115. athetésis

Lexical Summary

athetésis: Setting aside, annulment, rejection

Original Word: ἀθέτησις
Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine
Transliteration: athetésis
Pronunciation: ah-thet'-ay-sis
Phonetic Spelling: (ath-et'-ay-sis)
KJV: disannulling, put away
NASB: put away, setting aside
Word Origin: [from G114 (ἀθετέω - rejects)]

1. cancellation
{literally or figuratively}

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

a setting aside, annulment

From atheteo; cancellation (literally or figuratively) -- disannulling, put away.

see GREEK atheteo

HELPS Word-studies

Cognate: 115 athétēsis – properly, annulment (cancellation), i.e. what is rendered "no longer in effect" (literally, "no longer having a place"). See 114 (atheteō).

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
from atheteó
Definition
a setting aside
NASB Translation
put away (1), setting aside (1).

Thayer's Greek Lexicon

STRONGS NT 115: ἀθέτησις

ἀθέτησις, (εως, ἡ (ἀθετέω, which see; like νουθέτησις from νουθετεῖν), abolition: Hebrews 7:18; Hebrews 9:26; (found occasionally in later authors, as Cicero, ad Att. 6, 9; Diogenes Laërtius 3, 39, 66: in the grammarians rejection; more frequently in ecclesiastical writings).

Topical Lexicon

ἀθέτησις — Strong’s Greek 115

Occurrences

Hebrews 7:18 – 19: “So the former regulation is set aside because it was weak and useless (for the law made nothing perfect), and a better hope is introduced, by which we draw near to God.”

Hebrews 9:26: “But now He has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of Himself.”

Setting Aside the Former Commandment

The writer of Hebrews applies ἀθέτησις to the Levitical commandment that governed Israel’s priesthood. By grounding priestly legitimacy in descent from Levi, the Mosaic Law necessarily limited access to God through an imperfect system of sacrifices. When Jesus Christ arose “in the order of Melchizedek” (Hebrews 7:11–17), the previous regulation was declared ineffective. The use of ἀθέτησις underscores a legal annulment, not merely a modification. God Himself rescinded the earlier statute because it was powerless to perfect worshipers (Hebrews 10:1). This annulment cleared the way for a “better hope” (Hebrews 7:19) grounded in Christ’s indestructible life and eternal priesthood.

Putting Away Sin Once for All

In Hebrews 9:26 the term moves from legislation to redemption: Christ appeared “εἰς ἀθέτησιν ἁμαρτίας”—“to do away with sin.” The annulment here targets the guilt and power of sin itself. Unlike cyclical animal offerings that could only remind the worshiper of transgression (Hebrews 10:3), the single self-offering of the Son brought decisive cancellation. The vocabulary echoes Isaiah 53:12, where the Servant “bore the sin of many,” and anticipates the final verdict of Revelation 21:27, where nothing unclean enters the New Jerusalem.

Historical and Covenantal Implications

1. Transition from Shadow to Reality: The earthly sanctuary and Aaronic rites foreshadowed a heavenly reality (Hebrews 8:5). Once the substance arrived, the shadow was lawfully set aside.
2. Closure of the Levitical Age: With the temple still standing when Hebrews was penned, believers needed assurance that Christ’s priesthood rendered the old altar obsolete (compare Acts 6:7). ἀθέτησις supplies that certainty.
3. Inauguration of the New Covenant: Jeremiah 31:31–34 is cited in Hebrews 8:8–12 to demonstrate that the Mosaic covenant was never meant to be permanent. Its annulment validates the covenant “enacted on better promises” (Hebrews 8:6).

Doctrinal Significance

• Finality: ἀθέτησις affirms the once-for-all character of Christ’s work; repetition is unnecessary and impossible.
• Sufficiency: Because sin itself is annulled, no supplementary human effort can add to justification (Romans 3:24).
• Access: Believers approach the throne of grace with confidence (Hebrews 4:16) on the basis of a priesthood that can never be revoked.

Practical Ministry Applications

• Preaching: Proclaim the completed, irreversible nature of Christ’s sacrifice as the ground of assurance (1 John 5:13).
• Worship: Center gatherings on the Person and work of the risen High Priest rather than symbolic repetitions.
• Pastoral Care: Counsel troubled consciences to rest in the annulment of sin, resisting the lure of legalistic performance.
• Discipleship: Teach the continuity of God’s plan—promise, law, fulfillment—so that believers value the Old Testament without returning to its provisional regimen.

Related Concepts and References

• “Better hope” and “better covenant” (Hebrews 7:19; 7:22; 8:6) highlight the superiority that necessitates annulment.
• “Nullify” (καταργέω) in Galatians 3:17 and Ephesians 2:15 parallels the idea of legal cancellation.
• Jesus’ declaration “It is finished” (John 19:30) summarizes the objective reality that Hebrews expounds with ἀθέτησις.

Summary

ἀθέτησις in Hebrews marks the decisive cancellation of two realities: the former Levitical regulation and the guilt of sin. Both annulments converge in Jesus Christ, whose eternal priesthood and once-for-all sacrifice fulfill God’s redemptive plan, granting believers unfettered access to Him and rendering obsolete every intermediate system of atonement.

Forms and Transliterations

αθετησιν αθέτησιν ἀθέτησιν αθετησις αθέτησις ἀθέτησις athetesin athetēsin athétesin athétēsin athetesis athetēsis athétesis athétēsis

Englishman's Concordance

Hebrews 7:18 N-NFS
GRK: ἀθέτησις μὲν γὰρ
NAS: For, on the one hand, there is a setting aside of a former
KJV: verily a disannulling of the commandment
INT: A putting away truly indeed

Hebrews 9:26 N-AFS
GRK: αἰώνων εἰς ἀθέτησιν τῆς ἁμαρτίας
NAS: He has been manifested to put away sin
KJV: hath he appeared to put away sin by
INT: ages for [the] putting away of sin

Strong's Greek 115
2 Occurrences

ἀθέτησιν — 1 Occ.
ἀθέτησις — 1 Occ.