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ἀπολύω

apolýō

G630 verb

SILEX Entry

Root λυ- to release, to loosen, to sever or dismiss

Definition

To set free or release from a state of confinement, obligation, or relationship. ἀπολύω ranges from literal release (prison, debt, sickness) to formal dismissal from a state or relationship, such as divorce or releasing from service. In various contexts, it can mean to let go, discharge, liberate, or absolve, and may denote ending an obligation (forgiving a debt, granting pardon), permitting departure (dismissing a gathering or individual), or dissolving a contractual relationship (as in divorce).

Semantic Range

to release from confinement, to dismiss from service or an assembly, to send away, to permit to depart, to dissolve a legal or contractual bond (including divorce), to grant pardon or remission, to let die

Root / Etymology

Formed from the preposition ἀπό ('from, away from') + the verb λύω ('to loosen, unbind, release'). The root sense is 'to loose from' or 'to set loose from.'

Historical & Contextual Notes

In Classical Greek, ἀπολύω commonly denoted the act of setting someone or something free, in both a literal sense (releasing prisoners, letting someone leave) and a formal or legal one (discharging soldiers, dismissing assemblies). In Hellenistic and Koine Greek, it was employed with a broader legal or social nuance, including releasing from a legal relationship or contractual bond. In the Septuagint, ἀπολύω can translate Hebrew verbs denoting 'send away,' 'release,' or 'dismiss,' particularly in contexts of divorce (cf. Deut 24:1 LXX, releasing a wife) or freeing captives. In the New Testament, the word frequently refers to releasing someone from prison or custody (e.g., Luke 23:25), dismissing crowds or individuals (Matthew 14:22), granting permission to depart (e.g., Simeon's 'now dismiss your servant,' Luke 2:29), and dissolving a marital relationship by divorce (Matthew 5:31-32). Occasionally, it bears the sense of forgiveness or remission, especially within legal or ritual contexts. English translations often narrow ἀπολύω to 'release,' 'dismiss,' 'divorce,' or 'let go'; however, the term encompasses a spectrum of relational and legal severance broader than any single English equivalent. Unlike λύω alone, which can have more general senses of 'unbind,' ἀπολύω highlights the separation from a particular source or relationship. The use of the term in the context of divorce reflects Greek legal idiom and may not align precisely with terms or concepts in later English or ecclesiastical usage.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from ἀπό and λύω; to free fully, i.e. (literally) relieve, release, dismiss (reflexively, depart), or (figuratively) let die, pardon or (specially) divorce:--(let) depart, dismiss, divorce, forgive, let go, loose, put (send) away, release, set at liberty.

Root Family

ἀπολύω (apolyō) — to release, to loosen, to sever, to dismiss

Word Forms

25 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
G630-16 ἀπολῦσαι apolusai V AOR ACT INF to release to release 11
G630-05 ἀπέλυσεν apelusen V AOR ACT IND 3P SG he sent away he released 8
G630-21 ἀπολύσω apoluso V AOR ACT SUBJ 1P SG I release I might release 8
G630-22 ἀπόλυσον apoluson V AOR ACT IMP 2P SG release Release! 6
G630-19 ἀπολύσῃ apoluse V AOR ACT SUBJ 3P SG divorces he/she might release 5
G630-03 ἀπέλυσαν apelusan V AOR ACT IND 3P PL they released they released 4
G630-12 ἀπολύειν apoluein V PRS ACT INF to release to release 3
G630-07 ἀπολελυμένην apolelumenen V PRF PASS PTCP ACC F SG one divorced having been released 3
G630-23 ἀπολυθέντες apoluthentes V AOR PASS PTCP NOM M PL having been dismissed having been released 2
G630-17 ἀπολύσας apolusas V AOR ACT PTCP NOM M SG having released 2

Occurrences in Scripture

68 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
G630-16 Matthew 1:19 ἀπολῦσαι apolusai V AOR ACT INF to put...away to release
G630-19 Matthew 5:31 ἀπολύσῃ apoluse V AOR ACT SUBJ 3P SG he/she might release
G630-15 Matthew 5:32 ἀπολύων apoluon V PRS ACT PTCP NOM M SG one releasing
G630-07 Matthew 5:32 ἀπολελυμένην apolelumenen V PRF PASS PTCP ACC F SG having been released
G630-22 Matthew 14:15 ἀπόλυσον apoluson V AOR ACT IMP 2P SG Release!
G630-19 Matthew 14:22 ἀπολύσῃ apoluse V AOR ACT SUBJ 3P SG he/she might release
G630-17 Matthew 14:23 ἀπολύσας apolusas V AOR ACT PTCP NOM M SG having released
G630-22 Matthew 15:23 ἀπόλυσον apoluson V AOR ACT IMP 2P SG Release!
G630-16 Matthew 15:32 ἀπολῦσαι apolusai V AOR ACT INF to release
G630-17 Matthew 15:39 ἀπολύσας apolusas V AOR ACT PTCP NOM M SG having released
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