G628 — ἀπολούω (apolouō)¶

Core Data¶

Strong's: G628
Original: ἀπολούω
Transliteration: apolouō
Pronunciation: ap-ol-oo'-o
Part of Speech: Verb
Root: ἀπό (G575, "from/away") + λούω (G3068, "to bathe the whole person")
Occurrences: 2 in NT (2 unique verses, 2 tokens)
First Occurrence: Acts 22:16 — "And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord."
Hapax Legomenon: No (dis legomenon — appears exactly twice)

Lexicon Definition¶

From ἀπό (G575) and λούω (G3068); to wash fully, i.e. (figuratively) have remitted. The ἀπό prefix adds directional force: washing away from — complete removal through bathing.

Louw-Nida Semantic Domain¶

Domain: 88 — Moral and Ethical Qualities and Related Behavior
Subdomain: 88.003 — Holy, Pure
Gloss: to purify, to cause to be pure
Other words in subdomain: ἁγιάζω (G37), ἅγιος (G40), ἁγνίζω (G48), ἁγνός (G53), ἄμωμος (G299), ἄσπιλος (G784), ῥαντίζω (G4472), ὅσιος (G3741)

Translation Distribution (KJV)¶

Translation	Count	%
wash away	1	50%
ye are washed	1	50%

Distribution by Book¶

Book	Count	Per 100 Verses
Acts	1	0.1
1 Corinthians	1	0.2

Both occurrences are in Pauline-connected texts (Ananias quoting the Lord's command to Paul in Acts; Paul writing to Corinth). The word is absent from the Gospels, Hebrews, and the General Epistles.

Grammatical Forms¶

Reference	Form	Parsing
Acts 22:16	ἀπόλουσαι	Aorist Middle Imperative 2nd Singular
1 Cor 6:11	ἀπελούσασθε	Aorist Middle Indicative 2nd Plural

Both occurrences are aorist middle voice. The middle voice places emphasis on the subject's participation or benefit — "get yourself washed" / "you got yourselves washed." The aorist tense treats the washing as a completed, punctiliar event rather than an ongoing process.

Semantic Categories¶

1. Washing Away Sin in Connection with Baptism¶

Acts 22:16 — "arise, and be baptized, and wash away (ἀπόλουσαι) thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord"
Aorist middle imperative: a command to undergo washing. Paired directly with βαπτίζω (G907) and ἐπικαλέομαι (G1941, "calling on the name"). The object of the washing is ἁμαρτία (G266, "sins").

2. Moral Purification as a Completed Act¶

1 Cor 6:11 — "but ye are washed (ἀπελούσασθε), but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God"
Aorist middle indicative: a past-completed fact. Listed in a triad with ἁγιάζω (G37, "sanctified") and δικαιόω (G1344, "justified"). The washing is attributed to "the name of the Lord Jesus" and "the Spirit of our God."

Common Collocations¶

Word	Strong's	Co-occurrences	Typical Pattern
ἁγιάζω (hagiazō)	G37	1× (50%)	"washed... sanctified" — triad with justification
ἁμαρτία (hamartia)	G266	1× (50%)	"wash away thy sins" — object of the cleansing
βαπτίζω (baptizō)	G907	1× (50%)	"be baptized, and wash away" — paired actions
δικαιόω (dikaioō)	G1344	1× (50%)	"washed... justified" — triad with sanctification
ἐπικαλέομαι (epikaleomai)	G1941	1× (50%)	"wash away... calling on the name" — accompaniment
πνεῦμα (pneuma)	G4151	1× (50%)	"by the Spirit of our God" — agent of the washing
Ἰησοῦς (Iēsous)	G2424	1× (50%)	"in the name of the Lord Jesus" — authority for the act

Word Family / Cognates¶

G3068 λούω (louō) — root verb: to bathe the whole person (6 occurrences; Heb 10:22 "bodies washed with pure water," Acts 16:33 "washed their stripes," 2 Pet 2:22 "sow that was washed")
G3067 λουτρόν (loutron) — cognate noun: a bath, washing (2 occurrences; Eph 5:26 "washing of water by the word," Titus 3:5 "washing of regeneration")

Synonyms (from Louw-Nida domain 88.003)¶

G37 ἁγιάζω (hagiazō) — sanctify, make holy (26v). Broader concept of setting apart or purifying; listed alongside apolouō in 1 Cor 6:11.
G48 ἁγνίζω (hagnizō) — purify, consecrate (7v). Ceremonial and moral purification; broader usage in both ritual and ethical contexts.
G4472 ῥαντίζω (rhantizō) — sprinkle (4v). Purification through sprinkling, rooted in OT ritual; contrasts with apolouō's whole-body washing imagery.
G2511 καθαρίζω (katharizō) — cleanse, make clean (28v). General purification term covering ritual, physical, and moral cleansing; much broader range than apolouō.

Antonyms¶

G379 ἀναπολόγητος (anapologētos) — without excuse, inexcusable (alpha-privative relationship detected via morphological analysis; 2v — Rom 1:20, 2:1)

Easily Confused Words¶

Word	Strong's	Shared Translation	Key Difference
λούω (louō)	G3068	"washed"	louō = bathing the whole body (literal or figurative); apolouō adds ἀπό prefix = washing away from, emphasizing removal/separation from what is washed off
νίπτω (niptō)	G3538	"wash"	niptō = washing a part of the body (hands, feet, face); apolouō = complete washing of the whole person, with figurative moral purification force
βαπτίζω (baptizō)	G907	"wash" (Mark 7:4)	baptizō = immerse, submerge (ritual act); apolouō = the cleansing effect/result of that washing, not the ritual action itself
ἀπονίπτω (aponiptō)	G633	"wash"	aponiptō = wash off a body part reflexively (hapax, Matt 27:24 — Pilate washed his hands); apolouō = wash the whole person, with moral purification connotation

Domain Neighbors (Louw-Nida 88.003 — Holy, Pure)¶

Strong's	Word	Primary KJV Translation
G37	ἁγιάζω (hagiazō)	sanctify
G40	ἅγιος (hagios)	holy
G48	ἁγνίζω (hagnizō)	purify
G53	ἁγνός (hagnos)	pure
G185	ἀκέραιος (akeraios)	harmless
G298	ἀμώμητος (amōmētos)	blameless
G299	ἄμωμος (amōmos)	without blame
G784	ἄσπιλος (aspilos)	without spot
G3741	ὅσιος (hosios)	holy
G4472	ῥαντίζω (rhantizō)	sprinkle