Greek word · G673

ἀποχωρίζω

apochōrizō

to separate from

To separate one thing from another or to part company; in the passive, 'to be separated, be parted, be split off.' Thayer gives the passive as 'to be torn asunder', and BDAG renders this verse along the lines of 'the sky was split like a scroll that is rolled up'.

Appears 2 times in 2 verses of the Greek New Testament. ·

What it means

ἀπο-χωρίζω

[in LXX: Ezekiel 43:21 (מִפְקָד)* ;]

to separate, part asunder: pass., Revelation 6:14; reflexively, to separate oneself: Acts 15:39.†

(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 Revelation 6:14

Range of meaning

To separate one thing from another or to part company; in the passive, 'to be separated, be parted, be split off.' Thayer gives the passive as 'to be torn asunder', and BDAG renders this verse along the lines of 'the sky was split like a scroll that is rolled up'.

Against the English

KJV and YLT have 'departed', the Vulgate-influenced 'withdrew'. BSB and NIV have 'receded', ESV 'vanished', WEB 'was removed', and NASB 'was split apart'. 'Receded' and 'departed' suggest the sky moving off into the distance as a whole. The Greek points more to the sky being torn or parted.

How it drifted

The Latin Vulgate's recessit ('withdrew, went back') shaped the old English tradition of 'departed', and modern 'receded' follows it. Neither is wrong, since the verb does include parting from. But they miss the violence of the image.

Used elsewhere in the period

The verb is rare in biblical Greek. Its only other New Testament use is Acts 15:39, where Paul and Barnabas 'separated from one another' after a sharp disagreement, a split and not a slow fading. The simple verb χωρίζω ('to separate, divide') is common. Commentators such as Mounce and Aune picture a stretched scroll that splits and curls back toward its two rolled ends.

Similar words

Where it appears

Acts · 1

  1. Acts 15:39 ἀποχωρισθῆναι separating

    Their disagreement was so sharp that they parted company. Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus,

Revelation · 1

  1. Revelation 6:14 ἀπεχωρίσθη departed

    The sky receded like a scroll being rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved from its place.

    Here: 'Was separated / split apart.' The verb is passive and describes something torn apart. It does not mean drifting quietly away. The likely picture is a stretched sheet that splits and pulls back on itself, as a scroll snaps shut. The passive also leaves room for God as the unnamed one acting.

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