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ἀπογραφή

apographḗ

G582 noun

SILEX Entry

Definition

An official registration or written record, often of persons or property; specifically, an official census or enrollment for administrative or taxation purposes. In some contexts, it refers to the resulting list or document produced by the act of registration. The primary sense centers on the formal process of recording names and/or possessions under governing authority.

Semantic Range

census, enrollment, official registration, written record of registration, tax assessment, list of persons or property

Root / Etymology

From ἀπογράφω (apographō), 'to write off, register, enroll,' itself formed from ἀπό ('from') and γράφω ('to write'). The word denotes the result or product of the action—i.e., what is registered or recorded.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In classical Greek, ἀπογραφή generally referred to any written copy or transcription, including inventories, official registers, and property records. By the Hellenistic period and in administrative Greek, the term often denoted an authoritative enumeration of population or assets for governmental purposes, such as census or taxation. In the Septuagint, it translates Hebrew terms for census or lists (cf. Num 1:2), and this is the principal sense in New Testament usage (Luke 2:2; Acts 5:37), where it refers to state-imposed population enrollments, typically for taxation or conscription. English translations often render it as 'taxing' or 'census,' but 'registration' or 'enrollment' better preserve the sense of a formal administrative listing, not always directly tied to taxation but commonly associated with it. The meaning is distinct from more general terms for writing or record (e.g., γραφή, γράμμα), emphasizing official enumeration or record-keeping activity under government authority.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from ἀπογράφω; an enrollment; by implication, an assessment:--taxing.

Root Family

ἀπογραφή (apographē) — registration, enrollment, official record, census

Root ἀπογραφ- to register, to record, to enroll

Word Forms

2 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
G582-01 ἀπογραφὴ apographe N NOM F SG census official registration official registration 1
G582-02 ἀπογραφῆς apographes N GEN F SG census of official registration of official registration 1

Occurrences in Scripture

2 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
G582-01 Luke 2:2 ἀπογραφὴ apographe N NOM F SG census official registration official registration
G582-02 Acts 5:37 ἀπογραφῆς apographes N GEN F SG census of official registration of official registration
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