ἀφανίζω (G853) — Greek Lexicon

ἀφανίζω

aphanízō

G853 verb

SILEX Entry

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.

Translation Consistency

primary "disappear" 2 occurrences

Disappear is a natural, neutral verb that covers the full SILEX range — active sense of causing something to cease to be seen or exist (make disappear) and passive sense of vanishing or being destroyed/effaced. It reads naturally in English across contexts where the Greek can mean vanish, be wiped out, or be concealed, without forcing a stronger sense like “destroy.”

Alternatives (3 occurrences):

"make unseen" (1x) "destroys" (1x) "vanishing" (1x)

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

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

Word Forms

4 distinct forms

SIDANCE	Surface	Transliteration	Morphology	Common	SIBI-P1	SIBI-P2	Occurrences
`G853-02`	ἀφανίζει	aphanizei	`V PRS ACT IND 3P SG`	corrupts	makes unseen	destroys	2
`G853-03`	ἀφανιζομένη	aphanizomene	`V PRS PASS PTCP NOM F SG`	vanishing	being made unseen	vanishing	1
`G853-01`	ἀφανίσθητε	aphanisthete	`V AOR PASS IMP 2P PL`	perish	be made unseen	disappear	1
`G853-04`	ἀφανίζουσιν	aphanizousin	`V PRS ACT IND 3P PL`	they disfigure	they make unseen	they make unseen	1

Occurrences in Scripture

5 occurrences

Filter by SIDANCE:

SIDANCE	Reference	Word	Transliteration	Morphology	Common	SIBI-P1	SIBI-P2
`G853-04`	Matthew 6:16	ἀφανίζουσιν	aphanizousin	`V PRS ACT IND 3P PL`	they disfigure	they make unseen	they make unseen
`G853-02`	Matthew 6:19	ἀφανίζει	aphanizei	`V PRS ACT IND 3P SG`	destroys	makes unseen	disappears
`G853-02`	Matthew 6:20	ἀφανίζει	aphanizei	`V PRS ACT IND 3P SG`	corrupts	makes unseen	destroys
`G853-01`	Acts 13:41	ἀφανίσθητε	aphanisthete	`V AOR PASS IMP 2P PL`	perish	be made unseen	disappear
`G853-03`	James 4:14	ἀφανιζομένη	aphanizomene	`V PRS PASS PTCP NOM F SG`	vanishing	being made unseen	vanishing

← G852 Greek Lexicon G854 →