to sacrifice
za.vach denotes sacrificing animals, chiefly in offerings directed to the LORD or other gods, and sometimes slaughtering an animal for food.
The verb most often denotes the killing of animals as an offering, whether to the LORD or to other gods, in settings involving altars, festivals, vows, and named sacrificial animals. A smaller group of passages uses it for slaughtering cattle or flock animals for eating rather than describing an offering.
Senses in use
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Offer animals in worship · dominant
Qal forms and Piel participles occur where animals are presented before the LORD or other gods. In 1 Kings 8:63 the APB renders Solomon's action as offering cattle and sheep to the LORD, while 2 Kings 17:35 places the verb among acts forbidden toward other gods; 1 Kings 3:2 describes people acting at high places.
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Slaughter livestock for eating · occasional
In Deuteronomy 12:15, the Qal imperfect is followed by permission to eat meat, and Deuteronomy 12:21 likewise joins slaughtering cattle or flock with eating in the gates. In 1 Samuel 28:24, a Qal sequential imperfect describes the woman slaughtering a calf before preparing food.
In the Anselm Project Bible: The APB commonly presents the action with “sacrificed” or “offered,” especially where animals are directed to the LORD or other gods. In food contexts it can use “slaughtered” or join the action with eating; These renderings reflect the clauses rather than a fixed English equivalent.