208. akuroó

Lexical Summary

akuroó: To nullify, to invalidate, to make void

Original Word: ἀκυρόω
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: akuroó
Pronunciation: ah-koo-ROH-oh
Phonetic Spelling: (ak-oo-ro'-o)
KJV: disannul, make of none effect
NASB: invalidate, invalidated, invalidating
Word Origin: [from G1 (α - Alpha) (as a negative particle) and G2964 (κυρόω - ratified)]

1. to invalidate

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

disannul, make of none effect.

From a (as a negative particle) and kuroo; to invalidate -- disannul, make of none effect.

see GREEK a

see GREEK kuroo

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
from alpha (as a neg. prefix) and kuros (authority)
Definition
to revoke
NASB Translation
invalidate (1), invalidated (1), invalidating (1).

Thayer's Greek Lexicon

STRONGS NT 208: ἀκυρόω

ἀκυρόω, (ῶ, 1 aorist ἠκύρωσα; (ἄκυρος without authority, not binding, void; from κῦρος force, authority), to render void, deprive of force and authority, (opposed to κυρόω to confirm, make valid): ἐντολήν, Matthew 15:6 (R G; νόμον, ibid. T WH marginal reading); λόγον (Matthew 15:6 L Tr WH text); Mark 7:13 (cf. ἀθετέω); διαθήκην, Galatians 3:17. ((1 Esdr. 6:31); Diodorus, Dionysius Halicarnassus, Plutarch.)

Topical Lexicon

Meaning and Nuance

ἀκυρόω (akuroō) conveys the idea of making something legally void, canceling its authority, or rendering it powerless. In Scripture it is never applied to God nullifying His own word; the direction is always from human agency attempting to overturn divine revelation, or the assertion that such an attempt is impossible.

Occurrences in the New Testament

1. Matthew 15:6 – “Thus you have nullified the word of God for the sake of your tradition.”
2. Mark 7:13 – “Thus you nullify the word of God by the tradition you have handed down.”
3. Galatians 3:17 – “The law, introduced four hundred and thirty years later, does not annul a covenant previously established by God, so as to do away with the promise.”

Nullifying the Word: Jesus and the Pharisaic Traditions (Matthew 15:6; Mark 7:13)

Jesus confronts religious leaders who elevate human interpretations above divine command. By labeling their tradition as ἀκυροῦντες, He exposes a moral inversion: finite sinners daring to cancel infinite authority. The immediate issue is Corban—dodging filial responsibility under a veneer of piety—but the principle is broader. Any custom, innovation, or theological system that dilutes or displaces Scripture becomes a practical annulment. These verses ground the church’s perennial call to guard sola Scriptura and resist cultural or ecclesiastical accretions that erode obedience.

The Covenant that Cannot Be Annulled (Galatians 3:17)

Paul’s use of ἀκυρόω is polemical against Judaizers who implied that Mosaic legislation modified or eclipsed the Abrahamic promise. By legal analogy he insists that once ratified, even human covenants stand; how much more an oath sworn by God. The gospel of grace is therefore rooted in an irrevocable promise, untouched by subsequent law-code. Salvation history remains coherent: law exposes sin; promise secures inheritance. The term underscores divine immutability and assures believers that the cross fulfills, rather than cancels, God’s earlier word.

Theological Significance

• Authority of Scripture: ἀκυρόω frames any competing authority—tradition, philosophy, personal preference—as an attempt to dethrone God’s voice.
• Immutability of God: Galatians 3:17 highlights that divine covenants are beyond repeal, reflecting God’s unchanging character (cf. Hebrews 6:17–18).
• Law and Gospel: The term clarifies that the law neither erases promise nor achieves justification; instead it serves the promise by leading sinners to Christ (Galatians 3:24).
• Human Responsibility: While humans can attempt to void Scripture, they cannot succeed; yet the moral culpability for trying remains severe.

Historical and Cultural Background

First-century Judaism prized oral tradition as a fence around the law. Over time, these hedges hardened into competing authorities. Jesus’ critique aligns with prophetic precedents (Isaiah 29:13) and anticipates later rabbinic codifications. In Greco-Roman legal contexts, annulment clauses were well known; Paul draws on this familiarity in Galatians, reinforcing his argument within the legal conventions of his audience.

Ministry and Pastoral Applications

1. Preaching: Declare Scripture’s sufficiency; warn against any teaching that subtly displaces the text.
2. Discipleship: Train believers to test traditions, cultural norms, and personal experiences by the Word.
3. Counseling: Apply the unannulled covenant of grace to assure penitents that no failure can void God’s promise in Christ.
4. Church Governance: Form policies and liturgies that are derivative of Scripture, not determinative over it.

Implications for Contemporary Church Practice

• Liturgical Forms: Evaluate whether ceremonies reinforce or cloud biblical truth.
• Doctrinal Statements: Ensure creeds serve as witnesses to Scripture, never replacements.
• Ethical Debates: Resist societal pressures that would relativize biblical commands on sexuality, life, or justice.
• Ecumenical Dialogue: Measure unity proposals by fidelity to the gospel covenant, which cannot be nullified.

Key Takeaways

• ἀκυρόω highlights the danger of elevating human authority over divine revelation.
• God’s promises, once spoken, cannot be annulled; the gospel rests on this certainty.
• Every generation must guard against traditions that threaten to void Scripture, while resting in the immovable covenant secured in Christ.

Forms and Transliterations

ακυροι ακυροί ἀκυροῖ ακυρουντες ακυρούντες ἀκυροῦντες ηκυρωσατε ηκυρώσατε ἠκυρώσατε akuroi akurountes akyroi akyroî akyrountes akyroûntes ekurosate ēkurōsate ekyrosate ekyrṓsate ēkyrōsate ēkyrṓsate

Englishman's Concordance

Matthew 15:6 V-AIA-2P
GRK: αὐτοῦ καὶ ἠκυρώσατε τὸν λόγον
NAS: his mother .' And [by this] you invalidated the word
KJV: of God of none effect by
INT: of himself and you made void the commandment

Mark 7:13 V-PPA-NMP
GRK: ἀκυροῦντες τὸν λόγον
NAS: [thus] invalidating the word of God
KJV: of God of none effect through your
INT: making void the word

Galatians 3:17 V-PIA-3S
GRK: νόμος οὐκ ἀκυροῖ εἰς τὸ
NAS: later, does not invalidate a covenant
KJV: cannot disannul, that
INT: [the] law not does annul so as

Strong's Greek 208
3 Occurrences

ἀκυροῖ — 1 Occ.
ἀκυροῦντες — 1 Occ.
ἠκυρώσατε — 1 Occ.