This verb means to remove or take away, often with force or finality. First Corinthians 5:13 commands the church to 'put away from yourselves that wicked person,' quoting Deuteronomy's formula for purging evil from the community. Classical usage included lifting things up or raising someone in dignity, but also removing or expelling. Paul applies covenant purity language to church discipline: just as Israel expelled evildoers to preserve holiness, the church must remove the unrepentant immoral person to protect community purity.