OliveGrove
Pressing the Word of God for Deeper Understanding.
Greek · G599 · unreviewed

ἀποθνήσκω

To die off (literally or figuratively)

These lexicon entries are being actively developed. If you notice missing content, incorrect definitions, or have suggestions, we'd love to hear from you. Share a note on our Connect page and include a screenshot if helpful.

ἀποθνήσκω G599
Pronunciation apothnḗskō

What does ἀποθνήσκω (apothnḗskō) mean in the Bible?

ἀποθνήσκω (apothnḗskō) is a Greek word meaning "to die off (literally or figuratively)". ἀπο-θνῄσκω, [in LXX chiefly for מוּת ;] to die: of natural death, Mrk. Central to substitutionary logic.

Full entry for ἀποθνήσκω (G599) · Browse the biblical lexicon

Meaning

to die off (literally or figuratively)
Extended definition

Death as severance—natural, violent, or spiritual—often involving sacrifice or separation from life/sin.

to die: of natural death, Mrk.5:35, al.; of violent death (pass. of ἀποκτείνω), esp. of Christ, Mat.26:35, Jhn.12:33, Heb.10:28, al.; of spiritual death, Jhn.6:50, Rom.8:13, al.; with dative ref., Rom.6:2, 10 14:7, 8, Gal.2:19; accusative, ὅ, Rom.6:10; before ἐν, Mat.8:32, Jhn.8:21, 24 1Co.15:22, Heb.11:37, Rev.14:13; before ὑπέρ, περί, Jhn.11:50, 51 18:14, Rom.5:6-8 14:15, 1Co.15:3, 2Co.5:15, 1Th.5:10, 1Pe.3:18; ἀπό, Col.2:20; ἐκ, Rev.8:11; figuratively, 1Co.15:31 (cf. συν-αποθνήσκω, and V. Milligan, NTD, 258f.; DCG, i, 791b; Cremer, 286; MM, see word; on the perfective force of this verb, M, Pr., 112, 114; and on the distinction bet. present and aor., ib. 113 f.).

Source: STEPBible TBESG + Abbott-Smith
Why This Word Matters
Central to substitutionary logic.
Discourse Aspect

How this verb appears across 108 occurrences in the NT discourse index (MACULA Greek SBLGNT).

Aspect
completed 46 ongoing 9 prospective 4 background 1 subjunctive 16 infinitive 21 participle 11
Tense
aorist 82 present 21 future 4 imperfect 1
Voice
active 104 middle 4
Mood
indicative 60 infinitive 21 subjunctive 16 participle 11
NT Occurrences
Matthew 8:32 ἀπέθανον aorist active indicative completed Matthew 9:24 ἀπέθανεν aorist active indicative completed Matthew 22:24 ἀποθάνῃ aorist active subjunctive subjunctive Matthew 22:27 ἀπέθανεν aorist active indicative completed Matthew 26:35 ἀποθανεῖν aorist active infinitive infinitive Mark 5:35 ἀπέθανεν aorist active indicative completed Mark 5:39 ἀπέθανεν aorist active indicative completed Mark 9:26 ἀπέθανεν aorist active indicative completed Mark 12:19 ἀποθάνῃ aorist active subjunctive subjunctive Mark 12:20 ἀποθνῄσκων present active participle participle Mark 12:21 ἀπέθανεν aorist active indicative completed Mark 12:22 ἀπέθανεν aorist active indicative completed Mark 15:44 ἀπέθανεν aorist active indicative completed Luke 8:42 ἀπέθνῃσκεν imperfect active indicative background Luke 8:52 ἀπέθανεν aorist active indicative completed Luke 8:53 ἀπέθανεν aorist active indicative completed Luke 16:22 ἀποθανεῖν aorist active infinitive infinitive Luke 16:22 ἀπέθανεν aorist active indicative completed Luke 20:28 ἀποθάνῃ aorist active subjunctive subjunctive Luke 20:29 ἀπέθανεν aorist active indicative completed Luke 20:31 ἀπέθανον aorist active indicative completed Luke 20:32 ἀπέθανεν aorist active indicative completed Luke 20:36 ἀποθανεῖν aorist active infinitive infinitive John 4:47 ἀποθνῄσκειν present active infinitive infinitive John 4:49 ἀποθανεῖν aorist active infinitive infinitive John 6:49 ἀπέθανον aorist active indicative completed John 6:50 ἀποθάνῃ aorist active subjunctive subjunctive John 6:58 ἀπέθανον aorist active indicative completed John 8:21 ἀποθανεῖσθε future middle indicative prospective John 8:24 ἀποθανεῖσθε future middle indicative prospective John 8:24 ἀποθανεῖσθε future middle indicative prospective John 8:52 ἀπέθανεν aorist active indicative completed John 8:53 ἀπέθανεν aorist active indicative completed John 8:53 ἀπέθανον aorist active indicative completed John 11:14 ἀπέθανεν aorist active indicative completed John 11:16 ἀποθάνωμεν aorist active subjunctive subjunctive John 11:21 ἀπέθανεν aorist active indicative completed John 11:25 ἀποθάνῃ aorist active subjunctive subjunctive John 11:26 ἀποθάνῃ aorist active subjunctive subjunctive John 11:32 ἀπέθανεν aorist active indicative completed +68 more occurrences

Aspect reflects grammatical form — not authorial emphasis. Participles and infinitives are verbal adjectives and nouns respectively.

Clause data: MACULA Greek (Clear Bible, CC BY 4.0) · SBLGNT (Logos/SBL, CC BY 4.0)

Biblical Occurrences

Each occurrence shows the passage reference, the original language term as it appears in that context, its transliteration, and the contextual sense.

Witnesses
John 11:45-57 ἀποθνῄσκω apothnḗskō
to die
Appears In

Compound and idiomatic lexemes in which this word is a constituent. Follow a link to study the phrase and its other participating words.

διά · ὅς · Χριστός · ἀποθνήσκω G1223, G3739, G5547, G599
for whom Christ died
οὐ · ἀποθνήσκω G3756, G599
would not die
πλούσιος · ἀποθνήσκω · θάπτω G4145, G599, G2290
the rich man also died and was buried
ἀποθνήσκω · νεκρός · θάνατος G599, G3498, G2288
die, dead, death
ἀποθνήσκω · πτωχός G599, G4434
the poor man died
ἀποθνήσκω · ὑπέρ · λαός G599, G5228, G2992
die for the people
Word Pictures (Robertson)

A.T. Robertson's Word Pictures in the New Testament (1930–31) discusses this term in the following chapters. Open any chapter and go to the Word Pictures tab to read his verse-by-verse commentary.

1 Corinthians 15 — Christ Is Risen, the Dead Will Be Raised, and Death Will Be Destroyed 1 Corinthians 8 — Knowledge, Love, and the Weak Brother in a World of Idols John 11 — The Resurrection and the Life, the Raising of Lazarus, and the Plot to Kill Jesus John 12 — The Anointed King, the Lifted-Up Son of Man, and the Hour of Glory John 18 — The Arrested King: Betrayal, Sovereign Surrender, Denial, Trial, and the Kingdom Not of This World John 21 — The Risen Lord Restores, Commissions, Shepherds, and Testifies through His Witness Romans 14 — Receiving One Another, Honoring the Lord, and Pursuing Peace in Matters of Conscience Romans 6 — Dead to Sin and Alive to God in Christ Jesus

A.T. Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament (1930–31) — public domain

Sources

MorphGNT Strong's Dictionary XML — CC0 1.0 Public Domain

Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible (morphhb/OSHB) — CC BY 4.0

Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon — CC BY 4.0

STEPBible Data — CC BY 4.0

Full license details