ἄφιξις
áphixis
G867 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
Primary meaning: arrival, the act or event of coming to a destination. In some contexts, it can also mean departure, the act of leaving a place. The core sense centers on the movement associated with reaching or leaving a place, typically a coming rather than a going, but context can give nuance either to physical arrival or, less frequently, to departure.
Semantic Range
arrival, coming to a place, arrival at a destination, event of coming, (rarely) departure, leaving
Root / Etymology
Formed from ἀφικνέομαι (to arrive, to come to), itself composed of the preposition ἀπό (from) and the verb ἱκνέομαι (to come, to reach). The noun ἄφιξις is a derivative expressing the action or event of arriving.
Historical & Contextual Notes
The term ἄφιξις is rare, found sporadically in Hellenistic Greek, including in later writers and some documentary papyri. Its use in Koine and the Septuagint is infrequent, but where attested, the sense is most often of 'arrival,' especially for an individual's journey to a specific destination. In broader Greek usage, it can at times mean 'departure,' as the converse of arrival, but this sense is relatively secondary and context-dependent. Unlike the more common Greek words for departure (e.g., ἔξοδον, ἀναχώρησις), ἄφιξις prioritizes arrival—hence, English translation traditions that render it as 'departing' may reflect interpretive choices rather than strict lexical equivalence. As a nominalization from ἀφικνέομαι, it shares that verb's orientation toward movement and endpoint. The term sees limited attestation in the New Testament corpus, and there is insufficient evidence to suggest a major semantic shift in the Koine period.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from ἀφικνέομαι; properly, arrival, i.e. (by implication) departure:--departing.
Root Family
ἀφικν- (áphixis) — to arrive, to reach, to come to a place
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G867-01 |
ἄφιξίν | aphixin | N ACC F SG |
departure | arrival | departure | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
1 occurrence
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G867-01 |
Acts 20:29 | ἄφιξίν | aphixin | N ACC F SG |
departure | arrival | departure |