Word

ἀπόλλυμι

apóllymi · G622 · Greek · 90 occurrences

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Meanings

to ruin, to destroy, destruction

To destroy or to cause the destruction of persons, objects, or institutions

Examples
Matthew 2:13 Now when they had gone, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Get up! Take the Child and His mother and flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you; for Herod is going to search for the Child to kill Him.”
Matthew 9:17 “Nor do people put new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the wineskins burst, and the wine pours out and the wineskins are ruined; but they put new wine into fresh wineskins, and both are preserved.”
Matthew 10:28 “And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
to not obtain, to fail to get

To fail to obtain a valued object

Examples
Matthew 10:42 “And whoever gives one of these little ones just a cup of cold water to drink in the name of a disciple, truly I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward.”
Mark 9:41 “For whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because of your name as followers of Christ, truly I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward.
John 6:12 And when they had eaten their fill, He said to His disciples, “Gather up the leftover pieces so that nothing will be lost.”
to lose

To lose something which one already possesses

Examples
Matthew 5:29 “Now if your right eye is causing you to sin, tear it out and throw it away from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.
Matthew 5:30 “And if your right hand is causing you to sin, cut it off and throw it away from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to go into hell.
Matthew 10:39 “The one who has found his life will lose it, and the one who has lost his life on My account will find it.
to lose, to no longer know where something is

To become unaware of the location of something

Examples
Matthew 10:6 but rather go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
Matthew 15:24 But He answered and said, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”
Luke 9:24 “For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, this is the one who will save it.
to experience the loss of life, to die

An idiom, literally: to suffer the destruction of one’s life, or: to have one’s life destroyed

Examples
Matthew 10:39 “The one who has found his life will lose it, and the one who has lost his life on My account will find it.
Matthew 16:25 “For whoever wants to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.
Mark 8:35 “For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it.
to die, to perish

To die, with the implication of ruin and destruction

Examples
Matthew 8:25 And they came to Him and woke Him, saying, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing!”
Matthew 26:52 Then Jesus said to him, “Put your sword back into its place; for all those who take up the sword will perish by the sword.
Mark 4:38 And yet Jesus Himself was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?”
to cease to exist, to no longer exist, to come to an end, to disappear

To cease to exist, with a possible implication of violent means

Examples
Hebrews 1:11 THEY WILL PERISH, BUT YOU REMAIN; AND THEY ALL WILL WEAR OUT LIKE A GARMENT,
1 Peter 1:7 so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which perishes though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ;
2 Peter 3:6 through which the world at that time was destroyed by being flooded with water.
to be lost, to perish

To be lost, in the religious or spiritual sense

Examples
Matthew 18:14 “So it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven for one of these little ones to perish.
Luke 13:5 “No, I tell you, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.”
Luke 19:10 “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

How it’s used In 9 roles

Every occurrence, grouped by the words it is grammatically related to.

the word studied the word it goes with

Who or what does itSubject

88 occurrences in 37 groups

Not stated: he, she or it 11
Not stated (participle) 10
Not stated: they 8
Not stated in the clause 7
Not stated (infinitive) 6
ὅςwho, which, that 4
Other words · 28 groups that occur once or twice (33) 33

What it acts on, or what is saidObject

37 occurrences in 18 groups

αὐτόςhe, she, it, same 15
ψυχήlife, soul 5
Other words · 16 groups that occur once or twice (20) 20

With prepositionsPrepositional phrases

17 occurrences in 16 groups

ἕνεκαbecause of, for the sake of+ ἐγώI, we 4
Other words · 15 groups that occur once or twice (15) 15

With adverbsAdverbs

18 occurrences in 9 groups

μήnot 6
οὐnot 6
Other words · 7 groups that occur once or twice (7) 7

Named alongside itApposition

7 occurrences in 5 groups

πρόβατονsheep 3
βρῶσιςeating, food 1
δραχμήdrachma 1
ΖαχαρίαςZacharias 1
χρυσίονgold 1

What it doesIt is the subject

9 occurrences in 6 groups

συμφέρωto be profitable, to be better 3
εὑρίσκωto find, to discover 2
ἐνδέχεταιto be possible 1
ζωογονέωto keep alive 1
μέλωto think about 1
σώζωto save, to deliver 1

What is done to itIt is the object

13 occurrences in 10 groups

ζητέωto seek, to look for 3
Other words · 9 groups that occur once or twice (11) 11

What it is said to bePredicate

1 occurrences in 1 groups

θέλημαwill, desire 1

After prepositionsPrepositional phrases

3 occurrences in 2 groups

ἐνin 3
ἐπίon 2

When two words share a role, as in “Paul and Barnabas said”, the verse appears under each, so a section’s counts can add up to more than the number of occurrences.

MACULA Greek Linguistic Datasets, available at https://github.com/Clear-Bible/macula-greek/, licensed CC BY 4.0; MACULA Hebrew Linguistic Datasets © 2022-2024 by Biblica, Inc., CC BY 4.0. Westminster Leningrad Codex (tanach.us). OpenScriptures Hebrew Bible morphology (hb.openscriptures.org), CC BY 4.0.

Near synonyms 1 word

λυμαίνομαι lymaínomai · G3075 · to injure severely, to maltreat, to ruin: Both verbs denote ruin or destruction. λυμαίνομαι specifically denotes violent ravaging directed at persons or communities (also carrying a sense of severely injuring or maltreating), while the target has a broader application spanning physical, figurative, and spiritual destruction. This is a genuine convergence in the domain of ruin and destruction, distinguished by whether the destructive action is a violent assault on people or a more general act of destroying.

Contrasting words 1 word

σώζω sṓzō · G4982 · to deliver, to rescue, to make safe: The target, ἀπόλλυμι ('to destroy, to perish'), and σῴζω ('to save, to deliver') form a genuine lexical antonym pair: destruction versus deliverance from destruction. The two verbs occupy complementary rather than overlapping semantic territory — one bringing to ruin, the other rescuing from ruin — a straightforward lexical opposition.

In the other Testament 4 words

אָבַד ʼâbad · H6 · to be lost, to wander, to stray: Hebrew אָבַד is the standard equivalent for Greek ἀπόλλυμι, both denoting destruction, perishing, or loss in literal and figurative senses, and functioning as direct translation equivalents across the biblical corpus.
סָפָה çâphâh · H5595 · to be captured, to be swept away: סָפָה (çâphâh, H5595) primarily denotes consumption and sweeping destruction with overtones of addition/augmentation in the destructive process, while ἀπόλλυμι (apóllymi, G622) emphasizes complete ruin and loss (including reflexive perishing); both share the core semantic domain of destruction/perishing with סָפָה (çâphâh, H5595)'s consumption nuance distinguishing it from ἀπόλλυμι (apóllymi, G622)'s broader ruin-and-loss frame.
אֲבַד ʼăbad · H7 · destroy, perish: Hebrew אֲבַד (ʼăbad, H7) is the direct semantic equivalent of Greek ἀπόλλυμι (apóllymi, G622), both denoting destruction or perishing in literal and figurative senses; the LXX consistently renders אֲבַד (ʼăbad, H7) with ἀπόλλυμι (apóllymi, G622) in contexts of loss, ruin, and death.
אֹבֵד ʼôbêd · H8 · destruction, to be permanent: ἀπόλλυμι (apóllymi, G622) and אֹבֵד (ʼôbêd, H8) share the core semantic concept of perishing or being destroyed, with both denoting total loss or ruin in literal and figurative contexts; the Greek term exhibits broader morphological versatility (active and middle/passive voice constructions) while the Hebrew root primarily appears in contexts of destruction and loss.

Semantic domains 8 entries

To cease to exist, to no longer exist, to come to an end, to disappear13.96: In Matthew 9:17, Jesus says that people do not put new wine into old wineskins, “otherwise the wineskins burst, and the wine pours out and the wineskins are ruined (apóllyntai),” describing containers rendered permanently unusable.
To ruin, to destroy, destruction20.31: In Matthew 2:13, an angel warns Joseph to flee to Egypt, “for Herod is going to search for the Child to kill (apolésai) Him,” describing Herod's deliberate intent to destroy the infant.
To be lost, to perish21.32: In Matthew 8:25, the disciples wake Jesus during the storm, crying, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing (apollýmetha)!” describing men in mortal danger, not yet dead but facing it.
To die, to perish23.106: In John 3:16, “God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish (apólētai), but have eternal life,” contrasting eternal life with a final, spiritual death.
To experience the loss of life, to die23.114: In Luke 13:3, Jesus warns His hearers, “unless you repent, you will all likewise perish (apoleĩsthe),” describing an actual, physical death coming as judgment, on the model of the Galileans killed by Pilate.
To lose, to no longer know where something is27.29: In Luke 15:4, Jesus asks which shepherd, having a hundred sheep and losing (apolésas) one of them, “does not leave the other ninety-nine in the open pasture and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it,” describing an animal whose whereabouts are simply unknown.
To not obtain, to fail to get57.67: In 2 John 1:8, the elder warns, “watch yourselves, that you do not lose (apolésēte) what we have accomplished, but that you may receive a full reward,” describing an anticipated future reward that could go unattained.
To lose57.68: In Luke 15:9, the woman who found her missing coin tells her friends, “Rejoice with me, because I have found the coin which I had lost (apṓlesa)!” describing a valuable possession she had once held and then lost.

Word family 9 words

Words formed from the same root. They share a form, not always a meaning.

ὄλεθρος ólethros · G3639 · ruin, destruction, to destroy · 4×ἀπόλλυμιapóllymi · G622ἀπώλεια apṓleia · G684 · destruction, waste, ruin · 18×Ἀπολλύων Apollýōn · G623 · a destroyer · 1×Ἀπολλωνία Apollōnía · G624 · Apollonia, a place in Macedonia · 1×ἐξολοθρεύω exolothreúō · G1842 · to destroy, to destroy and remove · 1×ὀλοθρευτής olothreutḗs · G3644 · destroyer · 1×ὀλοθρεύω olothreúō · G3645 · to destroy, to ruin, destruction · 1×συναπόλλυμι synapóllymi · G4881 · to be destroyed with, to perish with · 1×

Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon and ἀπολλύω ((ἀπολλύει Jn 12:25 T Tr WH), imperative ἀπόλλυε Rom 14:15 (cf. Buttmann, 45…

and ἀπολλύω ((ἀπολλύει Jn 12:25 T Tr WH), imperative ἀπόλλυε Rom 14:15 (cf. Buttmann, 45 (39); WH's Appendix, p. 168f)); future ἀπολέσω and (1 Cor 1:19 ἀπολῶ from a passage in the O. T., where often) ἀπολῶ (cf. Winers Grammar, 83 (80); (Buttmann, 64 (56))); 1 aorist ἀπώλεσα; to destroy; middle, present ἀπόλλυμαι; (imperfect 3 person plural ἀπώλλυντο 1 Cor 10:9 T Tr WH); future ἀπολοῦμαι; 2 aorist ἀπωλόμην; (2 perfect active participle ἀπολωλώς); (from Homer down); to perish.
1. to destroy i. e. to put out of the way entirely, abolish, put an end to, ruin: Mk 1:24; Lk 4:34; Lk 17:27, Lk 17:29; Jude 1:5; τήν σοφίαν render useless, cause its emptiness to be perceived, 1 Cor 1:19 (from the Sept. of Isa 29:14); to kill: Mt 2:13; Mt 12:14; Mk 9:22; Mk 11:18; Jn 10:10, etc.; contextually, to declare that one must be put to death: Mt 27:20; metaphorically, to devote or give over to eternal misery: Mt 10:28; Jas 4:12; contextually, by one's conduct to cause another to lose eternal salvation: Rom 14:15. Middle to perish, to be lost, ruined, destroyed;
a. of persons; (a). properly: Mt 8:25; Lk 13:3, Lk 13:5, Lk 13:33; Jn 11:50; 2 Pet 3:6; Jude 1:11, etc.; ἀπόλλυμαι λιμῷ, Lk 15:17; ἐν μαχαρια, Mt 26:52; καταβαλλόμενοι, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἀπολλύμενοι, 2 Cor 4:9. (b). tropically, to incur the loss of true or eternal life; to be delivered up to eternal misery: Jn 3:15 (R Lbr.), ; Jn 10:28; (it must be borne in mind, that according to John's conception eternal life begins on earth, just as soon as one becomes united to Christ by faith); Rom 2:12; 1 Cor 8:11; 1 Cor 15:18; 2 Pet 3:9. Hence, οἱ σῳζόμενοι they to whom it belongs to partake of salvation, and οἱ ἀπολλύμενοι those to whom it belongs to perish or to be consigned to eternal misery, are contrasted by Paul: 1 Cor 1:18; 2 Cor 2:15; 2 Cor 4:8; 2 Thess 2:10 (on these present participles, cf. Winers Grammar, 342 (321); Buttmann, 206 (178)).
b. of things; to be blotted out, to vanish away: ἡ εὐπρέπεια, Jas 1:11; the heavens, Heb 1:11 (from Psalm 101:27; to perish — "of things which on being thrown away are decomposed, as μέλος τοῦ σώματος, Mt 5:29f; remnants of bread, Jn 6:12; — or which perish in some other way, as βρῶσις, Jn 6:27; χρυσίον, 1 Pet 1:7; — or which are mined so that they can no longer subserve the use for which they were designed, as οἱ ἀσκοί: Mt 9:17; Mk 2:22; Lk 5:37.
2. to destroy i. e. to lose;
a. properly: Mt 10:42; Mk 9:41 (τόν μισθόν αὐτοῦ); Lk 15:4, Lk 15:8, Lk 15:9; Lk 9:25; Lk 17:33; Jn 12:25; 2 Jn 1:8, etc.
b. metaphorically, Christ is said to lose anyone of his followers (whom the Father has drawn to discipleship) if such a one becomes wicked and fails of salvation: Jn 6:39, cf. Jn 18:9. Middle to be lost: θρίξ ἐκ τῆς κεφαλῆς, Lk 21:18; θρίξ ἀπό τῆς κεφαλῆς, Acts 27:34 (Rec. πεσεῖται); τά λαμπρά ἀπώλετο ἀπό σου, Rev 18:14 (Rec. ἀπῆλθε). Used of sheep, straying from the flock: properly, Lk 15:4 (τό ἀπολωλός, in Mt 18:12 τό πλανώμενον). Metaphorically, in accordance with the O. T. comparison of the people of Israel to a flock (Jer 27:6; Ezek 34:4, Ezek 34:16), the Jews, neglected by their religious teachers, left to themselves and thereby in danger of losing eternal salvation, wandering about as it were without guidance, are called τά πρόβατα τά ἀπολωλότα τοῦ οἴκου Ἰσραήλ: Mt 10:6; Mt 15:24 (Isa 53:6; 1 Pet 2:25); and Christ, reclaiming them from wickedness, is likened to a shepherd and is said ζητεῖν καί σῴζειν τό ἀπολωλός: Lk 19:10; Mt 18:11 Rec. (Compare: συναπόλλυμι.)

Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament (1889), public domain

Topical studies with this word 6 entries

Exist4 occurrences Destroy38 occurrences Save in a Religious Sense12 occurrences Live, Die11 occurrences Learn the Location of Something7 occurrences Take, Obtain, Gain, Lose21 occurrences

Meanings adapted from the UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament, © United Bible Societies, CC BY-SA 4.0 and the UBS Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew (from the Semantic Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew), © United Bible Societies, CC BY-SA 4.0; MACULA Greek Linguistic Datasets, available at https://github.com/Clear-Bible/macula-greek/, licensed CC BY 4.0; MACULA Hebrew Linguistic Datasets © 2022-2024 by Biblica, Inc., CC BY 4.0. Westminster Leningrad Codex (tanach.us). OpenScriptures Hebrew Bible morphology (hb.openscriptures.org), CC BY 4.0.

Sources

eRhema lexical overview, based on the UBS Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew and the UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament (© United Bible Societies, CC BY-SA 4.0) and Macula Hebrew and Greek (Clear Bible, CC BY 4.0); released under CC BY-SA 4.0