ἀπολύω

ἀπολύω — apolýō

ἀπολύω; (imperfect ἀπελυον); future ἀπολύσω; 1 aorist ἀπελυσα; passive, perfect ἀπολελυμαι; 1 aorist ἀπελυθην; (future ἀπολυθήσομαι); imperfect middle ἀπελυομην (Act 28:25); used in the N. T. only in the historical books and in Heb 13:23; to loose from, sever by loosening, undo (see ἀπό, V.);

1. to set free: τινα τίνος (so in Greek writings even from Homer down), to liberate one from a thing (as from a bond), Luk 13:12 (ἀπολέλυσαι (thou hast been loosed i. e.) be thou free from (cf. Winer's Grammar, § 40, 4) τῆς ἀσθενείας (L T ἀπό τῆς ἀσθενείας)).

2. to let go, dismiss (to detain no longer); τινα, a. a suppliant to whom liberty to depart is given by a decisive answer: Mat 15:23; Luk 2:29 (`me whom thou hadst determined to keep on earth until I had seen the salvation prepared for Israel, cf. Luk 2:26, thou art now dismissing with my wish accomplished, and this dismission is at the same time dismission also from life' — in reference to which ἀπολύειν is used in Num 20:29; Tob 3:6; (cf. Gen 15:2; 2Ma 7:9; Plutarch, consol. ad Apoll. § 13 cf. 11 at the end)); (Act 23:22).

b. to bid depart, send away: Mat 14:15; Mat 14:22; Mat 15:32; Mat 15:39; Mar 6:36; Mar 6:45; Mar 8:3; Mar 8:9; Luk 8:38; Luk 9:12; Luk 14:4; Act 13:3; Act 19:41 (τήν ἐκκλησίαν); passive Act 15:30; Act 15:33.

3. to let go free, to release;

a. a captive, i. e. to loose his bonds and bid him depart, to give him liberty to depart: Luk 22:68 (R G L Tr in brackets);; Joh 19:10; Act 16:35; Act 26:32 (ἀπολελύσθαι ἐδύνατο (might have been set at liberty, cf. Buttmann, 217 (187), § 139, 27 c.; Winers Grammar, 305 (286) i. e.) might be free; perfect as in Luk 13:12 (see 1 above, and Winer's Grammar, 334 (313))); Act 28:18; Heb 13:23; ἀπολύειν τινα τίνι, to release one to one, grant him his liberty: Mat 27:15; Mat 27:17; Mat 27:21; Mat 27:26; Mar 15:6; Mar 15:9; Mar 15:11; Mar 15:15; Luk 23:1-56 :, (R L in brackets),; (Joh 18:39).

b. to acquit one accused of a crime and set him at liberty: Joh 19:12; Act 3:13.

c. indulgently to grant a prisoner leave to depart: Act 4:21; Act 4:23; Act 5:40; Act 17:9.

d. to release a debtor, i. e. not to press one's claim against him, to remit his debt: Mat 18:27; metaphorically, to pardon another his offences against me: Luk 6:37 (τῆς ἁμαρτίας ἀπολύεσθαι, 2Ma 12:45).

4. used of divorce, as ἀπολύω τήν γυναῖκα to dismiss from the house, to repudiate: Mat 1:19; Mat 5:31; Mat 19:3; Mat 19:7-9; Mar 10:2; Mar 10:4; Mar 10:11; Luk 16:18; (1Es 9:36); and improperly a wife deserting her husband is said τόν ἄνδρα ἀπολύειν in Mar 10:12 (cf. Diodorus 12, 18) (unless, as is more probable, Mark, contrary to historic accuracy (yet cf. Josephus, Antiquities 15, 7, 10), makes Jesus speak in accordance with Greek and Roman usage, according to which wives also repudiated their husbands (references in Meyer, at the passage)); (cf. שִׁלַּח, Jer 3:8; Deu 21:14; Deu 22:19; Deu 22:29).

5. Middle ἀπολύομαι, properly, to send oneself away; to depart (Winer's Grammar, 253 (238)): Act 28:20 (returned home; Exo 33:11).