ἀφίημι

I send away, release, remit, forgive, permit

Definition

The verb ἀφίημι has a broad semantic range centered on the idea of 'letting go' or 'releasing.' Its primary meanings include: (1) to send away or dismiss, as when Jesus dismisses the crowds (Matthew 13:36) or demons (Matthew 8:32); (2) to forgive or remit sins, a central usage in the Lord's Prayer (Matthew 6:12) and Jesus' pronouncements (Mark 2:5); (3) to leave behind or forsake, as when disciples leave their nets (Matthew 4:20); and (4) to allow or permit, as in Jesus permitting the demons to enter the pigs (Matthew 8:32). The context determines which sense is operative.

Biblical Usage

ἀφίημι appears 132 times in the New Testament, with heavy concentration in the Gospels (especially Matthew) and Acts. It is used in diverse contexts: discipleship (leaving possessions, Matthew 19:27), legal/ethical matters (forgiving debts, Matthew 18:27), exorcism (releasing demons), and most significantly, divine forgiveness of sins. In the epistles, it appears less frequently but retains the forgiveness sense (e.g., 1 John 1:9; James 5:15). A pattern emerges where physical 'sending away' often parallels spiritual 'forgiveness.'

Etymology

Derived from ἀπό (apo, 'away from') and ἵημι (hiēmi, 'to send, throw'), the compound literally means 'to send away.' The prefix ἀπό intensifies the sense of separation or release. Its root meaning of 'release' naturally extended to legal and relational spheres, encompassing forgiveness of debts/sins and permission to depart.

Semantic Range

This word is theologically central, especially in its 'forgive' sense. It underpins the doctrine of forgiveness, highlighting God's act of releasing sinners from the debt and penalty of sin (Matthew 26:28). In the Lord's Prayer (Matthew 6:12), it links divine forgiveness to human forgiveness. Understanding ἀφίημι enriches reading by showing forgiveness is not merely overlooking wrong but actively releasing its claim—a costly grace mirrored in Jesus' sacrificial 'sending away' of sins.

In a 1st-century Jewish context, 'forgiveness' (using ἀφίημι) often carried financial connotations of canceling a debt (Matthew 18:27), making Jesus' use vivid. The act of 'sending away' sins (e.g., in scapegoat imagery, Leviticus 16) also informed its theological weight. Permitting or 'suffering' something (sense d) reflected a patriarchal culture's authority to allow or forbid.

χαρίζομαι (charizomai, G5483) — emphasizes forgiveness as a gracious gift; παραιτέομαι (paraitcomai, G3868) — to refuse or reject, opposite sense of dismissal; λύω (luō, G3089) — to loose or unbind, used for forgiveness in John 20:23; συγχωρέω (synchōreō, G4774) — to concede or permit, a weaker sense of allowance.

Word Details

Scripture References