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ἀφανίζω

aphanízō

G853 verb

SILEX Entry

Root ἀφαν- to make unseen, to efface, to remove visibility

Definition

To make invisible or unrecognizable, to hide from view; in active voice, to destroy, wipe out, or efface such that a thing is no longer seen or recognized; in passive or middle, to disappear, be destroyed, vanish, pass out of sight. Commonly used for physical destruction, erasure, or for making something inconspicuous.

Semantic Range

to make invisible, to destroy, to efface or obliterate, to cause to disappear, to disfigure, to perish, to vanish away, to conceal

Root / Etymology

From the root ἀφανής (aphanēs, 'unseen, invisible') and the verb-forming suffix -ίζω. Thus, ἀφανίζω means 'to make unseen' or 'to efface'.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In classical Greek, ἀφανίζω is attested from the 5th century BCE, with the primary sense of 'making invisible,' commonly used both literally (to obscure, destroy, efface) and figuratively (to annihilate, cause to disappear from memory). In the Hellenistic and Koine periods, including the Septuagint and New Testament, the word regularly carries the sense of destroying, abolishing, obliterating, or making indistinct (e.g., Matthew 6:16, describing those who 'disfigure' their faces). The term maintains a dual focus: both on the act of making something no longer visible and on the consequence that the object passes away or is lost. English translations such as 'destroy,' 'perish,' or 'corrupt' only partially capture its full range, especially the nuance of making something unrecognizable or deliberately hiding it from view. Contrast with ὀλέθριον ('to ruin, to kill'), which emphasizes ruin or death rather than concealment or erasure.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from ἀφανής; to render unapparent, i.e. (actively) consume (becloud), or (passively) disappear (be destroyed):-- corrupt, disfigure, perish, vanish away.

Root Family

ἀφανίζω (aphanizō) — to make unseen, to efface, to remove visibility, to cause to disappear

Word Forms

4 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
G853-02 ἀφανίζει aphanizei V PRS ACT IND 3P SG makes unseen 2
G853-03 ἀφανιζομένη aphanizomene V PRS PASS PTCP NOM F SG vanishing being made unseen 1
G853-01 ἀφανίσθητε aphanisthete V AOR PASS IMP 2P PL perish be made unseen 1
G853-04 ἀφανίζουσιν aphanizousin V PRS ACT IND 3P PL they make unseen 1

Occurrences in Scripture

5 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
G853-04 Matthew 6:16 ἀφανίζουσιν aphanizousin V PRS ACT IND 3P PL they make unseen
G853-02 Matthew 6:19 ἀφανίζει aphanizei V PRS ACT IND 3P SG makes unseen
G853-02 Matthew 6:20 ἀφανίζει aphanizei V PRS ACT IND 3P SG makes unseen
G853-01 Acts 13:41 ἀφανίσθητε aphanisthete V AOR PASS IMP 2P PL perish be made unseen
G853-03 James 4:14 ἀφανιζομένη aphanizomene V PRS PASS PTCP NOM F SG vanishing being made unseen
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