apollymi · destroy, perish

What it means

apollymi (ἀπόλλυμι) is a Greek word of the Bible that means “destroy, perish”.

Destroy, cause to perish; in the middle voice, perish, be lost.

How to say it

Approximate pronunciation. Vowels sound as in Spanish (a as in father, e as in bed, i as in machine, o as in note, u as in rule); the syllable in bold is stressed. The voice is your device's.

Its senses in the Bible

1. To do away with someone or something: take a life or ruin it.
2. To die, or be cut off from God forever.
3. To be left without something or someone one had.
4. Gone astray, like the sheep that wandered off.

From Abbott-Smith (1922) · Thayer (1889)

Word study

To destroy, cause to perish; in the middle voice, to perish, be lost. From there also to lose something or someone. It is a compound of ἀπό and ὄλλυμι, “destroy”. Thayer also gives the sense “to put to death”. Of the same family is ἀπώλεια, “destruction”.

• Destroying or seeking to kill Matthew 2:131 Corinthians 1:19
• Perishing: “we are perishing”, “may not perish” Matthew 8:25John 3:16
• Losing one's life to find it Matthew 16:25
• What is lost: the sheep, the son Luke 15:4Luke 15:24Luke 19:10
• “The lost sheep of the house of Israel” Matthew 10:6

How we translate it

“Destroy” 18 times, “perish” 15, “lost” 12, “destroyed” 9, “loses” 8, “perished” 8, “will lose” 5. The context decides between “destroy” (active, with an object: Matthew 2:13), “perish” (to die or be ruined: John 3:16) and “lose” or “lost” (Luke 15). This edition's glossary pairs it with σῴζω: “save / destroy, perish”.

How it is translated

The words this translation uses for it, most frequent first.

• destroy ×18
• perish ×15
• lost ×12
• destroyed ×9
• loses ×8
• perished ×8
• will lose ×5
• lose ×4
• those who are perishing ×3
• we are perishing ×3
• others ×5

Related words

Words of the same family, by Strong’s numbering.

Where it appears

• Matthew×19
• Mark×10
• Luke×27
• John×10
• Acts×2
• Romans×2
• 1 Corinthians×6
• 2 Corinthians×3
• 2 Thessalonians×1
• Hebrews×1
• James×2
• 1 Peter×1
• 2 Peter×2
• 2 John×1
• Jude×2
• Revelation×1

• Matthew 2:13

  And when they had withdrawn, look, an angel of the Lord appears in a dream to Joseph, saying, “Get up, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you; for Herod is about to search for the child to destroy him.”

• Matthew 5:29

  And if your right eye causes you to stumble, tear it out and throw it away from you; for it is better for you that one of your members perish and not your whole body be thrown into Gehenna.

• Matthew 5:30

  And if your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away from you; for it is better for you that one of your members perish and not your whole body go off into Gehenna.

• Matthew 8:25

  And they came and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us; we are perishing!”

• 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 destroyed; but they put new wine into fresh wineskins, and both are preserved.”

• Matthew 10:6

  but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

• Matthew 10:28

  And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather be afraid of the one who can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna.

• Matthew 10:39

  The one who finds his life will lose it, and the one who loses his life for my sake will find it.

• Matthew 10:42

  And whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water to drink because he is a disciple, truly I tell you, he will never lose his reward.”

• Matthew 12:14

  But the Pharisees went out and took counsel against him, how they might destroy him.

• Matthew 15:24

  But he answered and said, “I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”

• Matthew 16:25

  For whoever wants to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for the sake of me will find it.

• Matthew 18:14

  So it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.

• Matthew 21:41

  They say to him, “He will destroy those wretches wretchedly, and lease the vineyard to other tenant farmers who will give him the fruits in their seasons.”

• Matthew 22:7

  The king was angered, and sending his troops, he destroyed those murderers and burned their city.

• Matthew 26:52

  Then Jesus says to him, “Put your sword back into its place, for all who take the sword will perish by the sword.

• Matthew 27:20

  But the high priests and the elders persuaded the crowds to ask for Barabbas and to destroy Jesus.

• Mark 1:24

  saying, “What have we to do with you, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God!”

• Mark 2:22

  And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the wine will burst the skins, and the wine is lost, and the skins; but new wine into new wineskins.”

• Mark 3:6

  And the Pharisees went out and at once held a council with the Herodians against him, how they might destroy him.

• Mark 4:38

  And he himself was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they wake him and say to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?”

• Mark 8:35

  For whoever wants to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for the sake of me and the good news will save it.

• Mark 9:22

  and often it has thrown him both into fire and into water to destroy him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us!”

• Mark 9:41

  For whoever gives you a cup of water to drink in the name that you belong to the Messiah, truly I tell you, he will never lose his reward.

• Mark 11:18

  And the high priests and the scribes heard it, and they were seeking how they might destroy him; for they feared him, for all the crowd was astonished at his teaching.

• Mark 12:9

  What will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the tenants and give the vineyard to others.

• Luke 4:34

  “Ah! What have we to do with you, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are: the Holy One of God!”

• Luke 5:37

  And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the new wine will burst the skins, and it will be spilled, and the skins will be destroyed.

• Luke 6:9

  And Jesus said to them, “I ask you, is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save a life or to destroy it?”

• Luke 8:24

  And they came and woke him, saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!” And he woke up and rebuked the wind and the surge of the water; and they ceased, and there was a calm.

• Luke 9:24

  For whoever wants to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for the sake of me, that one will save it.

• Luke 9:25

  For what is a person benefited if he gains the whole world but loses or forfeits himself?

• Luke 11:51

  from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who perished between the altar and the house; yes, I tell you, it will be required of this generation.

• Luke 13:3

  No, I tell you; but unless you change your minds, you will all likewise perish.

• Luke 13:5

  No, I tell you; but unless you change your minds, you will all perish in the same way.”

• Luke 13:33

  Nevertheless I must go on my way today and tomorrow and the day following, because it is not possible for a prophet to perish outside Jerusalem.

• Luke 15:4

  “What man among you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the lost one until he finds it?

• Luke 15:6

  And when he comes into the house, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’

• Luke 15:8

  Or what woman having ten drachmas, if she loses one drachma, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it?

• Luke 15:9

  And when she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the drachma that I had lost.’

And 50 more times.