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ἄφεσις

áphesis

G859 noun

SILEX Entry

Definition

Release from bondage or obligation; the act of sending away, letting go, or granting liberation. In legal or religious contexts, can refer to the removal of debt, guilt, or punishment (pardon, remission, forgiveness). The central sense is deliverance from an obligation or consequence, and by extension the forgiveness of sins or debts.

Semantic Range

release from bondage, discharge from obligation, freeing of prisoners, legal emancipation, forgiveness of debts, remission of sins, general deliverance or liberation, pardon

Root / Etymology

From ἀφίημι (to send away, to release, to let go, to forgive), formed from ἀπ- (away) + ἵημι (to send). The noun ἄφεσις expresses the result or state produced by the verb: a letting go or dismissal.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In classical Greek, ἄφεσις primarily meant a release, as from a lease, debt, or imprisonment; it could refer to emancipating slaves or annulment of contracts. In Hellenistic and Koine usage, especially in the Septuagint, the term was adopted to render the Hebrew שְׁמִטָּה (shemittah, 'release' of debts in Leviticus 25, Deuteronomy 15) and יֹבֵל (yovel, 'Jubilee') as the year of release. In the New Testament and later Greek, ἄφεσις most commonly denotes forgiveness or remission, especially of sins, underlining the act of being set free from guilt or penalty. The English Bible often narrows its rendering to 'forgiveness' or 'remission,' but the term's underlying imagery is broader, encompassing legal and social release from debt/obligation as well as spiritual pardon. The context must determine whether it refers to literal deliverance/liberation or figurative release (forgiveness). Related terms: ἀφίημι (to release, forgive), παράκλησις (encouragement, also 'plea for release' in legal contexts).

Translation Consistency

primary "release" 17 occurrences

'Release' is the most natural, broadly applicable English word for ἄφεσις, covering physical liberation, legal discharge, and the remission/pardon sense (forgiveness). It matches the central SILEX sense of being let go from an obligation or consequence, is the dominant P2 rendering (15 of 17), and reads naturally in both literal and figurative contexts.

✓ All renderings match approved senses

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from ἀφίημι; freedom; (figuratively) pardon:--deliverance, forgiveness, liberty, remission.

Root Family

ἀφε- (áphesis) — to send away, to release, to let go, to forgive

Root ἀφε- to send away, to release, to let go, to forgive

Word Forms

3 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
G859-02 ἄφεσιν aphesin N ACC F SG forgiveness release release 12
G859-03 ἄφεσις aphesis N NOM F SG forgiveness release release 3
G859-01 ἀφέσει aphesei N DAT F SG forgiveness will release release 2

Occurrences in Scripture

17 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
G859-02 Matthew 26:28 ἄφεσιν aphesin N ACC F SG forgiveness release release
G859-02 Mark 1:4 ἄφεσιν aphesin N ACC F SG forgiveness release release
G859-02 Mark 3:29 ἄφεσιν aphesin N ACC F SG forgiveness release release
G859-01 Luke 1:77 ἀφέσει aphesei N DAT F SG forgiveness will release release
G859-02 Luke 3:3 ἄφεσιν aphesin N ACC F SG forgiveness release release
G859-02 Luke 4:18 ἄφεσιν aphesin N ACC F SG release release release
G859-01 Luke 4:18 ἀφέσει aphesei N DAT F SG release will release release
G859-02 Luke 24:47 ἄφεσιν aphesin N ACC F SG forgiveness release release
G859-02 Acts 2:38 ἄφεσιν aphesin N ACC F SG forgiveness release release
G859-02 Acts 5:31 ἄφεσιν aphesin N ACC F SG forgiveness release release
G859-02 Acts 10:43 ἄφεσιν aphesin N ACC F SG forgiveness release release
G859-03 Acts 13:38 ἄφεσις aphesis N NOM F SG forgiveness release release
G859-02 Acts 26:18 ἄφεσιν aphesin N ACC F SG forgiveness release release
G859-02 Ephesians 1:7 ἄφεσιν aphesin N ACC F SG forgiveness release release
G859-02 Colossians 1:14 ἄφεσιν aphesin N ACC F SG forgiveness release release
G859-03 Hebrews 9:22 ἄφεσις aphesis N NOM F SG forgiveness release release
G859-03 Hebrews 10:18 ἄφεσις aphesis N NOM F SG forgiveness release release
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