What does ἀποκαταλλάσσω (apokatallássō) mean in the Bible?
ἀποκαταλλάσσω means to reconcile fully, to bring estranged parties back into restored relation. In the New Testament it is concentrated in Paul's language for the reconciling work of Christ.
Greek · G604
ἀποκαταλλάσσω
To reconcile fully
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ἀποκαταλλάσσω G604
Pronunciation apokatallássō
What does ἀποκαταλλάσσω (apokatallássō) mean in the Bible?
ἀποκαταλλάσσω means to reconcile fully, to bring estranged parties back into restored relation. In the New Testament it is concentrated in Paul's language for the reconciling work of Christ.
Reader summary
Full entry for ἀποκαταλλάσσω (G604) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render G604?
The BSB source-word alignment has 3 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include He has reconciled [you] (1), reconciling (1), to reconcile (1).
Where does ἀποκαταλλάσσω (apokatallássō) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Ephesians 2:16. Its strongest book concentrations include Colossians (2), Ephesians (1).
Are there verse guides for ἀποκαταλλάσσω (apokatallássō)?
This entry includes 1 verse guide that explain exact original-language forms in context.
What This Word Actually Means
ἀποκαταλλάσσω means to reconcile fully, to bring estranged parties back into restored relation. In the New Testament it is concentrated in Paul's language for the reconciling work of Christ. Colossians uses it with cosmic and personal force. Through the blood of His cross, God reconciles all things to Himself, and believers who were once alienated and hostile are now reconciled in Christ's body through death. The word is not vague peace language. It names costly restoration through the cross.
Pastorally, this word helps the church speak honestly about alienation without losing hope. The problem is not merely that people feel distant from God. Colossians says they were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds. The answer is not self-improvement or religious smoothing over. God acts in Christ to reconcile. That reconciliation has a future aim: to present His people holy, unblemished, and blameless before Him. The word therefore joins grace, cross, peace, holiness, and perseverance.
Lexical sourcePassage contextBook contextPastoral application
How the Bible Uses It
ἀποκαταλλάσσω is a concentrated Pauline reconciliation word. It joins the cross of Christ to the restoration of enemies, both Jew and Gentile in one body and alienated sinners before God.
- Eph.2.16
And reconciling both of them to God in one body through the cross, by which He put to death their hostility.
Ephesians uses the word for Jew and Gentile reconciled to God in one body through the cross. Reconciliation is vertical and communal, not private only.
- Col.1.20
And through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through the blood of His cross.
Colossians gives the word cosmic scope through Christ's cross. The reconciling work is grounded in the blood of His cross, not in a sentimental vision of peace.
- Col.1.22
But now He has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy, unblemished, and blameless in His presence—
The same passage brings the word home to believers once alienated and hostile. Reconciliation has a sanctifying aim: presentation before God as holy, unblemished, and blameless.
Lexical sourceCanonical parallelPassage contextBook context
Source Word Evidence
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders It He has reconciled [you] 1× Colossians 1:22
reconciling 1× Ephesians 2:16
to reconcile 1× Colossians 1:20
Show sample aligned rows
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Ephesians 2:16
Aligned rows 3
Books represented 2
Ephesians 1 Colossians 2
Source forms
ἀποκαταλλάξαι 1x apokatallaxai Colossians 1:20
ἀποκαταλλάξῃ 1x apokatallaxē Ephesians 2:16
ἀποκατήλλαξεν 1x apokatēllaxen Colossians 1:22
Parsing patterns
Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular 1x Colossians 1:22
Verb - Aorist Infinitive Active 1x Colossians 1:20
Verb - Aorist Subjunctive Active - 3rd Person Singular 1x Ephesians 2:16
Using This Word Well
Be careful not to...
- Use this word to announce the costly peace God has made in Christ, while avoiding sentimental reconciliation language that skips sin, hostility, the cross, and holiness.
Avoid claiming...
- Do not claim that reconciliation means God simply overlooks hostility. Colossians grounds reconciliation in Christ's physical body through death.
- Do not claim that the word by itself proves every creature is finally saved. Colossians 1 must be read with Paul's wider teaching on judgment, faith, and perseverance.
- Do not claim reconciliation is only individual. Ephesians 2 shows that reconciliation creates one body before God.
Pastoral applicationPassage contextCanonical parallel
Key Verse and Form Guides
Verse-level guides showing how this original-language form works in its specific context, including grammar, verse function, and guarded interpretation.
Evidence Summary
Greek word. Complete restoration of relationship, not merely ending hostility but full cosmic reconciliation through Christ.
Source Gloss
to reconcile fully
Extended definition Source: STEPBible TBESG + Abbott-Smith
Complete restoration of relationship, not merely ending hostility but full cosmic reconciliation through Christ.
(cf. καταλλάσσω: ἀπό here signifies completely, see Lft., Col., l.with; Ellic., Eph., l.with; but also Mey., Eph., l.with), to reconcile completely: Eph.2:16, Col.1:20-21.
Greek Text Appearances
Textus Receptus witness, full corpus Greek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
3 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
Ephesians 2:16 Verb Third Person Singular Aorist Active Subjunctive
ἀποκαταλλάξῃ apokatallaxh
I reconcile
Read verse apokatallaxai
I reconcile
Read verse Colossians 1:21 Verb Third Person Singular Aorist Active Indicative
ἀποκατήλλαξεν apokathllaxen
I reconcile
Read verseFull New Testament corpus: 260 chapters, 7,957 verses, 140,628 tokens. Data source: honza/textus-receptus (data only), with authority check against byztxt/greektext-textus-receptus.
Grammatical Forms
How mood, tense, and voice shift the force of this verb in context.
This verb appears through different tense, voice, mood, or stem patterns. Those forms help readers see how the action is presented in context.
Form groups 3 Aligned forms 3 Tenses Aorist Voices Active, Passive
Tenses
Voices
Subjunctive possibility, probability, or purpose 1×
Aorist Active Eph 2:16 1×
Infinitive verbal noun — the action in abstract 1×
Indicative states a fact or reality 1×
Aorist Passive Col 1:22 1×
Discourse Aspect
How this verb appears across 3 occurrences in the NT discourse index (MACULA Greek SBLGNT).
Aspect
Tense
aorist 3
Voice
active 2 passive 1
Mood
infinitive 1 indicative 1 subjunctive 1
NT 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)
Selected Scripture Witness
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Biblical Witnesses
Christ fully reconciles Jews and Gentiles into one body through his peace
Showing 1 selected witness from 3 lexical occurrence verses.
Word Origins
ἀποκαταλλάσσω is built from these roots:
For the Preacher and Teacher
This word gives a preacher a cross-centered way to speak about peace. Many people want reconciliation without blood, peace without judgment, and acceptance without transformation. Colossians will not let us have that. ἀποκαταλλάσσω locates reconciliation in the body and blood of Christ. It tells the truth about the depth of alienation, then tells the greater truth about God's action in His Son.
The preacher should not use the word to promise that every earthly conflict will immediately resolve, nor should he shrink it to inner calm. In Paul, reconciliation is God's saving work through the cross, creating peace with Himself, a new people, and a holy future for those who continue in the faith.
Anchor passage
Col.1.20
Doctrinal connections
- G1515 εἰρήνη - peace is the result Christ makes through the blood of His cross.
- G129 αἷμα - the blood of the cross grounds reconciliation.
- G4983 σῶμα - Christ's body through death is named in Colossians 1:22.
- Eph.2.11-22 - reconciliation creates one body and one household.
- Col.1.21-23 - reconciliation includes perseverance and holy presentation.
The compound form intensifies reconciliation language. The pastoral point is not etymological novelty but Paul's use of the word in cross-centered contexts of restored relation to God.
From Old to New Testament
The Old Testament sacrificial system taught that peace with God required atonement and restored covenant relation. Paul announces the fulfillment in Christ's cross, where reconciliation is accomplished through His blood.
Book contextPastoral applicationCanonical parallelEditorial synthesisLexical sourcePassage context
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
Berean Standard Bible (BSB) source-word alignment - CC0 Public Domain