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ἀποτίθημι

apotíthēmi

G659 verb

SILEX Entry

Definition

to put off, remove, lay aside (both in physical and metaphorical senses); primarily to place something away from oneself, especially clothing, burdens, or habits. The term is used of taking off garments; metaphorically it signifies giving up or abandoning behaviors, attitudes, or relationships.

Semantic Range

to lay aside (objects or clothing), to put off (garments), to remove (from oneself, physically or figuratively), to reject, to renounce (behaviors or qualities)

Root / Etymology

from ἀπό (from, away) + τίθημι (to place, to set); literally 'to set away' or 'to put aside.'

Historical & Contextual Notes

In classical Greek, ἀποτίθημι commonly referred to laying aside clothes or objects, such as armor or burdens. Its physical use is well-attested in Hellenistic and Koine sources: setting something away from oneself. In the Septuagint and New Testament, the figurative sense—abandoning or renouncing behaviors, practices, or 'the old self'—becomes more prominent (e.g., Ephesians 4:22, Colossians 3:8), sometimes in parallel to physically removing garments. English translations such as 'put off' or 'lay aside' often reflect these ranges, but may miss the nuance of a decisive, sometimes public or ritual, renunciation. The metaphorical use of garment imagery for moral or ethical transformation is a significant idiomatic function in Greek and broader Hellenistic literature.

Translation Consistency

primary "remove" 4 occurrences

Covers the primary senses in the SILEX range—physically taking off or putting away (clothing, burdens) and metaphorically giving up or rejecting behaviors/attitudes—while remaining a natural, single-word English verb. It avoids the particle-dependence of phrasal verbs like “put off” and the possible ambiguity of “lay.”

Alternatives (5 occurrences):
"set aside for oneself" (1x) "laid aside" (1x) "us lay aside" (1x) "lay aside for oneself" (1x) "lay aside for yourselves" (1x)

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from ἀπό and τίθημι; to put away (literally or figuratively):--cast off, lay apart (aside, down), put away (off).

Root Family

ἀποτίθημι (apotithēmi) — to place away, to lay aside, to remove, to put off

Root τιθ- to place, to set, to lay down

Word Forms

6 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
G659-03 ἀποθέμενοι apothemenoi V AOR MID PTCP NOM M PL putting aside having laid aside for themselves having removed for themselves 4
G659-01 ἀπέθεντο apethento V AOR MID IND 3P PL laid they laid aside they laid aside 1
G659-02 ἀπέθετο apetheto V AOR MID IND 3P SG put set aside for oneself set aside for oneself 1
G659-06 ἀποθώμεθα apothometha V AOR MID SUBJ 1P PL let us cast off let us lay aside let us lay aside 1
G659-05 ἀπόθεσθε apothesthe V AOR MID IMP 2P PL put off Lay aside for yourselves lay aside for yourselves 1
G659-04 ἀποθέσθαι apothesthai V AOR MID INF to put off to lay aside for oneself to lay aside for oneself 1

Occurrences in Scripture

9 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
G659-02 Matthew 14:3 ἀπέθετο apetheto V AOR MID IND 3P SG put set aside for oneself set aside for oneself
G659-01 Acts 7:58 ἀπέθεντο apethento V AOR MID IND 3P PL laid they laid aside they laid aside
G659-06 Romans 13:12 ἀποθώμεθα apothometha V AOR MID SUBJ 1P PL let us cast off let us lay aside let us lay aside
G659-04 Ephesians 4:22 ἀποθέσθαι apothesthai V AOR MID INF to put off to lay aside for oneself to lay aside for oneself
G659-03 Ephesians 4:25 ἀποθέμενοι apothemenoi V AOR MID PTCP NOM M PL laying aside having laid aside for themselves having removed for themselves
G659-05 Colossians 3:8 ἀπόθεσθε apothesthe V AOR MID IMP 2P PL put off Lay aside for yourselves lay aside for yourselves
G659-03 Hebrews 12:1 ἀποθέμενοι apothemenoi V AOR MID PTCP NOM M PL laying aside having laid aside for themselves having removed for themselves
G659-03 James 1:21 ἀποθέμενοι apothemenoi V AOR MID PTCP NOM M PL putting aside having laid aside for themselves having removed for themselves
G659-03 1 Peter 2:1 ἀποθέμενοι apothemenoi V AOR MID PTCP NOM M PL putting aside having laid aside for themselves having removed for themselves
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