567. apechomai

Strong's Lexicon

apechomai: Abstain, refrain, keep away

Original Word: ἀπέχομαι
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: apechomai
Pronunciation: ah-PEKH-om-ahee
Phonetic Spelling: (ap-ekh'-om-ahee)
Definition: Abstain, refrain, keep away
Meaning: I abstain from, keep myself away from.

Word Origin: Middle voice of ἀπέχω (apéchō, Strong's 568), meaning "to have" or "to hold off."

Corresponding Greek / Hebrew Entries: While there is no direct Hebrew equivalent for ἀπέχομαι, the concept of abstaining or refraining is present in the Hebrew Bible, often expressed through terms like נָזִיר (nazir, Strong's 5139), which refers to a Nazirite who abstains from wine and other practices.

Usage: The verb ἀπέχομαι (apechomai) is used in the New Testament to denote the act of abstaining or refraining from something. It often implies a conscious decision to avoid certain behaviors or practices, particularly those that are considered sinful or harmful to one's spiritual well-being. The term is used in contexts that encourage believers to maintain purity and holiness by avoiding actions that are contrary to God's will.

Cultural and Historical Background: In the Greco-Roman world, various philosophical and religious movements emphasized self-control and abstinence as virtues. For early Christians, abstaining from certain practices was not only a matter of personal discipline but also a testimony to their faith and commitment to living according to the teachings of Jesus Christ. This often set them apart from the surrounding culture, which might have engaged in practices contrary to Christian values.

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
mid. of apechó, q.v.

Thayer's Greek Lexicon

STRONGS NT 567: ἀπέχω

ἀπέχω; (imperfect ἀπειχον Matthew 14:24 Tr text WH text; present middle ἀπέχομαι);

1. transitive,

a. to hold back, keep off, prevent (Homer, Iliad 1, 97 (Zenodotus); 6, 96; Plato, Crat c. 23, p. 407 b.).

b. to have wholly or in full, to have received (what one had a right to expect or demand; cf. ἀποδιδόναι, ἀπολαμβάνειν (Winers De verb. comp. etc. Part iv., p. 8; Gram. 275 (258); Buttmann, 203 (176); according to Lightfoot (on Philippians 4:18) ἀπό denotes correspondence, i. e. of the contents to the capacity, of the possession to the desire, etc.)): τινα, Philemon 1:15; μισθόν, Matthew 6:2, 5, 16; παράκλησιν, Luke 6:24; πάντα, Philippians 4:18; (often so in Greek writings (cf. Lightfoot on Philippians, the passage cited)). Hence,

c. ἀπέχει, impersonally, it is enough, sufficient: Mark 14:41, where the explanation is 'ye have slept now long enough'; so that Christ takes away the permission, just given to his disciples, of sleeping longer; cf. Meyer at the passage; (in the same sense in (Pseudo-)Anacreon () in Odar. (15) 28, 33; Cyril Alex. on Haggai 2:9 (but the true reading here seems to be ἀπέχω, see P. E. Pusey's edition Oxon. 1868)).

2. intransitive, to be away, absent, distant (Buttmann, 144 (126)): absolutely, Luke 15:20; ἀπό, Luke 7:6; Luke 24:13; Matt. ( Tr text WH text); ; Mark 7:6 (Isaiah 29:13).

3. Middle to hold oneself off, abstain: ἀπό τίνος, from anything, Acts 15:20 (R G); 1 Thessalonians 4:3; 1 Thessalonians 5:22 (Job 1:1; Job 2:3; Ezekiel 8:6); τίνος, Acts 15:29; 1 Timothy 4:3; 1 Peter 2:11. (So in Greek writings from Homer down.)

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

abstain.

Middle voice (reflexively) of apecho; to hold oneself off, i.e. Refrain -- abstain.

see GREEK apecho

Englishman's Concordance

ἀπερίτμητοι — 1 Occ.
ἀπῆλθα — 1 Occ.
ἀπῆλθαν — 3 Occ.
ἀπῆλθεν — 40 Occ.
ἀπῆλθον — 18 Occ.
ἀπεληλύθεισαν — 1 Occ.
ἀπελήλυθεν — 1 Occ.
ἀπελεύσομαι — 1 Occ.
ἀπελευσόμεθα — 1 Occ.
ἀπελεύσονται — 1 Occ.
ἀπέλθητε — 2 Occ.
ἀπελθεῖν — 11 Occ.
ἀπέλθω — 2 Occ.
ἀπελθὼν — 16 Occ.
ἀπέλθωσιν — 1 Occ.
ἀπελθόντες — 9 Occ.
ἀπελθόντι — 1 Occ.
Ἀπελθόντων — 1 Occ.
ἀπελθοῦσα — 1 Occ.
ἀπελθοῦσαι — 2 Occ.