ἀστοχέω

From the study of 1 Timothy 1:6

Range of meaning

Built from a- ('not') and stochos ('target, aim'), so the root picture is being off-target. In use the word ranges from 'miss the mark, fail' to 'go astray, deviate from', and in some texts 'neglect, disregard' something you should keep hold of. BDAG gives 'go astray, miss the mark, deviate, depart'.

Against the English

KJV and YLT say 'swerved'. WEB says 'missed the mark', which is closest to the image. BSB says 'strayed from these ways', which drops the target picture and adds 'ways', a word not in the Greek. NIV 'departed' and NASB 'straying' are accurate but flatter.

Used elsewhere in the period

Found in Hellenistic Greek prose (Polybius, Plutarch) for failing in an aim or going astray. In the Septuagint (the Greek Old Testament), Sirach 7:19 says 'do not part from (astochei) a wise and good wife' and Sirach 8:9 'do not neglect (astochei) the talk of the elders'. Both mean losing hold of something valuable. In the New Testament it appears only in the Pastoral Letters: here, 1 Tim 6:21 ('missed the mark concerning the faith') and 2 Tim 2:18 ('missed the mark concerning the truth', about Hymenaeus and Philetus).

From the study of 1 Timothy 6:21

Range of meaning

Literally 'to be without aim' (a- 'not' + stochos 'target'). It means to miss the mark, fail, go wrong, deviate, or neglect.

Against the English

KJV 'erred', BSB 'swerved away', WEB 'wandered', NIV 'departed', NASB 'gone astray'. 'Wandered' and 'departed' suggest drifting or leaving, while the Greek picture is aiming and missing. 'Swerved' and 'erred' come closer.

Used elsewhere in the period

Hellenistic writers such as Polybius and Plutarch use it for failing or missing. The Greek Sirach uses it for neglecting or failing to heed: 'do not miss the discourse of the elders' (Sir 8:9), and 'do not neglect a wise wife' (Sir 7:19). In the New Testament it appears only in the Pastoral Letters, always about the same opponents: 1 Tim 1:6 (they 'missed the mark' and turned to empty talk), 2 Tim 2:18 (Hymenaeus and Philetus 'missed the mark concerning the truth', saying the resurrection had already happened).

From the study of Sirach 7:19

Range of meaning

From a- ('not') + stochos ('target'): to miss the target. By extension it means to fail to hit or get something, to fall short of it, to swerve from it, or to neglect or let slip something you had. With a genitive it often means 'to miss out on, to fail to hold on to'.

Against the English

KJV/Brenton 'forego' (give up, do without) and WEB 'deprive yourself of' both read it as losing something you could have kept. NRSV 'dismiss' (and NABRE's 'reject', which follows the Hebrew) narrows it to actively sending a wife away. The Greek allows both: failing to secure a good wife, and letting one go.

Used elsewhere in the period

Sirach uses it again in 8:9: 'Do not miss (mē astochei) the discourse of the elders', meaning don't neglect or pass up what is available to you. Polybius and other Hellenistic writers use it for failing to hit or reach a goal. In the New Testament it describes people who have 'swerved' or 'missed the mark' about the faith (1 Timothy 1:6; 6:21; 2 Timothy 2:18).