ἀφίστημι: G0868
To depart or withdraw from a place; to fall away in apostasy from the faith; to draw others away or incite revolt.
The Greek verb aphistemi combines the prefix apo ('away from') with histemi ('to stand'), yielding a core meaning of 'standing away from' — departure in its most fundamental spatial sense. Most of its fifteen New Testament occurrences describe straightforward physical withdrawal: an angel departs from someone (Luke 2:37; Acts 12:10), the devil leaves Jesus after the temptation (Luke 4:13), or Paul urges separation from unrighteous company (2 Cor 12:8). But the theological weight of aphistemi falls on its metaphorical extension into apostasy. In Luke 8:13, those who receive the word with joy 'fall away in time of testing,' and 1 Timothy 4:1 warns that 'some will depart from the faith.' Spanish apartarse and apostatar, French s'eloigner and apostasier, and German abfallen all distinguish between physical leaving and spiritual defection. A single causative occurrence — Judas the Galilean 'drew away' people after him (Acts 5:37) — completes the picture.
Senses
1. depart or withdraw physically — To depart, withdraw, or leave a place, person, or situation in a literal, physical sense. Eleven occurrences cover spatial separation: Anna 'did not depart from the temple' (Luke 2:37), the devil 'departed from him until an opportune time' (Luke 4:13), Jesus commands the wicked to 'depart from me' (Luke 13:27), and Peter's chains 'fell away from his hands' as the angel led him out (Acts 12:10). Spanish apartarse/retirarse, French s'eloigner/se retirer, and German sich entfernen all render this with standard spatial-departure vocabulary. Gamaliel's counsel in Acts 5:38 — 'keep away from these men and let them alone' — shows the verb in its pragmatic, non-theological register. 11×
AR["ابتَعِدْ", "ابْتَعَدُوا", "اعْتَزَلَ", "انفَصَلَ", "اِبْتَعِدُوا", "تَبْرَحْ", "غَادَرَ", "فارَقَهُ", "لِيَبْتَعِدْ", "يَرْحَلَ"]·ben["চলে-গেল", "চলে-গেলেন", "চলে-যাওয়া", "চলে-যায়", "ছাড়ছিলেন", "দূরে-থাক", "সরে-গিয়ে", "সরে-গেল", "সরে-যাও"]·DE["abfallen", "entfernt-sich"]·EN["Depart", "departed", "having-departed", "having-withdrawn", "it-might-depart", "let-depart", "stand-away", "was-departing", "withdraw"]·FR["s'éloigner"]·heb["הִסְתַּלֵּק", "הִתְרַחֲקוּ", "הִתְרַחֵק", "יִסוּר", "יָסוּר", "מָשָׁה", "סָר", "סָרוּ", "סוּרוּ", "שֶׁעָזַב"]·HI["-पुरुषों-से", "अलग-हो-गया-था", "अलग-होकर", "चला-गया", "दूर-हो-जाओ", "दोओर-रह", "दोओर-रहे", "वह-दूर-हो", "हट-गए", "हटती-थी"]·ID["Hendaklah-menjauhi", "Menjauhlah", "Pergilah", "itu-meninggalkan", "meninggalkan", "menyingkir", "mundur", "mundurlah", "pergi", "yang-meninggalkan"]·IT["allontanarsi", "apeste", "aphistaso", "aphistato", "apostete", "apostētō"]·jav["<Padha-nedoh", "Sumingkira", "kang-nilar", "kesah", "késah", "késah-saking", "mundur", "nilar", "singkira", "sumingkira"]·KO["떠나", "떠나게", "떠나게-하라", "떠나다", "떠나라", "떠난-자를", "떠났다", "물러났다", "피하라"]·PT["Afasta-te", "Aparte-se", "afastai-vos", "afastava-se", "que-se-afastara", "se-afastasse", "tendo-se-afastado"]·RU["Да-отступит", "Удаляйся", "отойдите", "отошёл", "отступив", "отступившего", "отступил", "отступили", "отступило", "отступите", "отходила"]·ES["Apártate", "Apártese", "apartaos", "apartándose", "se-apartaba", "se-apartara", "se-apartaron", "se-apartó"]·SW["Ajiepushe", "Jiepushe", "akamwacha", "akaondoka", "akiondoka", "aliyewaacha", "aondoke", "hakuondoka", "ondokeni", "waacheni", "waliondoka"]·TR["Uzak-dur", "Uzaklasın", "ayrılanı", "ayrılarak", "ayrıldı", "ayrılsın", "ayrılıyordu", "uzak-durun", "uzaklaştı", "uzaklaştılar"]·urd["الگ-رہ", "الگ-ہوتی-تھی", "جاتا-رہا", "جُدا-ہو-کر", "دور-رہو", "دور-رہے", "دور-ہو", "چلا-گیا", "چھوڑ-گیا-تھا", "ہٹ-گئے"]
2. fall away in apostasy — To fall away from the faith, to apostatize — a metaphorical and theological extension where the departure is spiritual rather than spatial. Three weighty occurrences carry this sense: the rocky-soil hearers who 'fall away in time of testing' (Luke 8:13), the prophetic warning that 'in later times some will depart from the faith' (1 Tim 4:1), and the exhortation to 'take care lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God' (Heb 3:12). Spanish apostatar, French apostasier, and German abfallen vom Glauben deploy dedicated apostasy vocabulary that physical-departure terms cannot capture. The English word 'apostasy' itself derives from this verb's noun form apostasia. 3×
AR["الارْتِدَادِ", "سَيَرْتَدُّ", "يَرتَدّونَ"]·ben["ত্যাগ-করবে", "সরে-যাওয়াতে", "সরে-যায়"]·DE["abfallen", "entfernt-sich"]·EN["fall-away", "falling-away", "will-depart"]·FR["s'éloigner"]·heb["יִסְתַלְּקוּ", "לִסְטוֹת", "נוֹפְלִים"]·HI["दूर-होने-में", "दोओर-हो-जअयेनगे", "फिर-जाते-हैं"]·ID["akan-murtad", "murtad"]·IT["aphistantai", "apostēnai", "apostēsontai"]·jav["bakal-murtad", "murtad", "nyingkir"]·KO["떠나기에서", "떠나리라", "떨어져-나간다"]·PT["apartar-se", "apostatarão", "se-afastam"]·RU["отступают", "отступить", "отступят"]·ES["apartarse", "apostatarán", "se-apartan"]·SW["kuondoka", "wanaanguka", "wataacha"]·TR["ayrılmaya", "döneklik-yapacak", "dönerler."]·urd["برگشتہ-ہوں-گے", "پھر-جانے", "ہٹ-جاتے-ہیں"]
3. draw away or mislead others — To draw away, mislead, or cause others to revolt — a transitive causative use where the subject leads people away from their allegiance. A single clear occurrence in Acts 5:37 records that Judas the Galilean 'drew away people after him' in a failed insurrection during the census. Spanish hizo apartarse and French entraina confirm the causative force: this is not self-departure but the active seduction of others into defection. Gamaliel cites this incident alongside Theudas' revolt as evidence that movements without divine backing will collapse on their own. 1×
AR["أَضَلَّ"]·ben["বিপথে-নিল"]·DE["entfernt-sich"]·EN["drew-away"]·FR["s'éloigner"]·heb["הֵסִיר"]·HI["और-वह"]·ID["menarik"]·IT["allontanarsi"]·jav["mbrontak"]·KO["이끄었다"]·RU["увлёк"]·ES["hizo-apartarse"]·SW["aliwavuta"]·TR["saptırdı"]·urd["بہکایا"]
Related Senses
H0935 1. come, arrive (Qal) (2413×)G1473 1. first person singular pronoun (2084×)H3318 1. Qal: go out, depart, come forth (891×)H7725 1. to return, come/go back (Qal) (874×)H5927 1. go up, ascend (Qal) (779×)H7971 1. to send, dispatch (Qal) (701×)G2064 1. come / arrive (physical movement toward) (588×)H5307 1. Qal: fall down physically (339×)H5375 1. Qal: to lift up, raise (330×)H5975 1. to stand, stand up (310×)H5674a 1. Qal: pass by, pass through (256×)H3381 1. Qal: to go down, descend (physical movement) (242×)G1831 1. go/come out physically (193×)H5337 1. deliver, rescue, save (Hifil) (188×)H7901 1. lie down, rest, sleep (183×)G1525 1. enter a place physically (179×)H7812 1. prostrate oneself, bow down, worship (173×)H3318 2. Hifil: bring out, lead out, take out (persons) (172×)H7725 2. to bring back, restore (Hifil) (151×)H5674a 2. Qal: cross over (134×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
ἀφίστημι: causal in present and imperfect, in future ἀποστήσω, and aorist I ἀπέστησα, as also in aorist I middle (see. below):—put away, remove, keep out of the way, τὸ ἀσθενέστατον τοῦ στρατεύματοςRefs 5th c.BC+; of diseases, Refs 5th c.BC+hinder from.., Refs 5th c.BC+; ἀ. τὰς τῶν πολεμίων ἐπιβουλάς frustrate them, Refs 5th c.BC+; ἀ. τὸν ἄρχοντα depose him, Refs 5th c.BC+ —aorist middle, Ἀργείων…