G868 — ἀφίστημι (aphístēmi)¶

Core Data¶

Strong's: G868
Original: ἀφίστημι
Transliteration: aphístēmi
Pronunciation: af-is'-tay-mee
Part of Speech: Verb
Root / Composition: From ἀπό (G575, "away from") + ἵστημι (G2476, "to stand") — literally "to stand off / away from"
Occurrences: 15 unique verses (16 tokens) in 6 NT books
First Occurrence: Luk 2:37 — "which departed not from the temple"
Hapax Legomenon: No

Lexicon Definition¶

From ἀπό and ἵστημι; to remove, i.e. (actively) instigate to revolt; usually (reflexively) to desist, desert, etc.: — depart, draw (fall) away, refrain, withdraw self.

Core idea: to cause or undergo standing-at-a-distance. Active/transitive: to cause someone to stand apart (incite to revolt). Middle/intransitive (dominant NT use): to remove oneself — to withdraw, depart, leave, fall away.

Louw-Nida Semantic Domain¶

ἀφίστημι is mapped to seven Louw-Nida domains, reflecting its wide semantic range. The most theologically weighted are:

Domain	Label	Representative Siblings
015.004	Leave, Depart, Flee, Escape, Send	ἀναχωρέω, ἀπέρχομαι, ἀποχωρέω, ἀπολείπω
034.002	Join, Begin To Associate (antonym sense)	κολλάω, προσκολλάω, παραπίπτω, ἐκπίπτω, μετατίθημι
034.004	Limit or Avoid Association	ἀποτρέπω, ἐκκλίνω, καταλείπω, παραιτέομαι, στέλλω
039.007	Rebellion	ἀποστασία (G646), ἀναστατόω, ἐπανίστημι, παραπικραίνω, στάσις
039	Hostility, Strife	ἀνθίστημι, ἀντίκειμαι, ἀκαταστασία
015	Linear Movement	ἄγω, αἴρω, ἀναβαίνω

Domain 039.007 "Rebellion" is the domain shared with the cognate noun ἀποστασία (G646) — the NT term for "apostasy."

UBS Semantic Domains¶

[039] Hostility, Strife — revolt, rebellion, and standing in opposition.
[015] Linear Movement — depart, withdraw, and move away from.
[034] Association — detach from a group, position, or allegiance.

Translation Distribution (KJV)¶

Translation	Count	%
depart / departed / he departed / they departed / departing / it might depart / shall depart from	11	73%
draw away	1	7%
fall away	1	7%
refrain	1	7%
withdraw thyself	1	7%
Let (alone)	1	7%

The KJV uses "depart" (in various inflections) for nearly three-quarters of occurrences. "Fall away" (Luk 8:13) and "draw away" (Act 5:37) represent the figurative, defection-oriented end of the range.

Distribution by Book¶

Book	Count	Per 100 Verses
1 Timothy	2	1.8
2 Timothy	1	1.2
Acts	6	0.6
2 Corinthians	1	0.4
Luke	4	0.3
Hebrews	1	0.3

The word is concentrated in Lukan narrative (Luke + Acts = 10 of 15, or 67%) and Pauline exhortation (Pastorals + 2 Cor = 4 of 15, or 27%). Its highest density by far is in the Pastorals, where it carries figurative/covenantal weight. Absent from Matthew, Mark, John, the Catholic Epistles, and Revelation.

Semantic Categories¶

1. Physical Departure from a Place or Person¶

Luk 2:37 — Anna "departed not from the temple"
Luk 4:13 — the devil "departed from him for a season"
Act 12:10 — "the angel departed from him"
Act 22:29 — examiners "departed from him"

2. Separation / Withdrawal from Association¶

Act 15:38 — Mark "departed from them from Pamphylia"
Act 19:9 — Paul "departed from them, and separated the disciples"
1 Ti 6:5 — "from such withdraw thyself"

3. Leading or Drawing Others Away (Active/Causative Sense)¶

Act 5:37 — Judas of Galilee "drew away much people after him" (only clearly transitive/causative NT use, matching lexicon's "instigate to revolt")

4. Ceasing an Action / Letting Be¶

Act 5:38 — "Refrain from these men, and let them alone"
2 Co 12:8 — "that it might depart from me" (the thorn)

5. Figurative / Covenantal Defection (Loss of Allegiance)¶

Luk 8:13 — seed on the rock: "in time of temptation fall away"
1 Ti 4:1 — "in the latter times some shall depart from the faith"
2 Ti 2:19 — "let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity"
Heb 3:12 — "an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God"

6. Departure from Moral Evil (Positive Command)¶

2 Ti 2:19 — "depart from iniquity" (the inverse of category 5 — the same verb used of turning away from evil rather than away from God)

Common Collocations¶

Word	Strong's	Co-occurrences	Typical Pattern
πᾶς (pâs)	G3956	4x (27%)	"all" — scope markers ("all the workers of iniquity," "from all," etc.)
ἡμέρα (hēméra)	G2250	3x (20%)	"days" — temporal framing (Luk 2:37; Act 5:37)
καιρός (kairós)	G2540	3x (20%)	"time/season" — eschatological departure windows (Luk 4:13, 8:13; 1 Ti 4:1)
λέγω (légō)	G3004	3x (20%)	narrative speech-framing in Luke/Acts
ἀδικία (adikía)	G93	2x (13%)	"iniquity" — Luk 13:27; 2 Ti 2:19 — departure linked to/from unrighteousness
ἄνθρωπος (ánthrōpos)	G444	2x (13%)	subject of withdrawal/corruption (1 Ti 6:5)
θεός (theós)	G2316	2x (13%)	departing from or in relation to God (Heb 3:12)
πειρασμός (peirasmós)	G3986	2x (13%)	"temptation / trial" — departure under trial (Luk 4:13, 8:13)
κύριος (kýrios)	G2962	2x (13%)	the Lord as the one named / departed from
ἔργον (érgon)	G2041	2x (13%)	"work" — of God or of iniquity

Word Family / Cognates¶

ἀπό (G575) — preposition: "from, away from" (prefix)
ἵστημι (G2476) — verb: "to stand, to cause to stand" (base verb)
ἀποστασία (G646) — noun cognate: "apostasy, defection" (Act 21:21; 2 Th 2:3) — formed from the same verbal stem; shares Louw-Nida domain 039.007 (Rebellion)
ἀποστάσιον (G647) — noun: "writing of divorcement" (Mat 5:31; 19:7; Mar 10:4) — the document that formalizes a standing-apart
ἀνθίστημι (G436) — "to stand against, resist"
ἀνίστημι (G450) — "to stand up, rise" (sibling in LN 039.007)
ἐπανίστημι (G1881) — "to rise up against" (sibling in LN 039.007)
στάσις (G4714) — "a standing, insurrection" (sibling in LN 039.007)

Synonyms¶

No direct synonyms were returned by search_relationships.py for G868.

Antonyms¶

No antonyms were returned by search_relationships.py for G868.

Word	Strong's	Vv	Key Difference
ἐξέρχομαι (exérchomai)	G1831	5–6	"to go out / come out" — neutral directional exit; lacks the "stand-apart" nuance
ἀπέρχομαι (apérchomai)	G565	9	"to go away / off" — simple directional movement; no allegiance connotation
ἀναχωρέω (anachōréō)	G402	3	"to retire, withdraw" — often to avoid danger (Matthean usage)
πορεύομαι (poreúomai)	G4198	4	"to journey, proceed" — goal-directed travel, not separation
χωρίζω (chōrízō)	G5563	2–3	"to separate, part" — transitive separation (Rom 8:35, 39)
μεταβαίνω (metabaínō)	G3327	2	"to change place, pass over" — transition between locations/states

Where ἀφίστημι distinguishes itself: it uniquely carries the standing-apart / allegiance-shifting nuance inherited from ἵστημι, making it the natural NT verb for apostasy/defection metaphors (Luk 8:13; 1 Ti 4:1; Heb 3:12).

Hebrew Source (LXX Reverse-Mapping)¶

In the LXX, ἀφίστημι renders multiple Hebrew verbs of departure, rebellion, and turning aside. PMI-ranked alignments:

Hebrew	Strong's	Co-occ	PMI	Gloss
סוּר (çûwr)	H5493	57	5.10	to turn aside, depart, remove (dominant bridge)
מָרַד (mârad)	H4775	11	6.38	to rebel
רָחַק (râchaq)	H7368	10	4.92	to be far, withdraw
נָקַע (nâqaʻ)	H5361	3	7.38	to be alienated
יָקַע (yâqaʻ)	H3363	3	5.97	to sever oneself
מָעַל (mâʻal)	H4603	5	4.57	to act unfaithfully, trespass
פָּשַׁע (pâshaʻ)	H6586	5	4.49	to rebel, transgress
חָטָא (châṭâʼ)	H2398	13	3.31	to miss, sin

The primary bridge is סוּר (H5493) → ἀφίστημι, the standard OT verb for "turning aside" (from the way, from God, from evil). Secondary bridges load the word with rebellion (mârad), unfaithfulness (mâʻal), and transgression (pâshaʻ) connotations in Septuagintal usage.