ἀπο-στρέφω G0654
To turn away, reject, or restore; ranging from personal apostasy and removing sin to misleading others and physically returning an object.
Built on the root stréphō ('turn') with the prefix apo- ('away from'), this verb covers a broad semantic range unified by the idea of directional reversal. Most New Testament uses describe people turning away from truth, leaders, or sound doctrine (2 Tim 1:15, 4:4, Titus 1:14). Paul and Peter also apply it to God's redemptive work of turning away ungodliness (Rom 11:26, Acts 3:26). One instance describes political subversion (Luke 23:14), and another returns to the concrete, physical sense when Jesus commands Peter to put his sword back in its place (Matt 26:52). The Spanish translations reveal the range clearly: apartarán for doctrinal desertion, apartará for divine removal of sin, pervirtiendo for misleading, and Vuelve for physical restoration.
Senses
1. to turn away from, reject, desert — To turn oneself away from a person, authority, or truth, involving personal or communal abandonment. This is the dominant New Testament usage (5 occurrences), covering desertion by Asian believers (2 Tim 1:15), audiences turning from sound doctrine to myths (2 Tim 4:4), and those who heed Jewish fables over truth (Titus 1:14). Spanish apartándonos and German abwenden both emphasize the deliberate self-removal. Hebrews 12:25 warns against turning away from the heavenly voice, paralleling Israel's refusal at Sinai. 5×
AR["ارْتَدّوا-عَنّي", "تُعْرِضْ", "مُعْرِضينَ", "مُعْرِضِينَ", "يَصْرِفونَ"]·ben["ফিরিয়ে-নেবে,", "ফিরে-গেছে", "ফের-দিও।", "মুখ-ফেরাচ্ছি", "যারা-ফিরে-যাচ্ছে"]·DE["abwenden", "wendet-ab"]·EN["turn-away", "turned-away-from", "turning-away-from", "will-turn-away"]·FR["détourner"]·heb["הַמִּסְתַלְּקִים", "יָסִירוּ", "נִפְנִים", "פָּנוּ-מִמֶּנִּי", "תַּסֵב"]·HI["फिर-गये", "फेर-लेनगे,", "फेरनेवअलोन", "मुड़", "मुड़नेवाले"]·ID["berpaling,", "berpaling-dari", "menolak", "mereka-akan-memalingkan", "yang-berpaling-dari"]·IT["apestraphēsan", "apostraphes", "apostrephomenoi", "apostrephomenōn", "apostrepsousin"]·jav["badhé-ngènglengaken,", "ingkang-nolak", "mlayu", "ngrungkebaken", "nolak"]·KO["돌리라", "돌릴-것이다", "돌아서는-자들-의", "돌아서면", "돌아섰다"]·PT["nos-desviamos", "que-se-desviam", "se-apartaram", "te-desvies"]·RU["отвернулись-от-", "отворачивайся", "отвратят", "отвращающиеся", "отвращающихся-от-"]·ES["apartarán", "apartándonos", "que-se-apartan", "rechaces", "se-apartaron"]·SW["mkatalie", "tukimgeuka", "waliniacha", "wanaoigeuka", "watayageuza"]·TR["döndüler", "yüz-çevir", "yüz-çevirenler", "çevirecekler", "çevirenler"]·urd["منہ-موڑنے-والے", "موڑنا", "مُنہ-موڑنے-والوں-کے", "پھر-گئے", "پھیر-لیں-گے"]
2. to turn away, remove (sin/evil) — God as agent turning away ungodliness or wickedness from a people. In Acts 3:26, Peter proclaims that God raised up his servant 'to turn you away from your wickedness,' while in Rom 11:26 Paul quotes Isaiah 59:20: 'the Deliverer will come and turn away ungodliness from Jacob.' Spanish apartará preserves the future prophetic force. The object here is sin itself rather than persons, making this a theologically distinctive transitive construction. 2×
AR["أَنْ-يَرُدَّ", "سَيَرُدُّ"]·ben["ফেরানো", "ফেরাবেন"]·DE["abwenden", "wendet-ab"]·EN["he-will-turn-away", "to-turn-away"]·FR["détourner"]·heb["יָסִיר", "לְהָשִׁיב"]·HI["हटाएगा"]·ID["Ia-akan-memalingkan", "berpaling"]·IT["distogliere"]·jav["Panjenenganipun-badhé-ngilangaken", "ngowahaken"]·KO["돌이켜주심-으로", "돌이키시리라"]·PT["afastará", "apartar"]·RU["нечестие", "отвращать"]·ES["apartar", "apartará"]·SW["ataondoa", "kuwaondoa"]·TR["döndürecek", "döndürmede"]·urd["دور-کرے-گا", "پھیرنا"]
3. to mislead, pervert — To mislead or pervert others, turning a group away from right allegiance. Used once in Luke 23:14 where the Sanhedrin accuses Jesus before Pilate of 'turning away' (pervirtiendo in Spanish) the people. The accusation frames Jesus as a political subverter, though Luke's narrative irony shows the charge to be false. This causative sense treats the people as the object being redirected. 1×
AR["يُضِلُّ"]·ben["বিমুখ-করাচ্ছে"]·DE["wendet-ab"]·EN["turning-away"]·FR["détourner"]·heb["מַסִּית"]·HI["बहकाने-वाला"]·ID["yang-menyesatkan"]·IT["apostrephonta"]·jav["nyasaraken"]·KO["미혹하는"]·RU["развращающего"]·ES["pervirtiendo"]·SW["akabadilisha"]·TR["sapıtan"]·urd["گمراہ-کرتے-ہوئے"]
4. to return, put back — To return or restore a physical object to its place. In Matt 26:52, Jesus tells Peter to 'return' (Vuelve in Spanish) his sword to its sheath. This is the most concrete, spatial sense of the verb, stripped of metaphorical or theological overtones. The imperative form underscores immediate, physical reversal of an action just taken. 1×
AR["أَرْجِعْ"]·ben["ফিরিয়ে-রাখ"]·DE["wendet-ab"]·EN["Return"]·FR["détourner"]·heb["הָשֵׁב"]·HI["रख-दे"]·ID["Kembalikanlah"]·IT["apostrepson"]·jav["Balekna"]·KO["돌려놓아라"]·PT["Guarda"]·RU["Верни"]·ES["Vuelve"]·SW["Rudisha"]·TR["Geri-koy"]·urd["واپس-رکھ"]
Related Senses
G4102 1. faith, trust, belief (239×)G4100 1. believe / have faith in (233×)H0982 1. trust in, rely on (105×)H3988a 1. reject, refuse (56×)G4103 1. faithful, trustworthy, reliable (54×)H0530 1. faithfulness, fidelity, reliability (47×)H0539 1. believe, accept as true (42×)H3985 1. refuse, be unwilling (41×)H0539 2. faithful, trustworthy, sure (39×)H8582 1. lead astray, cause to err (22×)H2623 1. faithful ones / saints (community) (21×)G0571 1. unbelieving, unbeliever (20×)G3982 1. be persuaded or convinced (19×)H8582 2. go astray, err morally (19×)G4105 1. to deceive, lead astray (18×)G3982 2. trust or have confidence in (17×)H2186a 1. reject, spurn (Qal) (16×)H3988a 2. despise, scorn (14×)G3982 3. persuade or convince someone (13×)G4103 2. believing, a believer (13×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
ἀπο-στρέφω, Doric dialect aorist ἀποστράψαιRefs; Ionic dialect aorist ἀποστρέψασκεRefs 8th c.BC+: perfect ἀπέστροφαLXX:—passive and middle, future -στρέψομαιRefs 5th c.BC+aorist -εστράφην [ᾰRefs 5th c.BC+ later -εστρεψάμην LXX+5th c.BC+: future -στρᾰφήσομαιLXX: perfect -έστραμμαιRefs 5th c.BC+pluperfect -εστράφατοRefs; -έστρεμμαιRefs 3rd c.BC+: —turn back: hence, either turn to flight, ὄφρ᾽..…