ἀποκαταλλάσσω

From the study of Ephesians 2:16

Range of meaning

"To reconcile," probably with a sense of completeness or restoration: bringing hostile parties fully into a state of peace. The base verb καταλλάσσω first meant "to exchange" (money, goods) and then "to change enmity into friendship," for warring states, estranged spouses (1 Cor 7:11) or rivals. The extra prefix ἀπο- may intensify the word ("thoroughly reconcile") or suggest a return to a former state ("reconcile back").

Against the English

Every major English version says "reconcile," which is accurate. The English cannot show the extra prefix, and modern uses of "reconcile" (balancing accounts, or "being reconciled to" an unhappy fact, meaning resigned to it) are unrelated. The Greek is about enemies made into friends.

Used elsewhere in the period

No surviving Greek text uses the double compound before the Pauline letters. It appears only at Col 1:20, 22 and here, which suggests it was coined in Paul's circle (BDAG). The simple verb and its noun καταλλαγή are standard in diplomacy and in family settings (Porter, Katallassō in Ancient Greek Literature). In 2 Maccabees (1:5; 5:20; 7:33; 8:29) Jews pray that God will be reconciled to them. Paul reverses the direction: God reconciles people to himself (Rom 5:10; 2 Cor 5:18-20).

From the study of Colossians 1:20

Range of meaning

The base verb καταλλάσσω (katallassō) began as "to exchange" (money, goods). From there it came to mean "to change a relationship from hostility to friendship": to reconcile enemies, warring cities or an estranged husband and wife. Paul adds a further prefix, ἀπο-, which can mean either "back again" (restoring a harmony that once existed) or "fully, completely." The compound means to bring estranged parties fully back into right relationship.

Against the English

Every major English version has "reconcile," which is right in substance. English cannot easily show the extra prefix, so the possible note of restoring (bringing creation back to what it was made for in v.16) is lost.

How it drifted

English "reconcile" also means reconciling bank accounts, making two ideas consistent, or resigning oneself ("reconciled to his fate"). These senses can make the word sound like balancing ledgers or putting up with things, which is not how the Greek sounds.

Used elsewhere in the period

The double compound has no known occurrence before this letter. It appears only at Col 1:20, 1:22 and Eph 2:16, and later in Christian writers who depend on them, so it may have been coined in the Pauline circle. In Jewish Greek the simpler verb is used of God being reconciled to his people after his anger (2 Macc 1:5; 5:20; 7:33; 8:29). Paul consistently turns this around: God is never the one who is reconciled. God reconciles the world, or people, to himself (Rom 5:10–11; 2 Cor 5:18–20). Paul also uses the plain verb for a separated wife returning to her husband (1 Cor 7:11).

From the study of Colossians 1:22

Range of meaning

To reconcile thoroughly or restore fully to friendship. It is built on katallassō ('to change' enmity into friendship), with an added prefix apo- that may carry a sense of 'back again', restoring what had been lost.

Against the English

English 'reconcile' often suggests two equal parties meeting halfway after a quarrel. Here only one side was hostile: verse 21 says the Colossians were 'hostile in mind'. The whole initiative is God's, and the humans are the object of the verb.

Used elsewhere in the period

The double-compound form occurs nowhere in Greek before Colossians 1:20, 1:22 and Ephesians 2:16. It may be a Pauline coinage. The simpler katallassō was used in ordinary Greek for ending wars and for estranged spouses coming back together (1 Cor 7:11). In 2 Maccabees (1:5; 7:33; 8:29) Jews pray that God will be reconciled to them, so God is the one whose anger changes. Paul reverses the direction: God reconciles people to himself (2 Cor 5:18–20; Rom 5:10).