The verb σχιζω (schizo) means to split (of fire wood with an ax), break (of soil with a plough) or shatter (of earthenware). It may be used to mean to divide into parts (of spoils, armies, even rivers), to take apart into constituting elements, and even to "split" churned milk into whey and curds, and note that milk, or γαλα (gala), is an important Biblical metaphor for elementary instruction (1 Corinthians 3:2, Hebrews 5:12). Crucially, in the classics this verb was also used to describe the formation of differing opinions during a discussion or dialogue.

Our verb stems from the widely attested Proto-Indo-European root "skei-" from which also derives the Latin verb scio, to discern, to know, from which comes our word "science". The Hebrew word for to distinguish and understand is בין (bin), which is strikingly similar to the word for son, namely בן (ben), which in turn resembles the word for stone, אבן ('eben), and the verb to build, בנה (bana). The feminine version of the word for son is the word for daughter, namely בת (bat), which resembles the noun בית (bayit), meaning house or temple. That indicates that the living temple built of living stones that Peter speaks of (1 Peter 2:5) is all about the accumulation of knowledge, and thus the development of the information technology that allows that (see our article on the name YHWH).

Our verb σχιζω (schizo) is used 10 times in the New Testament, see full concordance, and from it derives: