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ἀπέρχομαι

apérchomai

G565 verb

SILEX Entry

Definition

To go away, depart, or leave; fundamentally the act of moving away from a place or person, either literally (in physical space) or metaphorically (in a narrative or figurative sense). Used of leaving a location or group, withdrawing, or coming to an end. In some contexts, can also indicate departing from life (i.e., dying).

Semantic Range

to go away, to depart (from a place, person, or situation), to leave, to withdraw, to pass away (metaphorically: disappear, die), to end (of things or opportunities)

Root / Etymology

Compound of the preposition ἀπό ('away from') and ἔρχομαι ('to come, to go'), expressing the idea of moving away or departing from a point of origin.

Historical & Contextual Notes

Used from classical to Koine Greek, ἀπέρχομαι most often denotes literal physical departure or leaving, but can also indicate metaphorical withdrawal, ending (as of time or opportunity), or dying. In narrative texts (including the New Testament), commonly describes individuals going away from Jesus, from a place, or from a group. It can be distinguished from other verbs of motion such as ἐξέρχομαι ('to go out from') in that ἀπέρχομαι often emphasizes the act of leaving rather than the point of exit, and from πορεύομαι, which more generally means 'to go' or 'to travel.' English translations vary, often rendering ἀπέρχομαι as 'go away,' 'depart,' or simply 'leave.' These may obscure nuances, especially where the Greek text contrasts departing from a relationship or obligation versus mere physical movement. Rarely, the word is used in a temporal sense, meaning 'to pass away' (of things or time). There is no theological nuance inherent in the verb itself; such nuances arise only from specific narrative contexts.

Translation Consistency

primary "leave" 11 occurrences

“Leave” is a simple, natural verb that covers the primary senses of ἀπέρχομαι — to go away, depart, or withdraw — and can naturally extend to metaphorical uses (e.g., things or people ‘leaving’ or ‘passing away’). It will produce natural-sounding English across tense/person inflections while remaining faithful to the typical usage.

Alternatives (107 occurrences):
"left" (53x) "having departed" (20x) "depart" (9x) "departed" (9x) "having gone away" (5x) "go away" (4x) "having gone" (2x) "those departing" (1x) "went" (1x) "departing" (1x) "those having departed" (1x) "passed away" (1x)

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from ἀπό and ἔρχομαι; to go off (i.e. depart), aside (i.e. apart) or behind (i.e. follow), literally or figuratively:--come, depart, go (aside, away, back, out, … ways), pass away, be past.

Root Family

ἀπέρχομαι (aperchomai) — to go, to depart, to move away

Root ἔρχ- to go, to come, to depart

Word Forms

22 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
G565-10 ἀπῆλθεν apelthen V AOR ACT IND 3P SG went he departed he left 40
G565-13 ἀπῆλθον apelthon V AOR ACT IND 3P PL went away they departed they left 33
G565-09 ἀπελθεῖν apelthein V AOR ACT INF to go to depart to leave 11
G565-14 ἀπελθόντες apelthontes V AOR ACT PTCP NOM M PL they may go having departed having departed 9
G565-07 ἀπῆλθαν apelthan V AOR ACT IND 3P PL had passed away they departed they left 4
G565-11 ἀπέλθητε apelthete V AOR ACT SUBJ 2P PL go you may depart you may depart 2
G565-20 ἀπέρχῃ aperche V PRS MID SUBJ 2P SG you go you may depart you may leave 2
G565-19 ἀπελθοῦσαι apelthousai V AOR ACT PTCP NOM F PL they left having gone away having gone away 2
G565-12 ἀπέλθω apeltho V AOR ACT SUBJ 1P SG go away that I depart I depart 2
G565-17 ἀπέλθωσιν apelthosin V AOR ACT SUBJ 3P PL they go they may depart they may depart 1

Occurrences in Scripture

118 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
G565-09 Matthew 2:22 ἀπελθεῖν apelthein V AOR ACT INF to go to depart to go away
G565-10 Matthew 4:24 ἀπῆλθεν apelthen V AOR ACT IND 3P SG went he departed he left
G565-08 Matthew 5:30 ἀπέλθῃ apelthe V AOR ACT SUBJ 3P SG should-go may depart may depart
G565-09 Matthew 8:18 ἀπελθεῖν apelthein V AOR ACT INF to go to depart to leave
G565-20 Matthew 8:19 ἀπέρχῃ aperche V PRS MID SUBJ 2P SG you go you may depart you may leave
G565-09 Matthew 8:21 ἀπελθεῖν apelthein V AOR ACT INF to go to depart to leave
G565-13 Matthew 8:32 ἀπῆλθον apelthon V AOR ACT IND 3P PL went they departed they left
G565-14 Matthew 8:33 ἀπελθόντες apelthontes V AOR ACT PTCP NOM M PL having gone away having departed having departed
G565-10 Matthew 9:7 ἀπῆλθεν apelthen V AOR ACT IND 3P SG he departed he departed he left
G565-11 Matthew 10:5 ἀπέλθητε apelthete V AOR ACT SUBJ 2P PL go you may depart you may depart
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