542. apeidon

Lexical Summary

apeidon: To look away, to overlook, to disregard

Original Word: ἀπεῖδον
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: apeidon
Pronunciation: ah-PAY-don
Phonetic Spelling: (ap-i'-do)
KJV: see
Word Origin: [from G575 (ἀπό - since) and the same as G1492 (εἴδω - To see)]

1. to see fully

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

see.

From apo and the same as eido; to see fully -- see.

see GREEK apo

see GREEK eido

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
see aphoraó.

Thayer's Greek Lexicon

STRONGS NT 542: ἀπεῖδον

ἀπεῖδον (ἀπό and εἶδον, 2 aorist of the obsolete εἰδῶ), serves as 2 aorist of ἀφοράω (cf. German a b sehen);

1. to look away from one thing and at another.

2. to look at from somewhere, either from a distance or from a certain present condition of things; to perceive: ὡς ἄν ἀπίδω (L T Tr WH ἀφίδω (see ἀφειδον)) τά περί ἐμέ as soon as I shall have seen what issue my affairs will have (A. V. how it will go with me), Philippians 2:23. (In the Sept., Jonah 4:5, etc.)

STRONGS NT 542: ἀφειδονἀφειδον, equivalent to ἀπεῖδον, which see Cf. Buttmann, 7; Mullach, p. 22; Winers Grammar, 45 (44); (Tdf. Proleg., p. 91f, the Sept. edition 4 Proleg., p. xxxiii.; Scriveners edition of manuscript Cantabr. Introduction, p. 47: (11); especially WHs Appendix, p. 143f, Meisterhans, § 20, and Lightfoot on Philippians 2:23; Curtius, p. 687f).

Topical Lexicon

Summary of Meaning

ἀπεῖδον (apeídon) expresses a deliberate turning of the eyes from an object or person—either to refuse attention, to avoid involvement, or to look beyond the immediate scene to something farther off.

Classical Background

In extra-biblical Greek the verb can describe:
• An archer “looking off” toward a distant target.
• A judge refusing to look upon a bribe.
• A traveler scanning the horizon and then shifting his gaze elsewhere.

The idea consistently carries intention; it is not a casual glance but a chosen redirection of sight.

Canonical Absence in the Greek New Testament

The verb itself never appears in the extant New Testament manuscripts. Its absence, however, heightens interest in cognate expressions that do occur (e.g., ἀφοράω in Hebrews 12:2) and in the Old Testament imagery of turning one’s face or eyes. Scripture often conveys spiritual realities through visual metaphors, and ἀπεῖδον supplies a helpful background term for that theology.

Conceptual Parallels in Scripture

Turning Away in Judgment
• Isaiah 59:2 – “Your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God; your sins have hidden His face from you...”
• Habakkuk 1:13 – “Your eyes are too pure to look upon evil.”

Here the LORD “turns away” in moral revulsion, signaling broken fellowship.

Turning Away in Mercy
• Psalm 51:9 – “Hide Your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquities.” David pleads for God to avert His gaze from the record of transgression.
• Numbers 23:21 – “He has not observed iniquity in Jacob.” God’s covenant loyalty allows Him to “look past” (conceptually ἀπεῖδον) the failures of His people because atonement covers them.

Looking Away to Something Greater
• Hebrews 12:2 – “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith.” The participle ἀφορῶντες (“looking away from” everything else) captures the positive side of the same idea: believers consciously shift focus from earthly distractions to the exalted Christ.
• 2 Corinthians 4:18 – “So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen.” Paul’s exhortation parallels the action of ἀπεῖδον—redirecting vision to eternal realities.

Theological Implications

God’s Eyes and Human Responsibility

Because God is omniscient, any “turning away” on His part is relational, not informational. He chooses to withdraw favor or withhold judgment according to covenant promises. Believers, therefore, are summoned to keep their gaze steadfastly on Him (Psalm 123:2) and not to “turn away their eyes” from His statutes (Psalm 119:37).

Redemption and Divine Forbearance

Romans 3:25 speaks of God’s “forbearance” in passing over former sins until the cross. The notion aligns with divine ἀπεῖδον: a purposeful overlooking that anticipates full satisfaction in Christ.

Discipleship and Sanctification

Christian maturity involves decisive acts of spiritual focus—looking away from sin, the world’s allure, and even good things that hinder, so as to behold Christ’s glory (2 Corinthians 3:18). Ministry that trains believers to practice such holy redirection stands on solid biblical footing.

Practical Ministry Applications

• Preaching: Emphasize both sides of the concept—God’s refusal to gaze on unrepentant sin and His willingness to “look past” it when it is covered by the blood of Christ.
• Counseling: Encourage counselees to “look away” from past failures and fix their eyes on the sufficiency of the Savior.
• Corporate Worship: Songs and prayers that direct the congregation’s eyes toward the risen Christ echo the imperative implicit in the term.

Historical Usage in Early Church Writings

Patristic authors applied the idea of ἀπεῖδον when exhorting believers to flee idolatry and keep their “eyes on the prize” (Ignatius, Letter to the Ephesians 15). Athanasius, commenting on Psalm 27, spoke of God “averting His eyes” from sin yet “looking upon” the righteousness imputed to the believer through Christ.

Connection to the Gospel and Christian Life

Ultimately, ἀπεῖδον illustrates the gracious paradox of salvation: God, in holiness, must turn away from sin, yet in mercy He looks past it when it is borne by His Son. Followers of Christ, having received such grace, respond by turning their eyes from worthless things to the glory of the Lord, awaiting the day when faith becomes sight and no redirection is needed.

Related Greek and Hebrew Terms

• ἀφοράω (aphorao, “look away to”) – Hebrews 12:2
• ἐπιβλέπω (epiblepo, “look upon”) – Luke 1:48
• פָּנָה (panah, “turn, face”) – Isaiah 45:22

Together these words fill out the biblical theology of seeing, turning, and beholding that frames the believer’s walk before God.

Forms and Transliterations

απίδη απίδω

Englishman's Concordance

ἁπάντων — 1 Occ.
ἅπας — 2 Occ.
ἅπασαν — 2 Occ.
ἀπατάτω — 1 Occ.
ἀπατῶν — 1 Occ.
ἠπατήθη — 1 Occ.
ἀπάταις — 1 Occ.
ἀπάτη — 4 Occ.
ἀπάτης — 2 Occ.
ἀπάτωρ — 1 Occ.
ἀπειθείᾳ — 1 Occ.
ἀπείθειαν — 2 Occ.
ἀπειθείας — 4 Occ.
ἀπειθήσαντες — 1 Occ.
ἀπειθήσασιν — 3 Occ.
ἀπειθῶν — 1 Occ.
ἀπειθοῦντα — 1 Occ.
ἀπειθοῦντες — 1 Occ.
ἀπειθούντων — 2 Occ.
ἀπειθοῦσι — 1 Occ.