Greek word · G525

ἀπαλλάσσω

apallassō

to release

To remove or get rid of something, and so to set free or release. Very often it means release from a claim, obligation, trouble or partner. Papyri use it, and its noun apallagē, for settling disputes and for divorce (releasing a spouse).

Appears 3 times in 3 verses of the Greek New Testament. ·

What it means

ἀπ-αλλάσσω

[in LXX for סוּר hi., etc. ;]

to remove, release: Hebrews 2:15; pass., to depart: Acts 19:12; in legal sense (MM, VGT, see word), before ἀπό, with genitive of person(s), to be quit of: Luke 12:58 (Cremer, 90, 632).†

(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 Hebrews 2:15

Range of meaning

To remove or get rid of something, and so to set free or release. Very often it means release from a claim, obligation, trouble or partner. Papyri use it, and its noun apallagē, for settling disputes and for divorce (releasing a spouse). The passive means "to be rid of, get away, depart." Classical Greek also had the idiom "to depart from life" (apallattesthai tou biou), meaning to die.

Against the English

"Deliver" (KJV, WEB, ESV) and "free" (BSB, NIV, NASB) are both accurate. "Deliver" can suggest a rescue in battle. The Greek leans more toward release from a binding claim, which fits the legal word enochoi ("liable") in the same sentence.

Used elsewhere in the period

Used only three times in the NT: Luke 12:58 (being released from an opponent at law, a legal setting), Acts 19:12 (diseases left the sick), and here. It is common in Hellenistic papyri for release from contracts and obligations (Moulton–Milligan). Philosophers used it for being freed from passions and fears.

From the study of Acts 19:12

Range of meaning

Active: to set free, release, remove. Middle and passive: to depart, be rid of, be released. It is used of people leaving, of legal release (Luke 12:58: 'be released' from an opponent), of release from fear (Hebrews 2:15), and very commonly in Greek of an illness leaving a person.

Against the English

English versions say the diseases 'departed' or 'left'. That is accurate, though it loses the overtone of release or deliverance the word can carry.

Used elsewhere in the period

Widely used in Greek medical and general writers for recovery from disease. W. K. Hobart (1882) listed such words to argue that Luke was a physician. H. J. Cadbury showed that this vocabulary was common to educated Greek generally, so it does not prove a medical author.

From the study of Luke 12:58

Range of meaning

To set free, release, remove; in the passive, to be released, to be rid of, to be quit of someone. Also used in wider Greek for departing, and for parties getting clear of a dispute by settlement.

Against the English

'Be delivered from him' (KJV) and 'be released from him' (WEB, YLT) keep the actual picture. 'Settle with him' (ESV, NASB) gives the legal sense well. 'Reconcile' (BSB) and 'be reconciled' (NIV) move the word toward restored relationship, which it does not itself say.

How it drifted

'Reconcile' is a warm word in English and a heavy one in Christian speech, tied to peace with God and restored relationships. It may also be drawn in from Matthew 5:23–24, where a different verb (diallassomai) is used of a brother, right before the parallel saying.

Used elsewhere in the period

Only twice elsewhere in the New Testament: Hebrews 2:15 (freeing those held in slavery by fear of death) and Acts 19:12 (diseases leaving the sick). Both are about release from something that holds a person. Lexicons (BDAG, LSJ) record the sense of getting clear of a legal opponent.

Where it appears

Luke · 1

  1. Luke 12:58 ἀπηλλάχθαι to have been set free

    Make every effort to reconcile with your adversary while you are on your way to the magistrate. Otherwise, he may drag you off to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and the officer may throw you into prison.

    Here: 'To have been released': to be clear of the claim, with the matter closed. The form points to a finished result and implies the release comes when the other party lets the claim go.

Acts · 1

  1. Acts 19:12 ἀπαλλάσσεσθαι departing

    so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and the diseases and evil spirits left them.

    Here: Literally the diseases 'were released from' or 'took themselves off from' the sick. The word was common in Greek for an illness leaving someone, and also for being set free. Again the present tense suggests repeated cases.

Hebrews · 1

  1. Hebrews 2:15 ἀπαλλάξῃ may set free

    and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.

    Here: "He might release." A single, decisive act (aorist subjunctive, still governed by the "so that" of v. 14). The word was at home in legal and everyday Greek for being released from a claim, an obligation, a debt or a bond, so it pairs naturally with the legal word "liable" later in the verse.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.