What does ἀποκόπτω (apokóptō) mean in the Bible?
ἀποκόπτω means to cut off or sever. In John 18, Peter cuts off the ear of the high priest's servant.
Greek · G609
ἀποκόπτω
To amputate; reflexively (by irony) to mutilate (the privy parts)
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ἀποκόπτω G609
Pronunciation apokóptō
What does ἀποκόπτω (apokóptō) mean in the Bible?
ἀποκόπτω means to cut off or sever. In John 18, Peter cuts off the ear of the high priest's servant.
Reader summary
Full entry for ἀποκόπτω (G609) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render G609?
The BSB source-word alignment has 6 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include cut it off (2), cut (1), cutting off (1), had cut off (1), they would proceed to emasculate themselves (1).
Where does ἀποκόπτω (apokóptō) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Mark 9:43. Its strongest book concentrations include John (2), Mark (2), Acts (1), Galatians (1).
What This Word Actually Means
ἀποκόπτω means to cut off or sever. In John 18, Peter cuts off the ear of the high priest's servant. John names the servant as Malchus, and Jesus immediately commands Peter to put the sword into the sheath. The word is concrete and violent, but the passage's main force is Jesus' willing obedience to the cup the Father has given Him.
The pastoral value is correction of zeal without submission. Peter acts with force, but Jesus moves toward obedient suffering. The word helps readers see that violent defense cannot define the way of Jesus here. The sword stroke is not courage in John's telling; it is corrected by the obedient Son.
How the Bible Uses It
John 18:10 uses ἀποκόπτω when Peter cuts off the ear of the high priest's servant.
- John 18:10 identifies Peter's action and names the servant Malchus.
- John 18:11 gives Jesus' correction: Peter must put the sword into the sheath, because Jesus will drink the cup the Father has given Him.
- The word supports a concrete reading of the arrest scene, but the theological center is Jesus' obedient surrender.
- The term should not be used to build a general ethic apart from the immediate Passion context.
ἀποκόπτω brings the arrest scene down to the body. Peter does not only resist in spirit; he strikes, and a servant's ear is cut off.
John gives the detail, names the servant, and then gives Jesus' command. The sword must go back. Jesus will not be defended away from the cup the Father has given Him.
The word helps teachers expose a form of zeal that looks loyal but refuses the path of the obedient Son. John does not glorify the blow. He shows Jesus governing the moment.
In John, ἀποκόπτω belongs to the arrest scene where misguided force is corrected by Jesus' willing obedience to the Father's cup.
Passage contexttheological_synthesisPastoral application
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 cut it off 2× Mark 9:43, Mark 9:45
cut 1× Acts 27:32
cutting off 1× John 18:10
had cut off 1× John 18:26
they would proceed to emasculate themselves 1× Galatians 5:12
Show sample aligned rows
Mark 9:43 ἀπόκοψον to cut it off Verb - Aorist Imperative Active - 2nd Person Singular Mark 9:45 ἀπόκοψον to cut it off Verb - Aorist Imperative Active - 2nd Person Singular John 18:10 ἀπέκοψεν to cutting off Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular John 18:26 ἀπέκοψεν to had cut off Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular Acts 27:32 ἀπέκοψαν to cut Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Plural Galatians 5:12 ἀποκόψονται to they would proceed to emasculate themselves Verb - Future Indicative Middle - 3rd Person Plural
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Mark 9:43
Aligned rows 6
Books represented 4
Mark 2 John 2 Acts 1 Galatians 1
Source forms
ἀπέκοψεν 2x apekopsen John 18:10, John 18:26
ἀπόκοψον 2x apokopson Mark 9:43, Mark 9:45
ἀπέκοψαν 1x apekopsan Acts 27:32
ἀποκόψονται 1x apokopsontai Galatians 5:12
Parsing patterns
Verb - Aorist Imperative Active - 2nd Person Singular 2x Mark 9:43, Mark 9:45
Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular 2x John 18:10, John 18:26
Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Plural 1x Acts 27:32
Verb - Future Indicative Middle - 3rd Person Plural 1x Galatians 5:12
Using This Word Well
Be careful not to...
- Teach the bodily detail, but let Jesus' correction govern the application.
- Keep the Passion context central.
Avoid claiming...
- Do not claim that John presents the sword stroke as faithful discipleship.
- Do not claim that ἀποκόπτω itself carries the theology of the cup. The next verse supplies that frame.
Pastoral applicationPassage contextlexical
Evidence Summary
Greek word. to amputate; reflexively (by irony) to mutilate (the privy parts)
Strong's G609
Lexical occurrences 6 verses Greek text appearances 6 times Word forms 2 forms 6 references Verse guides 0 guides
Source Gloss
to amputate; reflexively (by irony) to mutilate (the privy parts)
Greek Text Appearances
Textus Receptus witness, full corpus Greek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
6 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
Mark 9:43 Verb Second Person Singular Aorist Active Imperative
ἀπόκοψον apokoyon
I smite, cut off, emasculate
Read verse Mark 9:45 Verb Second Person Singular Aorist Active Imperative
ἀπόκοψον apokoyon
I smite, cut off, emasculate
Read verse John 18:10 Verb Third Person Singular Aorist Active Indicative
ἀπέκοψεν apekoyen
I smite, cut off, emasculate
Read verse John 18:26 Verb Third Person Singular Aorist Active Indicative
ἀπέκοψε apekoyen
I smite, cut off, emasculate
Read verse Acts 27:32 Verb Third Person Plural Aorist Active Indicative
ἀπέκοψαν apekoyan
I smite, cut off, emasculate
Read verse Galatians 5:12 Verb Third Person Plural Future Middle Indicative
ἀποκόψονται apokoyontai
I smite, cut off, emasculate
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 2 Aligned forms 6 Tenses Aorist, Future Voices Active, Middle
Verse guides are not available for this word yet, so verse references remain plain evidence markers.
Tenses
Voices
Imperative command or strong request 2×
Aorist Active Mark 9:43 · Mark 9:45 2×
Indicative states a fact or reality 4×
Aorist Active John 18:10 · John 18:26 · Acts 27:32 3×
Future Middle Gal 5:12 1×
Discourse Aspect
How this verb appears across 6 occurrences in the NT discourse index (MACULA Greek SBLGNT).
Aspect
Tense
aorist 5 future 1
Voice
active 5 middle 1
Mood
indicative 4 imperative 2
NT Occurrences
Mark 9:43 ἀπόκοψον aorist active imperative imperative Mark 9:45 ἀπόκοψον aorist active imperative imperative John 18:10 ἀπέκοψεν aorist active indicative completed John 18:26 ἀπέκοψεν aorist active indicative completed Acts 27:32 ἀπέκοψαν aorist active indicative completed Galatians 5:12 ἀποκόψονται future middle indicative prospective
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)
Word Origins
Part of These Phrases
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
For the Preacher and Teacher
What this word opens up
This word opens the contrast between Peter's force and Jesus' obedience. It helps readers see that the arrest scene is not out of Jesus' control; He willingly receives the cup appointed by the Father.
What it corrects
It corrects readings that admire Peter's sword more than Jesus' obedience.
Framing suggestions
Frame ἀποκόπτω inside John 18:10-11. The cut-off ear is immediately interpreted by Jesus' command and cup saying.
Illustrations
- A quick strike can feel like loyalty while resisting the Lord's revealed path.
- Zeal must be governed by Jesus' word, not by the urgency of the moment.
Watch points
- Do not make Peter's violence the heroic center of the arrest scene.
- Do not use this word alone to settle every Christian ethics question about force.
Passage contexttheological_synthesisPastoral application
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