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ἀπαρνέομαι

aparnéomai

G533 verb

SILEX Entry

Definition

To deny, repudiate, or disavow; to refuse to acknowledge or reject affiliation. Primarily signifies a strong act of denial or disowning, often with the connotation of breaking association or refusing connection. In particular contexts, may convey the sense of denying responsibility, identity, or relationship, especially in moments of social, political, or religious pressure.

Semantic Range

to deny utterly, to disown, to refuse to acknowledge, to repudiate, to renounce association, to break relational or ideological ties

Root / Etymology

From the prepositional prefix ἀπό (away from) and the verb ἀρνέομαι (to deny, to refuse), thus intensifying the sense of denial to mean 'deny utterly' or 'disown.' The compound form strengthens the negative or emphatic dimension of refusal or repudiation.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In classical and Hellenistic Greek, ἀπαρνέομαι is rare but does occur in the sense of 'utterly disown' or 'utterly deny.' In the Septuagint, it is occasionally used where personal or public renunciation is required (see e.g., LXX Daniel). In the New Testament, the term notably appears in contexts where individuals are pressured to deny connection or loyalty—famously in accounts of Peter's denial of Jesus (e.g., Mark 14:72), carrying a connotation not simply of negation but of breaking relational, communal, or ideological ties. The force of the compound (ἀπό-) often highlights decisive repudiation rather than a casual or simple negation. English translations usually render the word as 'deny,' 'disown,' or 'repudiate,' but rarely capture the strengthened or intensive nuance of the Greek. By contrast, the simplex form ἀρνέομαι may mean 'deny' without the full force of disavowal or disowning which ἀπαρνέομαι conveys. No clear evidence of this compound before the Hellenistic period.

Translation Consistency

primary "deny" 10 occurrences

ἀπαρνέομαι most commonly and naturally conveys the act of refusing to acknowledge or disowning—e.g. denying a relationship, responsibility, or identity (as in Peter denying Jesus). "Deny" is the typical, natural English rendering across the range of uses and fits the majority of occurrences.

Alternatives (1 occurrence):
"he/she/it will be utterly denied" (1x)

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from ἀπό and ἀρνέομαι; to deny utterly, i.e. disown, abstain:--deny.

Root Family

ἀπαρνέομαι (aparnéomai) — to deny, to refuse, to repudiate, to disown

Root ἀρνε- to deny, to refuse, to repudiate

Word Forms

4 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
G533-02 ἀπαρνήσῃ aparnese V FUT MID IND 2P SG you will deny you will disown you will deny 6
G533-03 ἀπαρνήσομαι aparnesomai V FUT MID IND 1P SG I will deny I will disown I will deny 2
G533-01 ἀπαρνησάσθω aparnesastho V AOR MID IMP 3P SG let him deny let him utterly disown himself let him deny himself 2
G533-04 ἀπαρνηθήσεται aparnethesetai V FUT PASS IND 3P SG will be denied he/she/it will be utterly denied he/she/it will be utterly denied 1

Occurrences in Scripture

11 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
G533-01 Matthew 16:24 ἀπαρνησάσθω aparnesastho V AOR MID IMP 3P SG let him deny let him utterly disown himself let him deny himself
G533-02 Matthew 26:34 ἀπαρνήσῃ aparnese V FUT MID IND 2P SG you will deny you will disown you will deny
G533-03 Matthew 26:35 ἀπαρνήσομαι aparnesomai V FUT MID IND 1P SG I will deny I will disown I will deny
G533-02 Matthew 26:75 ἀπαρνήσῃ aparnese V FUT MID IND 2P SG you will deny you will disown you will deny
G533-01 Mark 8:34 ἀπαρνησάσθω aparnesastho V AOR MID IMP 3P SG let him deny let him utterly disown himself let him deny himself
G533-02 Mark 14:30 ἀπαρνήσῃ aparnese V FUT MID IND 2P SG you will deny you will disown you will deny
G533-03 Mark 14:31 ἀπαρνήσομαι aparnesomai V FUT MID IND 1P SG I will deny I will disown I will deny
G533-02 Mark 14:72 ἀπαρνήσῃ aparnese V FUT MID IND 2P SG you will deny you will disown you will deny
G533-04 Luke 12:9 ἀπαρνηθήσεται aparnethesetai V FUT PASS IND 3P SG will be denied he/she/it will be utterly denied he/she/it will be utterly denied
G533-02 Luke 22:34 ἀπαρνήσῃ aparnese V FUT MID IND 2P SG deny you will disown you will deny
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