ἀποσκευάζω
aposkeuázō
G643
SILEX Entry
Definition
To pack up baggage or personal belongings, especially in preparation for departure; to remove one's possessions, with a primary sense of gathering and preparing items for a journey or relocation. Can further connote the action of removing or disengaging from a place by means of packing or taking up one's movable goods.
Semantic Range
to pack baggage, to gather one's belongings for travel, to remove equipment or possessions, to prepare for departure by packing
Root / Etymology
From ἀπό (apo, 'from, away') + σκευάζω (skeuazō, 'to prepare, to furnish'), itself from σκεῦος ('vessel, implement, equipment'). The compound carries the sense of 'to prepare equipment away (for departure)'.
Historical & Contextual Notes
Attested primarily in later Greek, especially in Koine and post-Classical sources, ἀποσκευάζω is rare in classical literature and appears most notably in Acts 21:15 in the New Testament. There, it describes the action of packing up baggage or belongings in preparation for travel, a sense consistent with Hellenistic and Roman-period usage where the practical logistics of journeying were commonplace. The root σκεῦος commonly refers to containers, baggage, or equipment. Standard English translations such as 'to take up our carriages' (KJV) reflect an older English meaning of 'carriage' as 'items carried/baggage,' not as a wheeled vehicle. The word does not carry significant religious or ceremonial connotation; its use is literal and logistical. Compared to related verbs like μεταναστεύω (to migrate) or μεθίστημι (to remove, change location), ἀποσκευάζω focuses narrowly on the physical act of packing and preparing items for transit.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from ἀπό and a derivative of σκεῦος; to pack up (one's) baggage:--take up… carriages.
Root Family
σκευ- (anaskeuázō) — to pack, to prepare, to equip
Word Forms
0 distinct forms
No word forms found for this Strong's number.
Occurrences in Scripture
0 occurrences
No occurrences found.