aphistēmi

A compound of ἀπό ("from") and ἵστημι ("to stand"), literally "to stand off from." Like its simple root, it splits along transitive and intransitive lines: the transitive forms (present, imperfect, future, and first-aorist active) are causative, "cause to withdraw, mislead, incite to revolt" (Acts 5:37, of Judas the Galilean); the intransitive forms (second aorist and the middle) mean "go away, withdraw, keep away, fall away" (BDAG s.v.; LSJ s.v.). The apostasy sense is well attested in the Septuagint, where ἀφίστημι and the cognate noun ἀποστασία render Hebrew verbs of covenant defection such as סור, מרד, and מעל. Schlier's TDNT article traces this religious usage into the New Testament, where the object of the departure is faith (1 Timothy 4:1), God (Hebrews 3:12), or unrighteousness (2 Timothy 2:19). The lexical range is not in dispute; debate over the passages that speak of believers falling away (Luke 8:13; Hebrews 3:12) is theological, concerning perseverance, not the meaning of the verb.