654. apostrephó
Lexical Summary
apostrephó: To turn away, to turn back, to reject, to remove.

Original Word: ἀποστρέφω
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: apostrephó
Pronunciation: ah-pos-TREF-oh
Phonetic Spelling: (ap-os-tref'-o)
KJV: bring again, pervert, turn away (from)
NASB: turn away, incites to rebellion, putback, remove, turned away, turning
Word Origin: [from G575 (ἀπό - since) and G4762 (στρέφω - turned)]

1. to turn away or back
{literally or figuratively}

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
pervert, turn away from.

From apo and strepho; to turn away or back (literally or figuratively) -- bring again, pervert, turn away (from).

see GREEK apo

see GREEK strepho

HELPS Word-studies

654 apostréphō (from 575 /apó, "away from," which intensifies 4762 /stréphō, "to turn") – properly, turn away from, i.e. depart (separate) from the previous point. 654 (apostréphō) emphasizes the personal element involved with turning away or rejecting (L & N, 1, 68.44).

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
from apo and strephó
Definition
to turn away, turn back
NASB Translation
incites...to rebellion (1), put...back (1), remove (1), turn away (4), turned away (1), turning (1).

Thayer's Greek Lexicon
STRONGS NT 654: ἀποστρέφω

ἀποστρέφω; future ἀποστρέψω; 1 aorist ἀπέστρεψα; 2 aorist passive ἀπεστράφην; (present middle ἀποστρέφομαι; from Homer down);

1. to turn away: τινα or τί ἀπό τίνος, 2 Timothy 4:4 (τήν ἀκοήν ἀπό τῆς ἀληθείας); to remove anything from anyone, Romans 11:26 (Isaiah 59:20); ἀποστρέφειν τινα simply, to turn him away from allegiance to anyone, tempt to defection (A. V. pervert), Luke 23:14.

2. to turn back, return, bring back: Matthew 26:52 (put back thy sword into its sheath); Matthew 27:3, of Judas bringing back the shekels, where T Tr WH ἔστρεψε (cf. Test. xii. Patr. test. Jos. § 17). (In the same sense for הֵשִׁיב, Genesis 14:16; Genesis 28:15; Genesis 43:11 (), (), etc.; Baruch 1:8 Baruch 2:34, etc.)

3. intransitive, to turn oneself away, turn back, return: ἀπό τῶν πονηριῶν, Acts 3:26, cf. Acts 3:19 (ἀπό ἁμαρτίας, Sir. 8:5 Sir. 17:21 (26 Tdf.); to return from a place, Genesis 18:33; 1 Macc. 11:54, etc.; (see Kneucker on Baruch 1:13); Xenophon, Hell. 3, 4, 12); cf. Meyer on Acts, the passage cited; (others, (with A. V.) take it actively here: in turning away every one of you, etc.).

4. Middle, with 2 aorist passive, to turn oneself away from, with an accusative of the object (cf. (Jelf, § 548 obs. 1; Krüger, § 47, 23, 1); Buttmann, 192 (166)); to reject, refuse: τινα, Matthew 5:42; Hebrews 12:25; τήν ἀλήθειαν, Titus 1:14; in the sense of deserting, τινα, 2 Timothy 1:15.

Topical Lexicon
Overview

ἀποστρέφω appears nine times in the Greek New Testament and consistently carries the idea of a decisive change of direction—either away from something evil toward God, or tragically away from God and His truth toward error. The contexts cluster around three primary spheres: (1) God’s gracious intervention, (2) the disciple’s ethical duty, and (3) sober warnings against apostasy and judicial hardening.

God’s Gracious Initiative

Acts 3:26 anchors the verb in redemptive history. Peter proclaims, “God raised up His Servant and sent Him first to you to bless you by turning each of you from your wicked ways.” The risen Christ is portrayed as the active Agent who redirects sinners. This echoes prophetic promises such as Isaiah 59:20, quoted in Romans 11:26, “The Deliverer will come from Zion, He will remove godlessness from Jacob.” In both passages salvation is pictured as God Himself reversing the sinner’s course. The emphasis rests on divine sovereignty: the turning is accomplished “by” God, not achieved merely “for” Him.

Ethical Demands of Discipleship

Matthew 5:42 brings the concept down to daily life: “Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.” Here the verb rebukes a self-protective posture. Disciples are to mirror the Father’s generosity, refusing to deflect legitimate need. Likewise, Matthew 26:52 records Jesus’ command to Peter, “Return your sword to its place,” an immediate call to redirect misdirected zeal. Obedience requires a swift turning from fleshly reaction to kingdom priorities.

Civil and Judicial Use

Luke 23:14 has Pilate state, “I have examined Him in your presence and have found no basis for your charges against Him,” literally, no evidence that Jesus was “turning the people away.” The accusation assumes that misleading or deflecting public allegiance is a serious civil offense. Ironically, the One unjustly accused of subversion is actually the Deliverer who truly redirects hearts to righteousness.

Warnings Against Apostasy

Four passages employ ἀποστρέφω to describe dangerous spiritual recoil:

2 Timothy 1:15 – “Everyone in the Province of Asia has turned away from me.” Desertion of Paul’s gospel partnership illustrates broader desertion of sound doctrine.
2 Timothy 4:4 – “They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.” The verb is doubled—ears and hearts both veer away from revelation toward fabrication.
Titus 1:14 – False teachers are “men who have rejected the truth,” demonstrating that moral drift accompanies doctrinal corruption.
Hebrews 12:25 – “See to it that you do not refuse Him who speaks.” Rejecting the heavenly voice exceeds the gravity of Israel’s earlier refusal at Sinai; it invites severer judgment.

These texts reveal a progression: inattentiveness to truth (ears) becomes resistance (hearts) and finally results in full-blown repudiation. Apostasy is never portrayed as a benign lapse but as deliberate reversal of direction away from the living God.

National Israel and Eschatological Hope

Romans 11:26 affirms that God will yet “remove godlessness from Jacob.” The same verb used of apostates turning away from truth is used of Messiah turning away ungodliness. Scripture therefore balances the severity of judicial hardening (Romans 11:8-10) with the promise of future mercy. The Deliverer’s decisive act ensures that Israel’s account ends not in perpetual defection but in covenant faithfulness achieved by divine intervention.

Pastoral Observations

1. Conversion is more than mental assent; it is a God-wrought redirection of the whole person.
2. Persistent generosity and non-retaliation (Matthew 5:42; Matthew 26:52) are litmus tests of a life already turned toward God.
3. The gravest danger in ministry is drifting from truth. Teachers and hearers alike must guard against the incremental steps of Titus 1:14 and 2 Timothy 4:4.
4. God’s faithfulness to turn sinners from wickedness (Acts 3:26) and to turn away ungodliness from Israel (Romans 11:26) provides enduring hope for evangelism and intercession.

Historical and Theological Significance

In the Septuagint, ἀποστρέφω often renders Hebrew shuv (“return/turn back”), threading the New Testament usage into a rich Old Testament tapestry of covenantal repentance (e.g., Psalm 51:13; Isaiah 45:22). New Testament writers therefore speak a familiar prophetic language, presenting Christ as the ultimate “Turner” of hearts. Early church fathers picked up this motif, emphasizing both the necessity of moral turnaround and the impossibility of accomplishing it apart from grace.

Practical Ministry Application

• Preaching: Highlight the twin realities of divine initiative and human responsibility—God turns, yet people must not resist (Hebrews 12:25).
• Counseling: Use ἀποστρέφω passages to frame repentance as an active turning toward life, not merely away from sin.
• Mission: Romans 11:26 fuels prayer for national and ethnic groups still awaiting large-scale turning to Messiah.
• Discipleship: Matthew 5:42 provides concrete practice; generosity counters the subtle inward turn of self-preservation.

The nine New Testament occurrences of ἀποστρέφω thus weave together doctrine, ethics, warning, and promise, calling every believer to continual alignment with the gracious redirection accomplished by Christ and demanded by His gospel.

Forms and Transliterations
απεστραμμένην απέστραπται απεστράφη απεστράφης απεστραφησαν απεστράφησαν απεστράφησάν ἀπεστράφησάν απεστράφητε απέστρεφον απέστρεψα απεστρέψαμεν απέστρεψαν άπεστρεψαν απέστρεψας απέστρεψάς απεστρέψατε απέστρεψε απέστρεψέ απέστρεψεν απόστερψον αποστραφείησαν αποστραφείς αποστραφείσα αποστραφέν αποστραφέντας αποστραφέντες αποστραφή αποστράφηθι αποστραφήναι αποστραφης αποστραφής ἀποστραφῇς αποστραφήσεσθε αποστραφήσεται αποστραφήση αποστραφήσομαι αποστραφήσονται αποστραφητε αποστραφήτε αποστράφητε αποστραφήτω αποστραφήτωσαν αποστραφώμεν απόστρεφε αποστρέφει αποστρεφειν αποστρέφειν ἀποστρέφειν αποστρέφεις αποστρέφεσθαι αποστρέφεται αποστρέφετε αποστρεφέτωσαν αποστρέφη αποστρέφης αποστρεφομενοι αποστρεφόμενοι ἀποστρεφόμενοι αποστρεφομενων αποστρεφομένων ἀποστρεφομένων αποστρεφοντα αποστρέφοντα ἀποστρέφοντα αποστρέφοντος αποστρέφου αποστρέφων αποστρέψαι αποστρέψαντα αποστρέψαντες αποστρέψαντος αποστρέψας αποστρέψατε αποστρεψάτω αποστρεψει αποστρέψει ἀποστρέψει αποστρέψεις αποστρέψη αποστρέψης αποστρέψητε αποστρέψοιτο αποστρέψομεν Αποστρεψον απόστρεψον απόστρεψόν Ἀπόστρεψον αποστρέψουσι αποστρεψουσιν αποστρέψουσιν ἀποστρέψουσιν αποστρεψω αποστρέψω αποστρέψωμεν αποστρέψωσιν αποστροφαίς αποστροφάς αποστροφή αποστροφήν αποστροφής αποστροφών επεστράφη apestraphesan apestraphēsan apestráphesán apestráphēsán apostraphêis apostraphē̂is apostraphes apostraphēs apostrephein apostréphein apostrephomenoi apostrephómenoi apostrephomenon apostrephomenōn apostrephoménon apostrephoménōn apostrephonta apostréphonta apostrepsei apostrépsei Apostrepson Apóstrepson apostrepsousin apostrépsousin
Links
Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
Matthew 5:42 V-ASP-2S
GRK: δανίσασθαι μὴ ἀποστραφῇς
NAS: to him who asks of you, and do not turn away from him who wants
KJV: turn not thou away.
INT: to borrow not you shall turn away from

Matthew 26:52 V-AMA-2S
GRK: ὁ Ἰησοῦς Ἀπόστρεψον τὴν μάχαιράν
NAS: said to him, Put your sword
KJV: Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword
INT: Jesus Return the sword

Luke 23:14 V-PPA-AMP
GRK: τοῦτον ὡς ἀποστρέφοντα τὸν λαόν
NAS: man to me as one who incites the people
KJV: as one that perverteth the people:
INT: this as turning away the people

Acts 3:26 V-PNA
GRK: ἐν τῷ ἀποστρέφειν ἕκαστον ἀπὸ
NAS: Him to bless you by turning every one
KJV: you, in turning away every one of you
INT: in turning each from

Romans 11:26 V-FIA-3S
GRK: ὁ ῥυόμενος ἀποστρέψει ἀσεβείας ἀπὸ
NAS: FROM ZION, HE WILL REMOVE UNGODLINESS
KJV: and shall turn away ungodliness
INT: the deliverer he will remove ungodliness from

2 Timothy 1:15 V-AIP-3P
GRK: τοῦτο ὅτι ἀπεστράφησάν με πάντες
NAS: who are in Asia turned away from me, among whom
KJV: Asia be turned away from me;
INT: this that turned away from me all

2 Timothy 4:4 V-FIA-3P
GRK: τὴν ἀκοὴν ἀποστρέψουσιν ἐπὶ δὲ
NAS: and will turn away their ears
INT: the ear they will turn away unto moreover

Titus 1:14 V-PPM-GMP
GRK: ἐντολαῖς ἀνθρώπων ἀποστρεφομένων τὴν ἀλήθειαν
NAS: of men who turn away from the truth.
KJV: of men, that turn from the truth.
INT: commandments of men turning away from the truth

Hebrews 12:25 V-PPM-NMP
GRK: ἀπ' οὐρανῶν ἀποστρεφόμενοι
NAS: less [will] we [escape] who turn away from Him who [warns] from heaven.
KJV: [shall not] we [escape], if we turn away from him that [speaketh] from
INT: from [the] heavens turn away from

Strong's Greek 654
9 Occurrences


ἀπεστράφησάν — 1 Occ.
ἀποστραφῇς — 1 Occ.
ἀποστρέφειν — 1 Occ.
ἀποστρεφομένων — 1 Occ.
ἀποστρεφόμενοι — 1 Occ.
ἀποστρέφοντα — 1 Occ.
ἀποστρέψει — 1 Occ.
Ἀπόστρεψον — 1 Occ.
ἀποστρέψουσιν — 1 Occ.

653
Top of Page
Top of Page