What does ἀστοχέω (astochéō) mean in the Bible?
ἀστοχέω (astochéō): Missing intended target; in Paul, falling away from faith or sound doctrine through error.
Greek · G795
ἀστοχέω
To deviate
Reading a lexicon entry
What this page is: Each lexicon entry shows the original Hebrew or Greek word behind the English translation: its meaning, its range of use, and where it appears in Scripture.
Strong's number: The Strong's code (H- or G-) is the standard reference number for this word. It connects this entry to chapter and passage language tabs.
Where it appears: The witness passages show where this word is used in context. Click any to open the study page for that passage.
This lexicon entry is part of our ongoing editorial review. If you notice missing content, unclear wording, or a possible correction, please send us a note through theConnect page. Screenshots are helpful.
ἀστοχέωG795
Pronunciationastochéō
What does ἀστοχέω (astochéō) mean in the Bible?
ἀστοχέω (astochéō): Missing intended target; in Paul, falling away from faith or sound doctrine through error.
Full entry for ἀστοχέω (G795) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render G795?
The BSB source-word alignment has 3 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include and [thus] swerved away (1), have deviated (1), have strayed (1).
Where does ἀστοχέω (astochéō) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at 1 Timothy 1:6. Its strongest book concentrations include 1 Timothy (2), 2 Timothy (1).
Source Word Evidence
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders Itand [thus] swerved away1×1 Timothy 6:21
have deviated1×2 Timothy 2:18
have strayed1×1 Timothy 1:6
Show sample aligned rows
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row1 Timothy 1:6
Aligned rows3
Books represented2
1 Timothy22 Timothy1
Source forms
ἠστόχησαν2xēstochēsan1 Timothy 6:21, 2 Timothy 2:18
ἀστοχήσαντες1xastochēsantes1 Timothy 1:6
Parsing patterns
Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Plural2x1 Timothy 6:21, 2 Timothy 2:18
Verb - Aorist Participle Active - Nominative Masculine Plural1x1 Timothy 1:6
Evidence Summary
Greek word. Missing intended target; in Paul, falling away from faith or sound doctrine through error.
Strong'sG795
Lexical occurrences3 versesGreek text appearances3 timesWord forms2 forms3 referencesVerse guides0 guides
Study link1 Timothy 6:20-21Source Gloss
to deviate
Greek Text Appearances
Textus Receptus witness, full corpusGreek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
3 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
1 Timothy 1:6Verb Aorist Active Participle Nominative Plural Masculine
ἀστοχήσαντεςastochsantev
I miss the mark, miss my aim, make a false aim
Read verse1 Timothy 6:21Verb Third Person Plural Aorist Active Indicative
ἠστόχησαν.hstochsan
I miss the mark, miss my aim, make a false aim
Read verse2 Timothy 2:18Verb Third Person Plural Aorist Active Indicative
ἠστόχησαν,hstochsan
I miss the mark, miss my aim, make a false aim
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 groups2Aligned forms3TensesAoristVoicesActive
Verse guides are not available for this word yet, so verse references remain plain evidence markers.
Tenses
Voices
Indicativestates a fact or reality2×
Aorist Active1 Tim 6:21 · 2 Tim 2:182×
Participleverbal adjective — the action as a modifying quality1×
Aorist Active1 Tim 1:61×
Discourse Aspect
How this verb appears across 3 occurrences in the NT discourse index (MACULA Greek SBLGNT).
Aspect
Tense
aorist3
Voice
active3
Mood
indicative2participle1
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.
New Testament Witnesses
To turn aside from the intended path.
Showing 1 selected witness from 3 lexical occurrence verses.
Word Origins
ἀστοχέω is built from this root:
Why This Word Matters
Doctrinal deviation leads to real spiritual loss.1 Timothy 6:20-21
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.