G531 — ἀπαράβατος (aparábatos)¶

Core Data¶

Strong's: G531
Original: ἀπαράβατος
Transliteration: aparábatos
Pronunciation: ap-ar-ab'-at-os
Part of Speech: Adjective
Root: α- (privative prefix, "not") + παραβαίνω (parabainō, G3845, "to go beside, transgress, violate"); verbal adjective suffix -τος. Literally: "not-passed-beside," i.e., not able to be transgressed, superseded, or transferred to another.
Occurrences: 1 in NT (1 token, 1 unique verse)
First Occurrence: Heb 7:24 — "But this [man], because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood."
Hapax Legomenon: YES — this word appears only once in the entire Bible

Lexicon Definition¶

From α- (as a negative particle) and a derivative of παραβαίνω (G3845): "not passing away, not to be passed on to another, inviolable, unchangeable." The alpha-privative negates the verbal root's sense of "stepping aside" or "crossing over." In the context of priesthood, it means an office that cannot be transferred to a successor — it does not pass from one holder to another. The word belongs to a cluster of alpha-privative adjectives in Hebrews that describe the permanent, irrevocable character of Christ's work: ἀμετάθετος G276 "immutable" (Heb 6:17-18), ἀκατάλυτος G179 "indestructible" (Heb 7:16), and ἀθέτησις G115 "annulment" (Heb 7:18, the concept aparabatos negates).

Louw-Nida Semantic Domain¶

G531 is not catalogued in Louw-Nida directly. However, G276 ἀμετάθετος (the closest semantic parallel, also alpha-privative "unchangeable" in Hebrews) is classified under:

Domain 13 — Be, Become, Exist, Happen
Subdomain 13.002 — Change of State (the privative negation of change)
Other words in subdomain: ἀμετάθετος G276 (immutable), ἀκατάλυτος G179 (indestructible/endless), μετατίθημι G3346 (transfer/change), μεταβαίνω G3327 (depart)

Domain Neighbors¶

Strong's	Word	Verses	Primary KJV Translation
G276	ἀμετάθετος	2	immutable, immutability
G179	ἀκατάλυτος	1	endless
G115	ἀθέτησις	2	disannulling, put away
G111	ἀθέμιτος	2	abominable, unlawful
G209	ἀκωλύτως	1	no man forbidding him
G313	ἀναγεννάω	2	begotten again, born again

Translation Distribution (KJV)¶

Translation	Count	%
unchangeable	1	100%

Distribution by Book¶

Book	Count	Per 100 Verses
Hebrews	1	0.33

Exclusive to Hebrews — the only NT book that develops a sustained argument about Christ's priesthood superseding the Levitical order. The word appears in the climactic statement of the Heb 7:23-25 contrast between mortal Levitical priests and the eternal Melchizedek-order priest.

Semantic Categories¶

1. Permanence of Christ's Priesthood — Non-Transferable Office¶

Heb 7:24 — "But this [man], because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood."

This is the sole occurrence. The word modifies ἱερωσύνη (hierōsynē, G2420, "priesthood") and functions as the theological anchor of the Heb 7:23-25 argument: Levitical priests were many because death prevented them from continuing (v. 23), but Christ holds a priesthood that is aparabatos — it does not pass to a successor — because he lives forever (v. 24). The consequence is stated in v. 25: he is able to save "to the uttermost" those who come to God through him, because he "ever liveth to make intercession."

The semantic force is debated between two readings: - "Unchangeable / permanent" — the priesthood does not change in character or cease - "Non-transferable / inviolable" — the priesthood cannot be handed to another holder

Both senses derive from the alpha-privative negation of παραβαίνω. The contextual argument in Heb 7:23-24 (many priests vs. one priest who continues forever) favors the "non-transferable" nuance: the office cannot pass to another because its holder never dies.

Morphological Note¶

The single occurrence is parsed as ἀπαράβατον [A-ASF] — accusative singular feminine, agreeing with ἱερωσύνην (priesthood, also accusative singular feminine). The -τος verbal adjective suffix typically carries passive or potential meaning: "not-able-to-be-transgressed."

Common Collocations¶

As a hapax, no co-occurrence statistics are possible. However, the immediate verse context (Heb 7:24) pairs aparabatos with:

Word	Strong's	Relationship
ἱερωσύνη (hierōsynē)	G2420	Direct object modified: "unchangeable priesthood"
παραμένω (paramenō)	G3887	Causal basis: "because he continueth ever" — his permanent abiding grounds the aparabatos character
εἰς τὸ διηνεκές	G1336	Temporal phrase: "for ever / in perpetuity" — duration marker

Word Family / Cognates (παρα-βαίνω root)¶

G3845 παραβαίνω (parabainō) — to go beside, transgress, violate (verb; 4v — Matt 15:2-3, Acts 1:25, 2 John 1:9). The positive root that aparabatos negates.
G3847 παράβασις (parabasis) — transgression, violation, breaking (feminine noun; 7v — Rom 2:23, 4:15, 5:14, Gal 3:19, 1 Tim 2:14, Heb 2:2, 9:15). The act of stepping-aside from law.
G3848 παραβάτης (parabatēs) — transgressor, violator, breaker (masculine noun; 5v — Rom 2:25, 2:27, Gal 2:18, Jas 2:9, 2:11). The person who steps-aside.

Easily Confused Words¶

Word	Strong's	Shared Concept	Key Difference
ἀμετάθετος (ametathetos)	G276	both mean "unchangeable" in Hebrews	ametathetos = "not-transferable/immutable" (from μετατίθημι, "transpose"); describes God's counsel/oath (Heb 6:17-18). aparabatos = "not-passed-beside" (from παραβαίνω, "transgress/pass over"); describes Christ's priesthood (Heb 7:24).
ἀκατάλυτος (akatalutos)	G179	both describe permanence of Christ's priestly office in Heb 7	akatalutos = "indestructible/indissoluble" (from καταλύω, "destroy"); describes the power of life by which Christ became priest (Heb 7:16). aparabatos = "non-transferable/unchangeable"; describes the priesthood office itself (Heb 7:24).
ἀθέτησις (athetesis)	G115	both address legal validity of priesthood/commandment in Heb 7	athetesis = "annulment/cancellation" (noun from ἀθετέω); the commandment is annulled (Heb 7:18). aparabatos = the priesthood that cannot be annulled (Heb 7:24). These words form a deliberate contrast in Heb 7.

Hebrew Source¶

No Hebrew sources found via LXX mapping — aparabatos is a hapax coined or adopted by the author of Hebrews with no Septuagintal precedent.