To send
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ἀποστέλλω (apostellō) means to send, send out, dispatch, or in some contexts release. It often places a sender’s authority and purpose behind the one sent, but commission must be established from the passage rather than assumed from etymology.
Reader summary
Full entry for ἀποστέλλω (G649) · Open the biblical lexicon
ἀποστέλλω (apostellō) means to send, send out, dispatch, or in some contexts release. It often places a sender’s authority and purpose behind the one sent, but commission must be established from the passage rather than assumed from etymology.
The BSB source-word alignment has 132 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include sent (37), he sent (17), has sent (6), I will send (4), [and] sent (3).
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Matthew 2:16. Its strongest book concentrations include John (28), Luke (26), Acts (24), Matthew (22).
This entry includes 4 verse guides that explain exact original-language forms in context.
ἀποστέλλω (apostellō) means to send, send out, dispatch, or in some contexts release. It often places a sender’s authority and purpose behind the one sent, but commission must be established from the passage rather than assumed from etymology. Jesus sends the Twelve with specific instructions, boundaries, and a kingdom message. In Nazareth He reads Isaiah’s declaration that the Spirit-anointed Servant has been sent to proclaim good news and to release the oppressed, showing both mission and liberation uses within one verse.
John says God sent His Son not to condemn the world but so the world might be saved through Him. The risen Jesus then sends disciples in a mission patterned after His own sending by the Father, while Acts says God sent His raised Servant first to Israel to bless them by turning them from wickedness. The word does not make every messenger an apostle, guarantee obedience, or define a complete mission theology by itself.
ἀποστέλλω names sending or dispatching and can also describe release. The selected passages trace Jesus sending the Twelve, the Spirit-anointed mission of Christ, the Father sending the Son, the Son sending disciples, and God’s servant bringing covenant blessing.
These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Do not go onto the road of the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans.
Jesus’ sending includes named messengers, instructions, an initial geographic focus, authority, proclamation, and dependence. The verse begins a particular mission stage, not the final extent of the Gospel to all nations.
“The Spirit of the Lord is on Me, because He has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to release the oppressed,
The verse uses the verb for the Servant being sent and again for releasing the oppressed. Jesus reads the mission as fulfilled in the hearers’ presence, with Spirit, anointing, proclamation, sight, and liberty defining the claim.
For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.
The Father’s sending is interpreted by purpose: salvation through the Son rather than condemnation as the aim of His coming. The following verses still expose the judgment bound to rejecting the light.
Again Jesus said to them, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent Me, so also I am sending you.”
The risen Jesus speaks peace and sends His disciples in a mission analogous to His own sending. The verse uses ἀποστέλλω for the Father’s sending and πέμπω for Jesus’ sending, warning against making an absolute distinction between the synonyms.
When God raised up His Servant, He sent Him first to you to bless you by turning each of you from your wicked ways.”
Peter defines blessing through repentance: God’s Servant is sent first to Israel to turn hearers from wickedness. Sending serves covenant fulfillment and moral restoration rather than national privilege without response.
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders ItA compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
Verse-level guides showing how this original-language form works in its specific context, including grammar, verse function, and guarded interpretation.
Greek word. to send
Textus Receptus witness, full corpusGreek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
16 of 133 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
I send forth, send, send away, dismiss
Read verseI send forth, send, send away, dismiss
Read verseI send forth, send, send away, dismiss
Read verseI send forth, send, send away, dismiss
Read verseI send forth, send, send away, dismiss
Read verseI send forth, send, send away, dismiss
Read verseI send forth, send, send away, dismiss
Read verseI send forth, send, send away, dismiss
Read verseI send forth, send, send away, dismiss
Read verseI send forth, send, send away, dismiss
Read verseI send forth, send, send away, dismiss
Read verseI send forth, send, send away, dismiss
Read verseI send forth, send, send away, dismiss
Read verseI send forth, send, send away, dismiss
Read verseI send forth, send, send away, dismiss
Read verseI send forth, send, send away, dismiss
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.
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.
How this verb appears across 131 occurrences in the NT discourse index (MACULA Greek SBLGNT).
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 passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Showing 8 selected witnesses from 132 lexical occurrence verses.
ἀποστέλλω is built from these roots:
Emphasizes divine commissioning behind gospel proclamation.Acts 22:17-21
Defines the apostolic commission flowing from Christ.Luke 9:1–6
Mission flows from Trinitarian sending.
Emphasizes divine commissioning of the Son.
Emphasizes Christ’s authority in commissioning mission.
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
A biblical messenger is not self-created. Jesus names the Twelve, gives authority, defines the message, and sets the initial boundaries of their work. Luke 4 reaches deeper by presenting Jesus as the Spirit-anointed Servant sent to proclaim good news, liberty, sight, and release. John 3 names the saving purpose of the Father’s sending: the Son enters the world so that the world might be saved through Him, even as unbelief remains under judgment.
After His death and resurrection, Jesus speaks peace and sends His disciples in a mission patterned after His own. The analogy gives mission its character without making disciples redeemers. They bear witness to the One whose work alone saves. Acts 3 adds that God’s blessing turns people from wickedness; mission does not offer affirmation without repentance.
Churches therefore send under Christ’s authority, with His Gospel, toward His purposes, and in accountable dependence. The verb can mark release as well as dispatch, and it never authorizes ambition merely because someone feels sent.
John.20.21
The compound often foregrounds dispatch from a sender and can carry authorized purpose, yet the commissioning content resides in instructions and context. Luke 4:18 also uses the verb in the sense of release or send away. John 20:21 places ἀποστέλλω and πέμπω in parallel, showing substantial overlap within a single mission saying.
The Lord sends Moses, prophets, and servants with words and tasks they do not invent. Isaiah’s Spirit-anointed Servant brings good news and liberty. The New Testament identifies Jesus as the sent Son and Servant, then commissions His witnesses under the authority of His completed saving work.