659. apotithémi
Lexical Summary
apotithémi: To put off, to lay aside, to remove

Original Word: ἀποτίθημι
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: apotithémi
Pronunciation: ah-po-TEE-thay-mee
Phonetic Spelling: (ap-ot-eeth'-ay-mee)
KJV: cast off, lay apart (aside, down), put away (off)
NASB: lay aside, putting aside, laid aside, laying aside, put, put aside
Word Origin: [from G575 (ἀπό - since) and G5087 (τίθημι - laid)]

1. to put away
{literally or figuratively}

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
cast off, lay aside, put away.

From apo and tithemi; to put away (literally or figuratively) -- cast off, lay apart (aside, down), put away (off).

see GREEK apo

see GREEK tithemi

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
from apo and tithémi
Definition
to put off, lay aside
NASB Translation
laid aside (1), lay aside (3), laying aside (1), put (1), put...aside (1), putting aside (2).

Thayer's Greek Lexicon
STRONGS NT 659: ἀποτίθημι

ἀποτίθημι: 2 aorist middle ἀπεθεμην; (from Homer down); to put off or aside; in the N. T. only middle to put off from oneself: τά ἱμάτια, Acts 7:58; (to lay up or away, ἐν τῇ φυλακή (i. e., put), Matthew 14:3 L T Tr WH (so εἰς φυλακήν, Leviticus 24:12; Numbers 15:34; 2 Chronicles 18:26; Polybius 24, 8, 8; Diodorus 4, 49, ete.)); tropically those things are said to be put off or away which anyone gives up, renounces: as τά ἔργα τοῦ σκότους, Romans 13:12; — Ephesians 4:22 (cf. Winers Grammar, 347 (325); Buttmann, 274 (236)), 25; Colossians 3:8; James 1:21; 1 Peter 2:1; Hebrews 12:1; (τήν ὀργήν, Plutarch, Coriol. 19; τόν πλοῦτον, τήν μαλακίαν, etc. Luc. dial. mort. 10, 8; τήν ἐλευθερίαν καί παρρησίαν, ibid. 9, etc.).

Topical Lexicon
Overview

Strong’s Greek 659 speaks of deliberately setting something aside. In the New Testament the word moves from a concrete act—laying down clothes—to a moral and spiritual imperative—casting off sinful habits and adopting Christ-like virtues. Nine occurrences trace a movement from narrative description (Matthew and Acts) to repeated exhortation in the epistles, shaping a theology of decisive renunciation followed by renewal.

Literal Usage in Narrative Passages

Matthew 14:3 records that Herod “had arrested John, bound him, and put him in prison”. Herod “laid him aside,” treating the prophet as disposable.
Acts 7:58 depicts Stephen’s executioners who “laid their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul”. The physical setting aside of clothes prepares for violent action, foreshadowing Saul’s later call to lay aside sin.

These concrete scenes provide the backdrop for the word’s metaphorical expansion. As garments are discarded for unencumbered activity, so believers must discard what hinders their walk with God.

Metaphorical Usage in Ethical Exhortations

The remaining seven instances appear in paraenetic sections of the epistles. The imagery is that of stripping off a soiled garment so that a new life in Christ may be donned.

Romans 13:12: “So let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.”
Ephesians 4:22, 25: believers “lay aside your former way of life, your old self” and therefore “each of you must lay aside falsehood.”
Colossians 3:8: “But now you must also lay aside all such things: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language.”
Hebrews 12:1: “Let us lay aside every weight and the sin that so easily entangles.”
James 1:21: “Therefore, lay aside all filthiness and every expression of wickedness and humbly accept the word planted in you.”
1 Peter 2:1: “Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind.”

Across these contexts, the action is immediate and comprehensive; selective renunciation is not envisioned.

Pauline Theology: Putting Off the Old Self

Paul frames the word within his “old self / new self” motif. Ephesians 4 and Colossians 3 present a two-stage dynamic:

1. Lay aside the former identity governed by deceitful desires.
2. Put on the new self, created after God in true righteousness and holiness.

This parallels Romans 6:6 (“our old self was crucified with Him”) and underlines that regeneration initiates a lifelong process of sanctification. The aorist tense in Ephesians 4:22 describes a definitive break, yet the present implications continue: the Christian life is lived out of a decisive event but requires ongoing choice.

Hebraic and Old Testament Resonances

The Septuagint frequently employs analogous verbs for removing garments of mourning or defilement (e.g., Zechariah 3:4). Isaiah 64:6 likens sin-stained deeds to polluted clothing. By echoing this imagery, the apostles present moral transformation as a fulfillment of prophetic hope: God supplies clean garments, yet His people must actively discard the filthy ones.

Paraenetic Tradition in the Catholic Epistles

James and Peter, writing to dispersed believers under pressure, employ the term to stress that persecution must not excuse moral compromise. Their vice lists mirror baptismal renunciation formulas attested in early church liturgies, suggesting that the command to “lay aside” functioned catechetically, reminding converts of vows made at immersion.

Soteriological and Sanctification Dimensions

The word bridges justification and sanctification. Believers lay aside sin because it has already been judged at the cross; they are empowered to do so because the Spirit supplies new garments (Galatians 3:27). Thus moral effort is grounded in accomplished redemption, preserving the unity of grace and obedience.

Historical Reception in Early Church

Patristic writers seized the garment metaphor. Chrysostom, commenting on Ephesians 4, exhorted congregants to “strip off the robes of the theatre” (Hom. on Ephesians 13). The Didache’s baptismal instructions (“renounce Satan and all his works”) echo the same concept, revealing that Strong’s 659 shaped early baptismal liturgies and moral instruction.

Implications for Contemporary Ministry

1. Discipleship: Strong’s 659 calls for clear renunciation in conversion counseling—identifying specific sins to be forsaken.
2. Preaching: The vivid garment imagery aids proclamation of sanctification, contrasting the oppressive weight of sin with the freedom of Christ.
3. Counseling: Hebrews 12:1 offers pastoral strategy—name the “weights,” lay them aside, and replace them with faith-fueled perseverance.
4. Corporate Holiness: Ephesians 4 links personal truthfulness and communal health; churches that collectively “lay aside falsehood” embody the gospel before a watching world.

Key New Testament References

Matthew 14:3; Acts 7:58; Romans 13:12; Ephesians 4:22, 25; Colossians 3:8; Hebrews 12:1; James 1:21; 1 Peter 2:1.

Strong’s Greek 659 therefore presents a compelling portrait of decisive, Spirit-enabled renunciation that inaugurates and sustains a holy walk—an indispensable element of New Testament discipleship.

Forms and Transliterations
απεθεντο απεθέντο απέθεντο ἀπέθεντο απεθετο ἀπέθετο απέθηκαν απέθηκε απέθηκεν αποθεμενοι αποθέμενοι ἀποθέμενοι απόθες αποθεσθαι αποθέσθαι ἀποθέσθαι αποθεσθε απόθεσθε ἀπόθεσθε αποθήσει αποθήσεις αποθήσομεν απόθου αποθώμαθα αποθωμεθα ἀποθώμεθα apethento apéthento apetheto apétheto apothemenoi apothémenoi apothesthai apothésthai apothesthe apóthesthe apothometha apothōmetha apothṓmetha
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Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
Matthew 14:3 V-AIM-3S
GRK: ἐν φυλακῇ ἀπέθετο διὰ Ἡρῳδιάδα
NAS: he bound him and put him in prison
INT: in prison put [him] on account of Herodias

Acts 7:58 V-AIM-3P
GRK: οἱ μάρτυρες ἀπέθεντο τὰ ἱμάτια
NAS: [him]; and the witnesses laid aside their robes
KJV: the witnesses laid down their
INT: the witnesses laid aside the garments

Romans 13:12 V-ASM-1P
GRK: ἡμέρα ἤγγικεν ἀποθώμεθα οὖν τὰ
NAS: Therefore let us lay aside the deeds
KJV: therefore cast off the works
INT: [the] day has drawn near we should cast off therefore the

Ephesians 4:22 V-ANM
GRK: ἀποθέσθαι ὑμᾶς κατὰ
NAS: manner of life, you lay aside the old
KJV: That ye put off concerning the former
INT: to have put off you according to

Ephesians 4:25 V-APM-NMP
GRK: Διὸ ἀποθέμενοι τὸ ψεῦδος
NAS: Therefore, laying aside falsehood,
KJV: Wherefore putting away lying, speak
INT: Therefore having put off falsehood

Colossians 3:8 V-AMM-2P
GRK: νυνὶ δὲ ἀπόθεσθε καὶ ὑμεῖς
NAS: But now you also, put them all aside:
KJV: ye also put off all these; anger,
INT: now moreover put off also you

Hebrews 12:1 V-APM-NMP
GRK: μαρτύρων ὄγκον ἀποθέμενοι πάντα καὶ
NAS: us, let us also lay aside every
KJV: let us lay aside every weight,
INT: of witnesses weight having laid aside every and

James 1:21 V-APM-NMP
GRK: διὸ ἀποθέμενοι πᾶσαν ῥυπαρίαν
NAS: Therefore, putting aside all
KJV: Wherefore lay apart all filthiness
INT: Therefore having laid aside all filthiness

1 Peter 2:1 V-APM-NMP
GRK: Ἀποθέμενοι οὖν πᾶσαν
NAS: Therefore, putting aside all malice
KJV: Wherefore laying aside all malice,
INT: Having laid aside therefore all

Strong's Greek 659
9 Occurrences


ἀπέθεντο — 1 Occ.
ἀπέθετο — 1 Occ.
ἀποθέμενοι — 4 Occ.
ἀποθέσθαι — 1 Occ.
ἀπόθεσθε — 1 Occ.
ἀποθώμεθα — 1 Occ.

658
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