Greek word · G548

ἄπειμι

apeimi

be away

Participles of apeimi ('be away') and pareimi ('be present, be here'). In letters of the period they are a standard pair: the letter stands in for the absent writer.

Appears 7 times in 7 verses of the Greek New Testament. ·

What it means

ἄπ-ειμι

(εἰμί, sum) [in LXX for כָּחַד ni., נָדַח ni. ;]

to be absent: 1 Corinthians 5:3, 2 Corinthians 10:1 10:11 13:2 13:10 Philippians 1:27, Colossians 2:5.†

(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 2 Corinthians 13:10

Range of meaning

Participles of apeimi ('be away') and pareimi ('be present, be here'). In letters of the period they are a standard pair: the letter stands in for the absent writer.

Against the English

Most versions keep the contrast ('while absent… when present'). The rhyme of the Greek (apōn… parōn) is lost in English.

Used elsewhere in the period

Greek letter-writing treated a letter as a substitute for the writer's presence. Paul uses the pair against his critics in 10:1–2 and 10:10–11 ('his letters are weighty… but his bodily presence is weak'), again in 13:2, and in 1 Cor 5:3.

From the study of 1 Corinthians 5:3

Range of meaning

ἄπειμι: to be away or absent. πάρειμι: to be present, to have arrived, to be at hand. The related noun παρουσία means 'presence' or 'arrival', and was used for a ruler's official visit or a person's coming in person.

Against the English

English 'absent/present' is accurate. What English cannot show is the one-letter-prefix wordplay (ap-ōn / par-ōn), and that Paul uses 'present' twice to hammer the point home.

Used elsewhere in the period

The pairing was a standard feature of ancient letter-writing. A letter was treated as a way of being present while apart. Seneca says a friend's letter brings 'true traces of an absent friend' (Epistle 40.1), and Greek handbooks on letters (Pseudo-Demetrius) describe a letter as talking to an absent person as if present. Paul uses the same pairing in Colossians 2:5 ('absent in the flesh, yet with you in spirit'), 2 Corinthians 10:1–11 and 13:2, 10, and Philippians 1:27.

Similar words

Where it appears

1 Corinthians · 1

  1. 1 Corinthians 5:3 ἀπὼν being absent

    Although I am absent from you in body, I am present with you in spirit, and I have already pronounced judgment on the one who did this, just as if I were present.

    Here: Present participle: 'being absent.' Paul is physically far away, in Ephesus (16:8). This is the ordinary word letter-writers used for being apart from friends.

2 Corinthians · 4

  1. 2 Corinthians 10:1 ἀπὼν being absent

    Now by the mildness and gentleness of Christ, I appeal to you—I, Paul, who am humble when face to face with you, but bold when away.

    Here: 'When away.' The pairing of absent and present (παρών, vv. 2, 11; 13:2, 10) runs through chapters 10–13 and is the core of the quarrel: is the letter-writing Paul the real Paul?

  2. 2 Corinthians 10:11 ἀπόντες, being absent,

    Such people should consider that what we are in our letters when absent, we will be in our actions when present.

  3. 2 Corinthians 13:2 ἀπὼν being absent

    I already warned you the second time I was with you. So now in my absence I warn those who sinned earlier and everyone else: If I return, I will not spare anyone,

    Here: "Being away." This answers a charge in Corinth that Paul was bold in letters from a distance but feeble in person (10:1, 10–11). He insists the absent Paul and the present Paul say the same thing.

  4. 2 Corinthians 13:10 ἀπὼν being absent

    This is why I write these things while absent, so that when I am present I will not need to be severe in my use of the authority that the Lord gave me for building you up, not for tearing you down.

    Here: 'While I am away.' It is the first half of a sound-pair with parōn ('present'). This is the absent/present contrast his critics used against him (10:1, 10:10–11).

Philippians · 1

  1. Philippians 1:27 ἀπὼν being absent

    Nevertheless, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in one spirit, contending together as one for the faith of the gospel,

    Here: The case where Paul stays in prison or dies. The church's conduct must not depend on whether he is there.

Colossians · 1

  1. Colossians 2:5 ἄπειμι, I am absent,

    For although I am absent from you in body, I am present with you in spirit, and I delight to see your orderly condition and firm faith in Christ.

    Here: "I am away." It is present tense: his absence is ongoing. He has never visited Colossae at all (2:1).

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