Lexical Summary aphesis: Forgiveness, release, remission Original Word: ἄφεσις Strong's Exhaustive Concordance deliverance, forgiveness, liberty, remission. From aphiemi; freedom; (figuratively) pardon -- deliverance, forgiveness, liberty, remission. see GREEK aphiemi HELPS Word-studies Cognate: 859 áphesis (from 863 /aphíēmi, "send away, forgive" ) – properly, "something sent away"; i.e. remission ("forgiveness"), releasing someone from obligation or debt. See 863 (aphiēmi). NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom aphiémi Definition dismissal, release, fig. pardon NASB Translation forgiveness (15), free* (1), release (1). Thayer's Greek Lexicon STRONGS NT 859: ἄφεσιςἄφεσις, ἀφέσεως, ἡ (ἀφίημι); 1. release, as from bondage, imprisonment, etc.: Luke 4:18 (19) (Isaiah 61:1f; Polybius 1, 79, 12, etc.). 2. ἄφεσις ἁμαρτιῶν forgiveness, pardon, of sins (properly, the letting them go, as if they had not been committed (see at length Trench, § xxxiii.)), remission of their penalty: Matthew 26:28; Mark 1:4; Luke 1:77; Luke 3:3; Luke 24:47; Acts 2:38; Acts 5:31; Acts 10:43; Acts 13:38; Acts 26:18; Colossians 1:14; τῶν παραπτωμάτων, Ephesians 1:7; and simply ἄφεσις: Mark 3:29; Hebrews 9:22; Hebrews 10:18 (φόνου, Plato, legg. 9, p. 869 d.; ἐγκληματων, Diodorus 20, 44 (so Dionysius Halicarnassus 50:8 § 50, see also 7, 33; 7, 46; especially 7, 64; ἁμαρτημάτων, Philo, vit. Moys. 3:17; others.)). Ἄφεσις (859) denotes a sending away that results in release, remission, or pardon. In Scripture it is always God‐ward and sin‐focused, describing either the removal of guilt or the liberation that follows pardon. Old Testament Roots Though ἄφεσις is Greek, its thought world is deeply Hebraic. The Year of Jubilee (Leviticus 25) announced “liberty” to captives and debtors; the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16) pictured sins carried off into the wilderness on the scapegoat. Isaiah 61:1 promises “liberty to the captives.” All three strands—Jubilee, Atonement, and Prophetic Promise—converge in New Testament usage. Usage in the Gospels Luke 1:77 speaks of John the Baptist preparing “knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins.” Jesus applies Isaiah 61 to Himself: “He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives” (Luke 4:18). The term here extends beyond moral pardon to deliverance from every tyrannical power—spiritual, social, and physical. At the Last Supper He explains the ground of that liberty: “This is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins” (Matthew 26:28). Thus ἄφεσις is inseparable from the shedding of Christ’s blood. Connection to Christ’s Atoning Blood Blood and forgiveness are linked throughout Scripture. Hebrews later insists, “Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness” (Hebrews 9:22). Jesus’ sacrificial death satisfies divine justice, enabling God to “be just and the justifier” when He grants ἄφεσις. Proclamation in Acts Pentecost marks the public offer of ἄφεσις: “Repent and be baptized… for the forgiveness of your sins” (Acts 2:38). Every subsequent evangelistic sermon in Acts circles back to the same promise (Acts 5:31; 10:43; 13:38; 26:18). Forgiveness is not a private mystical experience but a covenantal gift certified by the resurrection and delivered through Spirit‐empowered preaching. Pauline Doctrine “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses” (Ephesians 1:7; cf. Colossians 1:14). For Paul, ἄφεσις is embedded within “redemption,” a marketplace term for emancipation by payment. The believer’s release is therefore both judicial (remission of guilt) and experiential (freedom from sin’s dominion). Hebrews and the Finality of Christ’s Offering Hebrews 10:18 concludes, “Where these have been forgiven, an offering for sin is no longer needed.” The once‐for‐all sacrifice of Christ permanently achieves what repetitive sacrifices could only prefigure: definitive ἄφεσις that ends all further sacrificial obligation. Liberation Motif Ἄφεσις carries a liberation motif beyond legal pardon. In Luke 4:18 it describes captives set free. The same root is used for “release” of debts (Matthew 18:27) and even the loosening of physical bonds. Spiritual release from Satan’s authority (Acts 26:18) is the fullest expression. Pastoral Application 1. Assurance: Because ἄφεσις rests on Christ’s finished work, believers may enjoy full assurance of salvation rather than perpetual anxiety. Eschatological Hope While forgiveness is presently enjoyed, ultimate liberation arrives when the Redeemer returns, eradicating every residual effect of sin. The jubilee note in Isaiah 61 therefore points forward to the “glorious freedom of the children of God” (Romans 8:21). Summary Strong’s 859 encapsulates the heart of redemptive history: God graciously removes guilt and bondage through the atoning blood of Jesus Christ, proclaims that release through Spirit‐anointed preaching, applies it to all who repent and believe, and will consummate it in the kingdom to come. Englishman's Concordance Matthew 26:28 N-AFSGRK: ἐκχυννόμενον εἰς ἄφεσιν ἁμαρτιῶν NAS: out for many for forgiveness of sins. KJV: many for the remission of sins. INT: is poured out for forgiveness of sins Mark 1:4 N-AFS Mark 3:29 N-AFS Luke 1:77 N-DFS Luke 3:3 N-AFS Luke 4:18 N-AFS Luke 4:18 N-DFS Luke 24:47 N-AFS Acts 2:38 N-AFS Acts 5:31 N-AFS Acts 10:43 N-AFS Acts 13:38 N-NFS Acts 26:18 N-AFS Ephesians 1:7 N-AFS Colossians 1:14 N-AFS Hebrews 9:22 N-NFS Hebrews 10:18 N-NFS Strong's Greek 859 |
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