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G602 ἀποκάλυψις (apokálypsis)
Greek 📖 Word Study
‹ G601 Greek Dictionary G603 ›

Quick Definition

ἀποκάλυψις, εως, ἡ n.f. an unveiling, uncovering, revealing

Strong's Definition

from 601; disclosure

KJV Usage: appearing, coming, lighten, manifestation, be revealed, revelation

UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament

noun, f. | -εως | καλύπτω

28.38 · Know · Well Known, Clearly Shown, Revealed

to reveal, to disclose, to make fully known, revelation (figurative extension of meaning of ἀποκάλυψις ‘to uncover, to take out of hiding,’ not occurring in the NT) to cause something to be fully known

LUK 2:32 · ROM 2:5 · ROM 8:19 · 1CO 1:7 · 1CO 14:6 · 1CO 14:26 · 2CO 12:1 · 2CO 12:7 · GAL 1:12 · GAL 2:2 · EPH 1:17 · EPH 3:3 · 2TH 1:7 · 1PE 1:7 · 1PE 1:13 · 1PE 4:13 · REV 1:1

UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament © United Bible Societies, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Thayer's Greek Lexicon

ἀπο-κάλυψις, -ews, ἡ, (ἀποκαλύπτω. q. V.),an uncovering; 1. prop. a laying bare, making naked (1 S. xx. 30). 2. tropically, in N. T. and 600]. language [see end], a. a disclosure of truth, instruction, concerning divine things before unknown—esp. those relating to the Christian salvation — given to the soul by God himself, or by the ascended Christ, esp. through the operation of the Holy Spirit (1 Co. ii. 10), and so to be distinguished from other methods of instruction; hence, κατὰ ἀποκάλυψιν γνωρίζεσθαι, Eph. 111. 3. πνεῦμα ἀποκαλύψεως, a spirit received from God disclosing what and how great are the benefits of salvation, Eph. i. 17, cf. 18. with gen. of the obj., rod μυστηρίου, Ro. xvi. 25. with gen. of the subj., κυρίου, Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, 2 Co. xii. 1 (revelations by ecstasies and visions, [so 7]); Gal. 1. 12; Rev. i. 1 (reyelation of future things relating to the consummation of the divine kingdom) ; κατ᾽ ἀποκάλυψιν, Gal. ii. 2; λαλεῖν ἐν ἀποκ. to speak on the ground of [al. in the form of] a revelation, agreeably to a revelation received, 1 Co. xiv. 6; equiv. to ἀποκεκαλυμμένον, in the phrase ἀποκάλυψιν ἔχειν, 1 Co. xiv. 26. b. equiv. to τὸ ἀποκαλύπτεσθαι as used of events by which things or states or persons hitherto withdrawn from view are made visible to all, manifestation, appearance, cf. ἀποκαλύπτω, 2, ἃ. and e.: φῶς eis ἀποκάλ. ἐθνῶν a light to appear to the Gentiles[al. render ‘a light for a revelation (of divine truth) to the Gentiles,’ and so refer the use toa. above], Lk. ii. 32; ἀποκ. δικαιοκρισίας θεοῦ, Ro. ii. 5; τῶν υἱῶν τοῦ θεοῦ. the event in which it will appear who and what the sons of God are, by the glory received from God at the last day, Ro. viii. 19; τῆς δόξης τοῦ Χριστοῦ, of the glory clothed with which he will return from heaven, 1 Pet. iv. 13; of this return itself the phrase is used aroκάλυψις τοῦ κυρίου "I. Χριστοῦ : 2 Th. i. 7; 1 Co.i. 7; 1 Pet. i. 7,13. (Among Grk. writ. Plut. uses the word once, Cat. maj. ο. 20, of the denudation of the body, {also in Paul. Aemil. 14 4. ὑδάτων ; in Quomodo adul. ab amic. 32 ἀ. ἁμαρτίας ; ef. Sir. xi. 27; xxii. 22 ete. See Trench § xciv. and reff. s. v. ἀποκαλύπτω, fin.])

Mounce Concise Greek Dictionary

ἀποκάλυψις apokalypsis 18x

a disclosure, revelation, Rom. 2:5; manifestation, appearance, Rom. 8:19; 1 Cor. 1:7; 2 Thess. 1:7; 1 Pet. 1:7, 13; 4:13; met. spiritual enlightenment, Lk. 2:32

Abbott-Smith Greek Lexicon

ἀπο-κάλυψις, -εως, ἡ

(< ἀποκαλύπτω), [in LXX: I Ki 20:30 (עֶרְוָה), Si 11:27 22:22 42:1*;]

an uncovering, laying bare (Plut.). Metaph., a revealing, revelation: a disclosure of divine truth, or a manifestion from God: Lk 2:32, Ro 2:5 8:19 16:25, I Co 1:7 14:6, 26, II Co 12:1, 7, Ga 1:12 2:2, Eph 1:17 3:3, II Th 1:7, I Pe 1:7, 13 4:13, Re 1:1.†

SYN.: ἐπιφάνεια, παρουσία, φανέρωσις (v. Tr., Syn., xciv; Lft., Notes, 102, 178; Westc, Eph., 178 f.; M, Th., 145 ff.; Cremer, 343).

Trench — Synonyms of the New Testament

᾿Αποκάλυψις is only once found in the books of the Ὁ. T. canon, namely at 1 Sam. xx. 30; and there in altogether a subordinate sense, as = ‘denudatio’; three times in the Apocrypha (Ecclus. xi. 27; xxii. 22; xli. 23); but as little 3 AA 254 SYNONYMS OF THE NEW TESTAMENT, ὃ χοιν. in this as in the other does it obtain that grander meaning which it has acquired in the N. T. In this last it is predominantly, though not exclusively, a Pauline word ; and, occurring altogether some nineteen times, being rendered once ‘coming’ (1 Cor. i. 7), once ‘manifestation’ (Rom. viii. 19), once ‘appearing’ (1 Pet. i. 7), and once ‘to lighten’ (εἰς ἀποκάλυψιν, Luke ii. 32), has always that auguster sense of an unveiling by God of Himself to his creatures, to which we have given the more Latin term, revelation. The same auguster sense the verb ἀποκαλύπτειν in the N.'T. commonly possesses; but not there for the first time, this sense having been anticipated in the great apocalyptic book of the Old Covenant (see Dan. ii. 19, 22,28). Nor does it always possess this, sometimes simply meaning ‘ to uncover’ or ‘ to lay bare’ (Luke xii. 2; Prov. xx. 19). ᾿Αποκάλυψις, as St. Jerome would fain persuade us, is nowhere to be found outside of sacred Greek (Comm. in Gal. i. 12): ‘Verbum ἀποκαλύψεως proprie Scripturarum est; a nullo sapientum seculi apud Grecos usurpatum. Unde mihi videntur quemadmodum in aliis verbis, que de Hebreeo in Greecum LXX Interpretes transtulerunt, ita et in hoc magnopere esse conati ut proprietatem peregrini sermonis exprimerent, nova novis rebus verba fingentes, et sonare, quum quid tectum et velatum ablato desuper operimento ostenditur et profertur in lucem.’ In thus claiming the word as proper and peculiar to the Scriptures, and not found in any writings of the wise of this world, St. Jerome is in error; although the total absence in his time of exhaustive Lexicons or Concordances of the great writers of antiquity might well excuse his mistake. Not to speak of ἀποκαλύπτειν, which is used several times by Plato (Protag. 352 d; Gorg. 460 a), ἀποκάλυψις itself is far from unfrequent in the later Greek of Plutarch (see Paul. Amil. 14; Cato Maj. 20, where it is = yvpvoois; Quom. Am. ab Adul. 32; and elsewhere.) Thus far indeed ὅχοιγν. SYNONYMS OF THE NEW TESTAMENT. 355 Jerome has right, namely, that the religious use of the word was altogether strange to the heathen world, while the corresponding ‘revelatio’ was absolutely unknown to classical Latin, having first come to the birth in the Latin of the Church. Elsewhere (Ep. οχχὶ. ad Algas.) he makes a somewhat similar mistake in respect of the verb καταβραβεύειν (Col. ii. 18), which he claims as a Cilicism of St. Paul’s. It occurs ina document cited by Demosthenes, Mid. p. 544. The word in its highest Christian sense has been explained by Arethas as ἡ τῶν κρυπτῶν μυστηρίων δήλωσις, καταυγαζομένου τοῦ ἡγεμονικοῦ τῆς ψυχῆς, εἴτε διὰ θείων ὀνειράτων, εἴτε καθ᾽ ὕπαρ, ἐκ θείας ἐλλάμψεως. Joined with ὀπτασία (2 Cor. xii. 1), it is by Theophylact (see Suicer, 5. v.) distinguished from it in this, that the ὀπτασία is no more than the thing shown or seen, the sight or vision, which might quite possibly be seen without being understood ; while the ἀποκάλυψις includes not merely the thing shown and seen, but the interpretation or unveiling of the same. His words are as follows: ἡ ἀποκάλυψις πλέον τι ἔχει τῆς OTTaTlas’ ἡ μὲν yap μόνον βλέπειν δίδωσιν: αὕτη δὲ καί τι βαθύτερον τοῦ ὁρωμένου ἀπογυμνοῖ. Thus Daniel’s vision of the four beasts was seen but not understood, until one that stood by made him know the interpretation of the things (Dan. vii. 15, 16, 19, 23: ef. viii. 15, 19; Zech. i. 18-21). On this distinction see more in Liicke’s Hinleitung in die Offenbarung des Johannes, 2nd ed. p. 26. What holds good of the ὀπτασία will of course hold good of the ὅραμα (Matt. xvii. 9; Acts vii. 31; x. 19), and of the ὅρασις (Acts. 11. 17) as well; between which and the ὀπτασία it would scarcely be possible to draw any distinction that would stand. ᾿Ἐπιφάνεια, which Tertullian renders ‘apparentia’ (Adv. Mare. i. 19), occurs only twice in the Septuagint (2 Sam. Vii. 23, μεγαλωσύνη καὶ ἐπιφάνεια [ct. δόξα καὶ ἐπιφάνεια, Plutarch, De Trang. Anim. 11]; Amos v. 22): but often aa2 356 SYNONYMS OF THE NEW TESTAMENT. ὃ χοιν. in the Second Maccabees; being always there used of God’s supernatural apparitions in aid of his people; thus li. 21 (ἐξ οὐρανοῦ éripdverat): iii. 245 V. 43 Xll. 223 Xv. 27. Already in heathen use this grand word was constantly employed to set forth these gracious appearances of the higher powers in aid of men; so Dionysius Hal. (ii. 68). The word is found only six times in the N. T., always in the writings of St. Paul. On five occasions our Translators have rendered it ‘appearing’; on the sixth, however (2 Thess. 11. 8), they seem to have shrunk from what looked to them as a tautology, ‘ appearance of his coming,” as in the earlier Protestant Versions it stood; and have rendered ἐπιφάνεια τῆς παρουσίας." brightness of his coming,’ giving to the word a meaning not properly its own. It expresses on one occasion (2 Tim. i. 10, and so ἐπιφαένειν, Tit. ii. 115 iii. 4) our Lord’s first Epiphany, his εἰς ἀνθρώπους ἔνσαρκος ἐπιφάνεια : but on all the other his second appearing in glory, the ἐπιφάνεια τῆς παρουσίας αὐτοῦ (2 Thess. ii. 8), τῆς δόξης τοῦ μεγάλου Θεοῦ (Tit. ii. 13; 1 Tim. vi. 14; 2 Tim. iv. 1, 8; cf. Acts ii. 20). If we bring these two into comparison, ἀποκάλυψις is the more comprehensive, and, grand as is the other, the grander word. It sets forth nothing less than that progressive and immediate unveiling of Himself to his Church on the part of the otherwise unknown and unknowable God which has run through all ages; the body to which this revelation is vouchsafed being thereby designated or indeed constituted as his Church, the object of his more immediate care, and the ordained diffuser of this knowledge of Him to the rest of mankind. The world may know something of Him, of his eternal power and Godhead, from the things which are seen; which things except for the darkening of men’s hearts through sin would have told of Him much more clearly (Rom, i. 20); but there is no ἀποκάλυψις save to the Church. We may say of the ἐπιφάνειαι that they are contained in the ἀποκάλυψις, being separate points or moments therein. If God is to be immediately known to men, He must in some shape or other appear to them, to those among them whom He has chosen for this honour. Epiphanies must be Theophanies as well; and as such the Church has claimed not merely such communications made to men as are recorded at Gen. XVill. 1; xxviii. 13; but all in which the Angel of the Lord or of the Covenant appears; such as Gen. xvi. 7; Josh. Vv. 13-15; Judg. 11. 1; vi. 15; xiii. 3. All these it has regarded as preludings, on the part of the Son, of his Incarnation ; itself the most glorious Epiphany that as yet has been, even as his second coming is an Epiphany more glorious still which is yet in the future. Pavépwors is only twice used in the N. T. (1 Cor. xii. 7; 2Cor.iv. 2). Reaching far on both these occasions, it does not reach to the very highest of all; it does not set forth, as do the words we have just been treating, either the first or the second appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ; although that it could have borne even this burden is sufficiently plain from the fact that the verb φανεροῦσθαι is continually employed of both; thus of the first coming at 1 Tim. iii. 16; Heb. ix. 26; 1 Johni.2; 1 Pet. i. 20; and of the second at Col. iii. 4; 1 Pet. v. 4; 1 John iii. 2; and for other august uses of it see John ii. I1; xxi. 1; and φανέρωσις itself is not seldom so employed by the Fathers. Thus Athanasius (quoted by Suicer, s. v.) calls the Incarnation ἡ ἐν σώματι φανέρωσις τοῦ πατρικοῦ Λόγου. It is hard to trace any reason why φανέρωσις should not have been claimed to set forth the same glorious facts which these other words, to which in meaning it is so nearly allied, have done; but whether by accident or of intention this honour has not been vouchsafed. “EXevous, a far tamer word than any of the others here, is used once in Acts (vii. 52) for the setting forth of the Lord’s coming. 358 SYNONYMS OF THE NEW TESTAMENT. §xcv.

Moulton & Milligan — Vocabulary of the Greek NT

ἀποκάλυψις. The Biblical history οἵ ἀποκάλυψις along with the foregoing verb is discussed by Milligan Thess. p. 149 ff. Jerome’s assertion (Comm. in Gal. 113) that the word “*proprie Scripturarum est; a nullo sapientum saeculi apud Graecos usurpatum” cannot, however, be substantiated, if only because of its occurrences in Plutarch, who, like the NT writers, drew from the common vocabulary of the time, see e.g. Mor. 70 F.

Liddell-Scott-Jones — Greek-English Lexicon

ἀποκάλυψις (apokalupsis) — revelation. ἀπο-κάλυψις [κᾰ], εως, ἡ, uncovering, of the head, [Refs 1st c.BC+]; disclosing, of hidden springs, [Refs 1st c.AD+]; revelation, especially of divine mysteries, [NT]; of persons, manifestation, [NT]; title of the Apocalypse.

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