ἀπέχω (G568) — Greek Lexicon

ἀπέχω

apéchō

G568 verb

SILEX Entry

Definition

To have in full, to receive in full measure (especially as a settlement or payment); to be distant, to keep apart, to be far from, to abstain or refrain from something, especially in moral or ritual contexts. In active sense: to have in full, to receive one's due or outcome. In middle/passive or intransitive sense: to be distant, keep away, abstain.

Semantic Range

to have in full, to receive in full, to be distant, to abstain, to keep away, to refrain, to be separated

Root / Etymology

From the preposition ἀπό ('from, away from') and ἔχω ('to have, hold'), forming a compound that literally means 'to have away from' or 'to have off.'

Historical & Contextual Notes

In classical Greek, ἀπέχω is used both literally and figuratively: literally to denote holding something at a distance (e.g., spatial separation), and figuratively for keeping oneself away from something (e.g., abstaining or refraining). By the Hellenistic and Roman periods, it also acquires a commercial/legal nuance: to receive in full, as in a receipt where a payment is acknowledged as complete. In the New Testament and contemporaneous literature, this financial or moral/ritual sense dominates: e.g., 'they have received their reward in full.' The middle voice often expresses voluntary self-restraint or abstention from participation, echoing usage in Greco-Roman moral philosophy, Greco-Roman cultic purity language, and occasionally in the Septuagint. English translations often split these senses ("receive in full," "be distant," "abstain"), but the underlying concept is either active completeness of receipt or deliberate distancing.

Translation Consistency

primary "have" 0 occurrences

'Have' best captures the primary and most natural sense in SILEX — ‘to have in full’ / ‘to receive’ — while remaining flexible in English usage. It is a simple, common verb that can be inflected naturally for the various forms; the less common senses (be distant, abstain, keep away) are secondary and can be rendered by periphrasis or context-specific constructions while keeping the same core verb.

Alternatives (18 occurrences):

"full" (7x) "oneself away from" (5x) "distant" (3x) "enough" (1x) "abstain" (1x) "might receive fully" (1x)

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from ἀπό and ἔχω; (actively) to have out, i.e. receive in full; (intransitively) to keep (oneself) away, i.e. be distant (literally or figuratively):--be, have, receive.

Root Family

ἔχω (epéchō) — to hold, to keep, to have possession

Root ἔχω to have, to hold, to be distant

Strong's	Lemma	SIBI-P1
G1907	ἐπέχω	Keep holding to

Word Forms

10 distinct forms

SIDANCE	Surface	Transliteration	Morphology	Common	SIBI-P1	SIBI-P2	Occurrences
`G568-03`	ἀπέχεσθαι	apechesthai	`V PRS MID INF`	to abstain	to keep oneself away	to have oneself away from	5
`G568-01`	ἀπέχει	apechei	`V PRS ACT IND 3P SG`	is	has in full	has in full	3
`G568-07`	ἀπέχοντος	apechontos	`V PRS ACT PTCP GEN M SG`	being away	of one having in full	being distant	2
`G568-10`	ἀπέχουσιν	apechousin	`V PRS ACT IND 3P PL`	they have	they have in full	they have in full	2
`G568-02`	ἀπέχῃς	apeches	`V AOR ACT SUBJ 2P SG`	you might receive	you might receive fully	you might receive fully	1
`G568-04`	ἀπέχεσθε	apechesthe	`V PRS MID IMP 2P PL`	abstain	keep yourselves away	abstain	1
`G568-05`	ἀπέχετε	apechete	`V PRS ACT IND 2P PL`	you have received	you have in full	you have in full	1
`G568-06`	ἀπέχω	apecho	`V PRS ACT IND 1P SG`	I have received	I have in full	I have in full	1
`G568-08`	ἀπέχουσαν	apechousan	`V PRS ACT PTCP ACC F SG`	which was	having in full	distant	1
`G568-09`	ἀπέχουσι	apechousi	`V PRS ACT IND 3P PL`	they have	they have in full	they have in full	1

Occurrences in Scripture

18 occurrences

SIDANCE	Reference	Word	Transliteration	Morphology	Common	SIBI-P1	SIBI-P2
`G568-10`	Matthew 6:2	ἀπέχουσιν	apechousin	`V PRS ACT IND 3P PL`	they have	they have in full	they have in full
`G568-09`	Matthew 6:5	ἀπέχουσι	apechousi	`V PRS ACT IND 3P PL`	they have	they have in full	they have in full
`G568-10`	Matthew 6:16	ἀπέχουσιν	apechousin	`V PRS ACT IND 3P PL`	they have	they have in full	they have in full
`G568-01`	Matthew 15:8	ἀπέχει	apechei	`V PRS ACT IND 3P SG`	is	has in full	has in full
`G568-01`	Mark 7:6	ἀπέχει	apechei	`V PRS ACT IND 3P SG`	is	has in full	has in full
`G568-01`	Mark 14:41	ἀπέχει	apechei	`V PRS ACT IND 3P SG`	it is enough	has in full	it is enough
`G568-05`	Luke 6:24	ἀπέχετε	apechete	`V PRS ACT IND 2P PL`	you have received	you have in full	you have in full
`G568-07`	Luke 7:6	ἀπέχοντος	apechontos	`V PRS ACT PTCP GEN M SG`	being distant	of one having in full	being distant
`G568-07`	Luke 15:20	ἀπέχοντος	apechontos	`V PRS ACT PTCP GEN M SG`	being away	of one having in full	being distant
`G568-08`	Luke 24:13	ἀπέχουσαν	apechousan	`V PRS ACT PTCP ACC F SG`	which was	having in full	distant
`G568-03`	Acts 15:20	ἀπέχεσθαι	apechesthai	`V PRS MID INF`	to abstain	to keep oneself away	to have oneself away from
`G568-03`	Acts 15:29	ἀπέχεσθαι	apechesthai	`V PRS MID INF`	to abstain	to keep oneself away	to have oneself away from
`G568-06`	Philippians 4:18	ἀπέχω	apecho	`V PRS ACT IND 1P SG`	I have received	I have in full	I have in full
`G568-03`	1 Thessalonians 4:3	ἀπέχεσθαι	apechesthai	`V PRS MID INF`	that you abstain	to keep oneself away	to have oneself away from
`G568-04`	1 Thessalonians 5:22	ἀπέχεσθε	apechesthe	`V PRS MID IMP 2P PL`	abstain	keep yourselves away	abstain
`G568-03`	1 Timothy 4:3	ἀπέχεσθαι	apechesthai	`V PRS MID INF`	to abstain	to keep oneself away	to have oneself away from
`G568-02`	Philemon 1:15	ἀπέχῃς	apeches	`V AOR ACT SUBJ 2P SG`	you might receive	you might receive fully	you might receive fully
`G568-03`	1 Peter 2:11	ἀπέχεσθαι	apechesthai	`V PRS MID INF`	to abstain	to keep oneself away	to have oneself away from

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