G620 — ἀπολείπω (apoleípō)¶

Core Data¶

Strong's: G620
Original: ἀπολείπω
Transliteration: apoleípō
Pronunciation: ap-ol-ipe'-o
Part of Speech: Verb
Root: Compound — ἀπό (apó, G575) "from, away" + λείπω (leípō, G3007) "to leave, fail, lack"
Occurrences: 7 in NT (6 unique verses; Heb 4:6 and 4:9 use the same form)
First Occurrence: 2 Timothy 4:13 — "The cloke that I left (apoleípō) at Troas with Carpus"
Hapax Legomenon: No

Lexicon Definition¶

Strong's: "from [ἀπό] and [λείπω]; to leave behind (passively, remain); by [extension to forsake]." Abbott-Smith / UBS: active = "to leave behind, leave remaining"; passive (ἀπολείπεται) = "it remains, is reserved." The compound intensifies the simple verb λείπω: the prefix ἀπό marks separation, so the active sense is to leave something behind in a place upon departing, and the passive sense is for something to be left over / remain after others are accounted for.

Louw-Nida Semantic Domain¶

Domain 85 — Existence in Space
Subdomain 85.4 — Leave in a Place: ἀπολείπω, καταλείπω (kataleípō), περιλείπομαι (perileípomai), ὑπολείπω (hypoleípō)
Domain 15 — Linear Movement
Subdomain 15.4 — Leave, Depart, Flee, Escape, Send: ἀπολείπω, ἀπέρχομαι, ἀπολύω, ἀναχωρέω
Domain 13 — Be, Become, Exist, Happen
Subdomain 13.3 — Exist: ἀπολείπω, ἀπόκειμαι, ἀνέκλειπτος, ἀνίστημι

The word straddles two domains because its active voice describes physical movement (leaving something behind) while its passive voice describes existence/state (something remaining or being reserved).

Translation Distribution (KJV)¶

Translation	Count	%
left / I left / have I left	3	50%
remaineth / there remaineth / it remaineth	3	50%

The two halves split exactly along voice: every active occurrence is rendered "left," every passive occurrence is rendered "remaineth."

Distribution by Book¶

Book	Count	Per 100 Verses
Hebrews	3	1.0
2 Timothy	2	2.4
Titus	1	—
Jude	1	—

The verb is confined to the later Pauline corpus (Pastoral Epistles), Hebrews, and Jude. It never appears in the Gospels, Acts, or the earlier Pauline letters. All three passive ("remaineth") uses cluster in Hebrews; all three active ("left") uses are travel/personnel notices in the Pastorals plus the angelic narrative of Jude.

Semantic Categories¶

1. Active — To Leave an Object Behind in a Place¶

The personal subject departs and an object stays where it was set down. - 2 Timothy 4:13 — "The cloke that I left (apoleípō) at Troas with Carpus, when thou comest, bring with thee"

2. Active — To Leave a Person Behind¶

A traveling subject leaves a companion behind, often for a task or because of circumstance. - 2 Timothy 4:20 — "Trophimus have I left (apoleípō) at Miletum sick" - Titus 1:5 — "For this cause left (apoleípō) I thee in Crete, that thou shouldest set in order the things that are wanting"

3. Active — To Abandon / Forsake One's Proper Place¶

The departure is culpable; the subject leaves behind what should have been kept. - Jude 1:6 — "the angels which kept not their first estate, but left (apoleípō) their own habitation"

4. Passive — Something Remains / Is Left Over¶

With no personal agent in view, the verb states that something is still in force, still available, or still outstanding after a reckoning. - Hebrews 4:6 — "Seeing therefore it remaineth (apoleípō) that some must enter therein" - Hebrews 4:9 — "There remaineth (apoleípō) therefore a rest to the people of God" - Hebrews 10:26 — "there remaineth (apoleípō) no more sacrifice for sins"

Voice Distribution¶

Voice / Form	Count	Verses	Sense
Imperfect Active Indicative (ἀπέλιπον)	3	2Ti 4:13; 2Ti 4:20; Tit 1:5	"I left" — narrating a past leaving-behind
Present Passive Indicative (ἀπολείπεται)	3	Heb 4:6; Heb 4:9; Heb 10:26	"it remains / is left" — stating an abiding fact
Aorist Active Participle (ἀπολιπόντας)	1	Jude 1:6	"having left / abandoned"

Active and passive are evenly split (4 active forms, 3 passive). The active is always imperfect or aorist (a completed past leaving); the passive is always present (a standing, continuing state). The passive (ἀπολείπεται) is the form behind every Hebrews occurrence.

Common Collocations¶

Because the word occurs only 6 times, no collocate co-occurs more than once; the table below records the single-verse associations rather than statistical patterns.

Word	Strong's	Co-occurrences	Typical Pattern
θυσία (thysía) "sacrifice"	G2378	1x	"there remaineth no more sacrifice" (Heb 10:26)
ἁμαρτάνω (hamartánō) "to sin"	G264	1x	"if we sin wilfully... there remaineth" (Heb 10:26)
ἀπείθεια (apeítheia) "unbelief"	G543	1x	"it remaineth... entered not in because of unbelief" (Heb 4:6)
εἰσέρχομαι (eisérchomai) "to enter"	G1525	1x	"it remaineth that some must enter" (Heb 4:6)
ἄγγελος (ággelos) "angel"	G32	1x	"the angels... left their own habitation" (Jude 1:6)
ἀΐδιος (aḯdios) "everlasting"	G126	1x	Jude 1:6, of the chains reserved for the angels

Word Family / Cognates¶

G3007 λείπω (leípō) — the simple verb: to leave, lack, be destitute, fall short
G575 ἀπό (apó) — the prefix preposition: from, away from, separation
G2641 καταλείπω (kataleípō) — κατά + λείπω: to leave behind, leave remaining, forsake (the most common NT compound of λείπω)
G1459 ἐγκαταλείπω (enkataleípō) — ἐν + κατά + λείπω: to abandon, forsake, leave in the lurch
G3973 / περιλείπομαι (perileípomai) — to be left over, survive
G5275 ὑπολείπω (hypoleípō) — to leave behind, leave remaining

Easily Confused Words¶

Word	Strong's	Shared Sense	Key Difference
καταλείπω (kataleípō)	G2641	"leave behind"	καταλείπω is the general, frequent verb for leaving behind/forsaking; ἀπολείπω is rarer and, in its passive, specializes in "remain, be reserved"
ἐγκαταλείπω (enkataleípō)	G1459	"leave / forsake"	ἐγκαταλείπω stresses desertion of a person ("forsaken me"); ἀπολείπω's active is more neutral leaving-behind, its passive a residual remaining
μένω (ménō)	G3306	"remain, abide"	μένω is the standard verb for remaining/abiding; ἀπολείπεται (passive) means "is left remaining / is reserved" — a remainder after a reckoning, not continuous abiding
λείπω (leípō)	G3007	"leave, lack"	the simple verb leans toward "lack, fall short, be wanting"; the ἀπό- compound adds the separation/leaving-behind nuance

Hebrew Source¶

The LXX rarely uses ἀπολείπω; PMI-ranked alignment from translation data points to two Hebrew verbs of remaining/leaving:

Hebrew Source	Strong's	Notes
יָתַר (yâthar)	H3498	"to remain over, be left, exceed" — the closest conceptual match to the passive "remaineth"
עָזַב (ʻâzab)	H5800	"to leave, loosen, relinquish, forsake" — matches the active "leave / abandon" sense