854. aphanismos
Lexical Summary
aphanismos: Disappearance, destruction, ruin

Original Word: ἀφανισμός
Part of Speech: Noun, Masculine
Transliteration: aphanismos
Pronunciation: af-an-is-MOS
Phonetic Spelling: (af-an-is-mos')
KJV: vanish away
NASB: disappear
Word Origin: [from G853 (ἀφανίζω - destroy)]

1. disappearance
2. (figuratively) abrogation

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
vanish away.

From aphanizo; disappearance, i.e. (figuratively) abrogation -- vanish away.

see GREEK aphanizo

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
from aphanizó
Definition
a vanishing
NASB Translation
disappear (1).

Thayer's Greek Lexicon
STRONGS NT 854: ἀφανισμός

ἀφανισμός, ἀφανισμοῦ, (ἀφανίζω, which see), disappearance; destruction: Hebrews 8:13. (Theophrastus, Polybius, Diodorus, Plutarch, Lucian, others; often in the Sept., particularly for שַׁמָּה and שְׁמָמָה.)

Topical Lexicon
Summary of Concept

Strong’s Greek 854, ἀφανισμός (aphanismos), denotes the complete disappearance or fading away of something that once had visible form or legal force. In its single New Testament occurrence—Hebrews 8:13—it portrays the outgoing Mosaic covenant as a reality already “aging” and “near to vanishing.” The term underscores a decisive historical moment: the transition from the shadow-system of the Law to the enduring substance of the New Covenant in Christ.

Covenantal Context

Hebrews 8 contrasts the ministries of earthly priests with the exalted ministry of the exalted High Priest. By quoting Jeremiah’s promise of a “new covenant,” the writer argues that the old order has been rendered obsolete. The closing statement—“And what is obsolete and aging will soon disappear” (Hebrews 8:13)—employs ἀφανισμός to signal an irreversible covenantal shift. The Law was never defective in its divine origin (Romans 7:12), yet it was provisional, designed to prepare sinners for the mediatorial work of Jesus Christ (Galatians 3:24). The disappearance of the old covenant is therefore not destruction of Scripture but fulfillment of its anticipatory purpose.

Old Testament Foreshadowing

The vocabulary of fading and vanishing is common in Old Testament prophecy:

Psalm 102:26 speaks of the heavens wearing out “like a garment.”
Isaiah 51:6 proclaims that “the earth will wear out like a garment, and its inhabitants will die in like manner.”
Jeremiah 31:31–34 promises a covenant that surpasses the one made when Israel left Egypt.

When Hebrews 8:13 applies ἀφανισμός to the Mosaic covenant, it draws on this prophetic tradition, assuring believers that the prophesied new order has dawned through Christ’s atoning death and resurrection.

Theological Implications

1. Superiority of Christ’s Priesthood

The old priesthood stood on the foundation of animal sacrifices, endlessly repeated yet never able to cleanse the conscience (Hebrews 9:9). By contrast, Jesus “offered for all time one sacrifice for sins” (Hebrews 10:12). The moment that sacrifice was accepted, the Levitical system was rendered obsolete—marked for ἀφανισμός.

2. Continuity and Discontinuity

While the ceremonial law has vanished, its moral core remains (Matthew 5:17). The vanishing concerns the provisional administration—rituals, priesthood, and tabernacle typology. The righteousness reflected in those shadows is fulfilled, not annulled, under the New Covenant’s law of Christ (Galatians 6:2).

3. Assurance for Believers

Because the old covenant has disappeared, access to God no longer depends on genealogical priesthood or temple rites. The believer’s standing is secured by Christ’s once-for-all mediation (Hebrews 7:25), granting “boldness to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus” (Hebrews 10:19).

Historical Resonance

Early Christian writers recognized the strategic weight of ἀφανισμός:

• Justin Martyr (Dialogue 11) viewed Jerusalem’s destruction as visible proof that the former covenant had “vanished.”
• Athanasius argued that the mountaintop revelation in Christ rendered obsolete the Sinai shadows.
• Augustine (City of God 17.3) linked the cessation of sacrifices to Jeremiah’s new-covenant promise, citing their “abolition” as evidence of divine providence.

Ministerial and Pastoral Application

1. Preaching: Hebrews 8:13 offers a framework for expounding redemptive history—showing how God’s progressive revelation climaxes in Christ.
2. Counseling: Believers tempted to legalism are directed away from self-merit to the sufficiency of Christ’s finished work.
3. Worship Planning: Understanding ἀφανισμός promotes Christ-centered liturgy, celebrating fulfilled typology in baptism and the Lord’s Supper.

Eschatological Echoes

The term anticipates a future, cosmic ἀφανισμός when present heavens and earth give way to a new creation (2 Peter 3:10-13). Just as the old covenant faded before the New, so the transient created order will yield to the eternal kingdom (Revelation 21:1). The past vanishing assures believers that God governs every redemptive epoch, bringing each to consummation in His appointed time.

Related Greek Vocabulary

• ἀφανίζω (aphanizō, 853): the verb “to make invisible or wipe out,” used, for example, in Matthew 6:16 to describe hypocrites who “disfigure” their faces.
• παρέρχομαι (parerchomai): “to pass away” (Matthew 24:35). Both verbs share the idea of impermanence but ἀφανισμός highlights complete disappearance rather than mere passage.

Conclusion

Strong’s 854 serves as a concise theological signpost: God’s gracious move from shadow to substance. Hebrews 8:13 heralds the end of the old covenant age, grounding the believer’s confidence in the unshakable, everlasting ministry of Jesus Christ.

Forms and Transliterations
αφανισμοίς αφανισμόν αφανισμός αφανισμου αφανισμού αφανισμόυ ἀφανισμοῦ αφανισμώ aphanismou aphanismoû
Links
Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
Hebrews 8:13 N-GMS
GRK: γηράσκον ἐγγὺς ἀφανισμοῦ
NAS: and growing old is ready to disappear.
KJV: waxeth old [is] ready to vanish away.
INT: aged [is] near vanishing

Strong's Greek 854
1 Occurrence


ἀφανισμοῦ — 1 Occ.

853
Top of Page
Top of Page