Greek word · G522
ἀπαίρω
apairō
to take away
To lift off, take away, remove. In the passive, to be taken away or removed. It is also used of setting out on a journey (often in the LXX). The passive here means the groom does not leave of his own accord. Someone or something takes him.
Appears 3 times in 3 verses of the Greek New Testament. ·
What it means
ἀπ-αίρω
[in LXX chiefly for נָסַע ;]
to lift off, hence, to take away; pass.: Matthew 9:15, Mark 2:20, Luke 5:35.†
(AS)
From G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament (1922), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).
In depth
From the study of Matthew 9:15
- Range of meaning
To lift off, take away, remove. In the passive, to be taken away or removed. It is also used of setting out on a journey (often in the LXX). The passive here means the groom does not leave of his own accord. Someone or something takes him.
- Against the English
'Taken away / taken from them' is accurate. BSB's 'the time will come' for 'days will come' smooths over the prophetic ring of the original.
- Used elsewhere in the period
In the NT only in this saying (Matt 9:15; Mark 2:20; Luke 5:35). Its root verb airō appears in LXX Isa 53:8: 'his life is taken away (airetai) from the earth', said of the suffering servant. Whether Jesus' saying deliberately echoes that line is debated (see debates).
From the study of 1 Maccabees 4:1
- Range of meaning
Literally 'lift off, take away'. Used intransitively, 'set off, depart, march away'. In the Greek Old Testament it is the standard equivalent of Hebrew nasa', 'pull up (tent pegs), set out on the march'.
- Against the English
KJV/Brenton 'removed' is old English for 'moved off, departed'. Modern 'removed' (taken away, deleted) would mislead. WEB's 'moved out' is accurate.
- How it drifted
'Remove' in the sense of 'change one's place, depart' was ordinary in 1611 but is now archaic.
- Used elsewhere in the period
Throughout Numbers for Israel breaking camp and marching (Num 10:12–35, 33:3–49), and Gen 12:9 (Abram 'journeyed'). In the New Testament only in its other sense, 'taken away' (the bridegroom, Mark 2:20).
From the study of 1 Maccabees 5:29
- Range of meaning
Literally 'to lift off'. In travel and military settings it means to set out, depart or break camp, often of a whole group or army moving on.
- Against the English
Modern versions say 'left' or 'set out', which is accurate. The KJV and Brenton use 'removed', in the older sense of moving one's camp. Neither carries the formal 'break camp and march' feel the Greek had for Jewish readers.
- How it drifted
Only the archaic KJV/Brenton 'removed' risks misreading. See the drift note.
- Used elsewhere in the period
Very common in the Greek Old Testament for the Hebrew nasa', 'pull up tent pegs, set out'. It is used for Abraham's journeys (Gen 12:9) and again and again in the camp-by-camp record of Israel's wilderness travels ('they set out from there', Num 21; 33). 1 Maccabees uses the same verb for army movements elsewhere.
Where it appears
Matthew · 1
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Matthew 9:15 ἀπαρθῇ may have been taken away
Jesus replied, “How can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while He is with them? But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast.
Here: Passive voice: the groom does not simply leave. He is taken away by someone else. This is a sudden, single event. In the NT the verb appears only in this saying, and it hints at a forcible removal, Jesus' death.
Mark · 1
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Mark 2:20 ἀπαρθῇ may have been taken away
But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast.
Here: 'He has been taken away.' The verb is passive: someone else removes him, he does not just leave. In the New Testament this verb appears only here and in the two parallel Gospel passages. Readers who knew how Mark's story ends heard a hint of his arrest and death.
Luke · 1
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Luke 5:35 ἀπαρθῇ may be taken away
But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast.”
Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.