StrongerBible

apokalupsis

ἀποκάλυψις

GreekG0602“revelation, appearing, ...”

Appears 18 times · tap a cell to see the verses

Luk 2:32Rom 2:5Rom 8:19Rom 16:25(14:24)1Co 1:71Co 14:61Co 14:262Co 12:12Co 12:7Gal 1:12Gal 2:2Eph 1:17Eph 3:32Th 1:71Pe 1:71Pe 1:131Pe 4:13Rev 1:1
Root family
Word studyResearch-gradeah-po-KAH-loop-sisnoun

What apokalupsis means

an uncovering: the moment something hidden is brought out into the open, especially something God had kept concealed

TranslatabilityPartialCertaintySettled

At its root this word means taking a cover off. It is built from a verb meaning to cover or veil, with a prefix that means away, so the whole word is the act of pulling the veil away and letting what was hidden be seen. It was barely used in ordinary Greek; it became a religious word among Greek-speaking Jews, and the New Testament writers inherited it loaded with that history.

What ties every use together is this single picture of a cover coming off. The cover may be over a future day, over a long-secret plan, or over an insight given to one person, but in each case the word names the unveiling itself, not merely the thing seen. That is why one English word rarely fits: translators reach for "revelation," "appearing," "vision," or "coming," depending on what is being uncovered.

The senses below sort the New Testament uses by what gets uncovered. They are shades of one idea, not separate words. The same writer can move between them in a few verses, because to him the unveiling of the gospel, the unveiling of the last day, and the unveiling given in a vision are all the one act of God drawing back a curtain.

Nuances

1athe future unveiling: the end-time moment when Christ, his glory, or God's verdict is openly disclosed for all to see
Rom 2:5Rom 8:191Co 1:72Th 1:71Pe 1:71Pe 1:131Pe 4:13
1bthe gospel mystery made known: God's long-hidden plan, kept secret for ages, now uncovered through Christ and his messengers
Luk 2:32Rom 16:25(14:24)Gal 1:12Eph 1:17Eph 3:3Rev 1:1
1ca disclosure given to one person: an insight, vision, or piece of guidance unveiled to an individual
1Co 14:61Co 14:262Co 12:12Co 12:7Gal 2:2

What scholars say about apokalupsis

BDAG and Oepke (TDNT 3:556-92) trace the noun's near-absence from classical Greek and its emergence as a technical religious term in Hellenistic Judaism; Torrey and Morton Smith establish that it originated among Greek-speaking Jews. The decisive background is the Hebrew galah, rendered by the cognate verb roughly 95 times in the Septuagint, and especially the Theodotion Daniel 2 cluster pairing unveiling with mystery (raz), which Rowland, Collins, Bockmuehl, and Brown identify as the seed of the New Testament Revelationsschema (the once hidden, now revealed pattern, e.g. Rom 16:25). Aune, Bauckham, and Beale agree the term was not a genre label in the first century; Rev 1:1 functions as a content or source description, with John self-identifying as a prophet and his work as prophecy.

In-depth research

This is a research paper, so it may be hard to read without scholarly background. It is useful if you want to dig even deeper into this word.

Sources

  • W. Bauer and F. W. Danker, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, 3rd ed. (BDAG), 112-13lexicon
  • A. Oepke, "ἀποκαλύπτω, ἀποκάλυψις," in Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, ed. G. Kittel, 3:556-92theological-dictionary
  • Morton Smith, "On the History of ἀποκαλύπτω and ἀποκάλυψις," in Apocalypticism in the Mediterranean World and the Near East, ed. David Hellholm, 2nd ed. (1989), 9-20monograph
  • Christopher Rowland, The Open Heaven: A Study of Apocalyptic in Judaism and Early Christianity (1982), 9-14monograph
  • Raymond E. Brown, The Semitic Background of the Term "Mystery" in the New Testament (1968)monograph
  • Markus Bockmuehl, Revelation and Mystery in Ancient Judaism and Pauline Christianity, WUNT 2/36 (1990), 1-55, 129-56monograph
  • David E. Aune, Revelation 1-5, Word Biblical Commentary 52A (1997), 3-24commentary
  • Richard Bauckham, The Theology of the Book of Revelation (1993), 1-17monograph
  • G. K. Beale, The Book of Revelation, NIGTC (1999), 37-43, 181-84commentary

AI-generated word study · claude-opus-4-8

All attested forms of ἀποκάλυψις

accusative f s

ἀποκάλυψιν

Luk 2:32, Rom 8:19, Rom 16:25, 1Co 1:7, 1Co 14:26, Gal 2:2, Eph 3:3

dative f s

ἀποκαλύψει

1Co 14:6, 2Th 1:7, 1Pe 1:7, 1Pe 1:13, 1Pe 4:13

genitive f s

ἀποκαλύψεως

Rom 2:5, Gal 1:12, Eph 1:17

accusative f p

ἀποκαλύψεις

2Co 12:1

genitive f p

ἀποκαλύψεων

2Co 12:7

nominative f s

Ἀποκάλυψις

Rev 1:1