What Does “Slay” Mean in the Bible?
To kill someone by cutting the throat. Such a death is called a slaying.
It can mean
- In the Bible: King Herod had James, the brother of John, killed by the sword.
- With animals: it is also said of the animals that were slaughtered for a sacrifice or for a banquet.
Where it appears in the Bible
Acts 12:2; Leviticus 16:15; 1 Kings 1:9
What the Bible says
Acts 12:2
And he killed James, the brother of John, with the sword.
Leviticus 16:15
And when he hath killed the buck goat for the sin of the people, he shall carry in the blood thereof within the veil, as he was commanded to do with the blood of the calf, that he may sprinkle it over against the oracle,
1 Kings 1:9
And Adonias having slain rams and calves, and all fat cattle by the stone of Zoheleth, which was near the fountain Rogel, invited all his brethren the king’s sons, and all the men of Juda, the king’s servants:
Douay-Rheims Bible (Challoner revision), public domain.
Source: Acts 12:1-2