected in the etymology of the word “sacrifice” in several different languages:
1. English: “Sacrifice” and Holiness
The English word “sacrifice” comes from sacri (holy) + fice (to make), implying the idea of setting something apart for sacred use (instead of for common use).
(See: Sacrifice – Dictionary.com)
This concept aligns with biblical teachings, such as:
Leviticus 27:9-10
“If what they vowed is an animal that is acceptable as an offering to the LORD, such an animal given to the LORD becomes holy. They must not exchange it or substitute a good one for a bad one, or a bad one for a good one; if they should substitute one animal for another, both it and the substitute become holy.”
Thus, the idea of “sacrifice” in English reflects the biblical principle of setting things apart as holy.
2. Japanese: “Sacrifice” and Living for the Lord
The Japanese word for “sacrifice” is 犠牲 (gisei), which can also be written in traditional Chinese as “犧牲”.
(See: 犠牲 – Wiktionary,
犧牲 – Taiwan Ministry of Education)
The characters 犠 and 犧 contain the radicals for “ox,” “sheep,” “I,” and “life.”
- “Ox” and “sheep” were the most common sacrificial animals in the Bible:
Leviticus 1:2
“When any of you brings an offering to the LORD, bring as your offering an animal from either the herd or the flock.” - The worshiper places their hands on the animal, making the animal represent himself (“I”) before the Lord:
Leviticus 1:4
“You are to lay your hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it will be accepted on your behalf to make atonement for you.”
The act of laying hands symbolizes substitution and representation, similar to how:
- Moses laid hands on Joshua, transferring his leadership role to him (Deuteronomy 34:9).
- A sacrificial animal symbolically took the place of the worshiper.
Thus, in biblical sacrifice, the animal represents the worshiper giving their whole life to God—not to die literally, but to live (a “life”) fully for the Lord. This reflects the New Testament teaching of offering oneself as a “living sacrifice”:
Romans 12:1
“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.”
The Japanese and traditional Chinese word 犧牲 (gisei) captures this idea:
- The sacrificial animal represents “I” (the worshiper).
- Through sacrifice, the worshiper makes a commitment to live (a “life”) fully for the Lord.
3. Hebrew: “Sacrifice” and Bringing people to the Lord
The Hebrew word for “sacrifice” is קָרְבָּן (korban), which comes from the root קרב (karav), meaning “to draw near.”
(See: Korban – Wikipedia)
Thus, the Hebrew word “korban” (sacrifice) carries the idea of bringing oneself or others closer to God.
In the New Testament, Paul uses sacrifice as a metaphor for bringing people to God, showing that:
- Evangelism and discipleship are spiritual sacrifices.
- Through faith in Jesus, people draw near to God and become holy and acceptable offerings.
Romans 15:16
“To be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles. He gave me the priestly duty of proclaiming the gospel of God, so that the Gentiles might become an offering acceptable to God, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.”
Thus, the Hebrew word קָרְבָּן (korban) reflects a key biblical meaning of sacrifice—not only as offering something up to God but also as leading others to Him.
Conclusion
The word “sacrifice” in different languages reflects different biblical truths:
| Language | Word | Meaning | Biblical Concept |
| English | Sacrifice | “To make holy” (sacri + fice) | Setting things apart for God (Leviticus 27:9-10) |
| Japanese | 犠牲 (gisei) | “Ox, sheep, I, life” | Living fully for God (Romans 12:1) |
| Hebrew | קָרְבָּן (korban) | “To draw near” | Leading others to God (Romans 15:16) |
（利01）“牺牲”的词源
在我小时候的中国，牺牲一词，一般指的是为共产党的事业而死。例如毛泽东有很多亲人被杀，他在共产党执政后写的一首诗里说，“为有牺牲多壮志，敢教日月换新天。” 参见
https://baike.baidu.com/item/七律·到韶山/7035759
实际上，牺牲一词与古人杀动物献祭有关。圣经里利未记讲了很多向造物主献祭的教导。新约里也时常用献祭作比喻。我注意到，有关的一些圣经观念，竟然在几种相当不同的语言的“牺牲”一词的词源上有所反映：
一，英文的“牺牲”与分别为圣
英文的“牺牲”叫sacrifice，由sacri（圣） 和 fice（成为）两部分组成，隐含着分别出来为神圣的目的使用（而不为世俗的目的使用）的意思。参见https://www.dictionary.com/browse/sacrifice
与此相关概念的圣经经句有
“所许的若是牲畜，就是人献给耶和华为供物的，凡这一类献给耶和华的，都要成为圣。人不可改换，也不可更换，或是好的换坏的，或是坏的换好的。若以牲畜更换牲畜，所许的与所换的都要成为圣。”
二，日文的“牺牲”与为主而活
日文的“牺牲”是“犠牲”（中文的繁体字可以是“犧牲”），参见
https://zh.wiktionary.org/wiki/犠牲#日语
https://dict.variants.moe.edu.tw/dictView.jsp?ID=27069
无论“犠牲”或“犧牲”，都藏着“牛、羊、我、生”这些字型。“牛、羊”是圣经里最常见的用来献祭的动物，利未记1:2说“…你们中间若有人献供物给耶和华，要从牛群羊群中献牲畜为供物。” 献祭的人用牛羊代替自己（“我”），把整个生命献给造物主，所以利未记1:4说“他要按手在燔祭牲的头上，燔祭便蒙悦纳，为他赎罪。” 按手有代表或代替的意思，例如，以色列人的领袖摩西在去世前按手在约书亚头上，让他代替自己作领袖（申命记34:9）。献祭的人于是可以让动物代表自己为主献上整个生命，而自己则全然为主而活（“生”），用余下的生命事奉造物主。我觉得这就是新约里把自己献作活祭事奉主的意思：
“所以弟兄们，我以神的慈悲劝你们，将身体献上，当作活祭，是圣洁的，是神所喜悦的。你们如此事奉，乃是理所当然的。”
三，希伯来文的“牺牲”与带人归主
希伯来语的“牺牲”是קרבן. 这个词有“靠近”的词根。参见
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korban
带自己或别人靠近造物主，也是献祭的一种意义。新约里的保罗也以献祭来比喻带人信主，认识主，事奉主，例如
“使我为外邦人作基督耶稣的仆役，作神福音的祭司，叫所献上的外邦人，因着圣灵，成为圣洁，可蒙悦纳。”
总结
几种不同语言里的“牺牲”一词的词源，与某些圣经概念存在一些“巧合”：
| 语言 | 单词 | 含义 | 圣经概念 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 英语 | Sacrifice | “使成为圣洁” (sacri + fice) | 分别为圣，归给神（利未记 27:9-10） |
| 日语 | 犠牲 (gisei) | “牛、羊、我、生” | 将自己献为活祭（罗马书 12:1） |
| 希伯来语 | קָרְבָּן (korban) | “使靠近” | 带领人归向神（罗马书 15:16） |