ἀφῆτε
aphíēmi
you forgive
To send away, to release or let go. Primary sense: to dismiss or cause to depart; to let someone or something go free or unimpeded. Extended senses: to leave or abandon (a person, place, or thing), to remit or forgive (an obligation, debt, wrongdoing), to allow or permit. In legal, personal, and ritual contexts, may denote release from obligation or guilt, abandonment, or the granting of permission.
John 20:23 · Word #3
Lexicon G863
| Lemma | ἀφίημι |
| Transliteration | aphíēmi |
| Strong's | G863 |
| Definition | To send away, to release or let go. Primary sense: to dismiss or cause to depart; to let someone or something go free or unimpeded. Extended senses: to leave or abandon (a person, place, or thing), to remit or forgive (an obligation, debt, wrongdoing), to allow or permit. In legal, personal, and ritual contexts, may denote release from obligation or guilt, abandonment, or the granting of permission. |
Morphology V AOR ACT SUBJ 2P PL
All morphology codes
| Part of Speech | V — Verb — An action or state of being |
| Tense | AOR — Aorist — Simple occurrence, often past |
| Voice | ACT — Active — The subject performs the action |
| Mood | SUBJ — Subjunctive — Expresses possibility or purpose |
| Person | 2P — 2nd person — The one spoken to ("you") |
| Number | PL — Plural — More than one |
Common Translation
| Phrase | you forgive |
| Literal | you-may-forgive |
Lexical Info
| Lemma | ἀφίημι |
| Strong's | G863 |
SIBI-P1 Translation G863-16
you may release
| Morphological Notes | Verb; aorist active subjunctive, 2nd person plural (also attested as aorist active imperative 2nd plural in some forms); denotes a complete or simple act of releasing performed by "you" (plural). |
| Rendering Rationale | "Release" preserves the core sense of sending away or letting go inherent in ἀφίημι. "You may" reflects the second person plural aorist subjunctive active, conveying a simple, undefined act viewed as a whole. |
View full lexicon entry for G863 →
SILEX v2
SIBI-P2 (Context-Aware)
you may release
| Same as P1 | Yes |
| Rationale | P1 accurately retains the verbal nuance of ἀφῆτε, and 'release' is faithful to both the root and contextual meaning as per the SILEX definition, which covers both literal and extended meanings. |