Exploring the Meaning of Apeipomen in Greek

Apeipomen means “to renounce” and appears in Paul’s description of his apostolic conduct in 2 Corinthians 4:2. In that setting it marks a decisive rejection of practices that belong to secrecy, shame, and deception.

Root and Related Words

Apeipomen is connected with two Greek elements presented in its related words: apo (ἀπό), “away from” (Strong’s G575), and epo (εἶπον), “to say” (Strong’s G2036). Together they frame the verb’s force as a turning-away that is expressed plainly rather than kept hidden.

Occurrences

“But we have renounced the hidden things of shame, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully, but by the manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.” (2 Corinthians 4:2)

Here Apeipomen stands at the head of a chain of contrasts that define how Paul and his coworkers carry out their ministry. The object of the renunciation is named immediately: “the hidden things of shame.” The verb therefore signals an intentional break with what is concealed and disgraceful—an action that is not merely private resolve but a public stance, because the rest of the sentence describes observable patterns of conduct.

Two negative participial phrases unpack what this renunciation looks like in practice: “not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully.” Apeipomen is not presented as a vague inner sentiment; it is matched to a refusal to adopt a “walk” characterized by “craftiness,” and to a refusal to treat “the word of God” in a “deceitful” way. In the verse’s logic, renouncing hidden shame is the opposite of conducting oneself through trickery and of manipulating sacred speech for misleading ends. The verb thus anchors an ethical posture in which both life (“walking”) and teaching (“handling the word of God”) are brought into the open.

The positive alternative is introduced with “but,” shifting from what is renounced to what is embraced: “by the manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.” Apeipomen creates room for a different mode of ministry, one characterized by “manifestation,” the making-visible of “the truth.” The verb’s force in this sentence is therefore not only separative (turning away from something) but also directional: renunciation clears the ground for a transparent presentation of truth. This is reinforced by the destination of the commendation—“every man’s conscience”—and by the sphere in which it occurs—“in the sight of God.” In context, renouncing hidden shame aligns with living and speaking as though God’s gaze is the controlling reality, and as though the hearer’s conscience is an arena where truth is meant to be shown rather than obscured.

Sense and Usage

The sense “to renounce” in Apeipomen is sharpened by its direct object and by the set of contrasts surrounding it. The verse does not portray renunciation as mere denial of an accusation or as a momentary distancing; it reads as a settled, chosen stance toward a whole category of conduct: “the hidden things of shame.” The noun phrase suggests actions or methods that depend on concealment and that carry moral disgrace. Apeipomen, in this environment, functions as an ethical line in the sand: these things are disowned rather than managed, and rejected rather than repackaged.

The word’s placement at the beginning (“But we have renounced…”) gives it rhetorical weight. It answers an implied question about credibility: why should the ministry be trusted, and what marks it as different from approaches driven by manipulation? The renunciation is then evidenced by the refusal to “walk” in craftiness. Because “walk” is a whole-of-life metaphor in this verse, Apeipomen is not limited to a single arena; it covers the manner of life as well as the ministerial method. Renunciation here is comprehensive—touching conduct, motives, and the strategy of engagement.

The second negative phrase, “nor handling the word of God deceitfully,” ties renunciation specifically to speech about God. In this sentence, deceitful handling is presented as a live temptation or a known pattern that must be rejected. Apeipomen therefore marks a commitment to integrity in the treatment of the word of God, rejecting approaches that would twist, obscure, or present it in a way shaped by deception. The verb’s meaning is carried forward into a concrete expression: truth is not merely possessed; it is “manifested,” made plain. That manifesting is the positive counterpart to what is “hidden.” The verse thus sets up a conceptual opposition between hidden shame and manifested truth; Apeipomen belongs decisively on the side of openness.

Finally, the phrase “commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God” shows the relational and theological orientation of renunciation. Renouncing hidden shame is not framed as self-protection or image management. It is an act performed with God as witness (“in the sight of God”) and with the hearer’s moral awareness as the point of contact (“every man’s conscience”). In this light, Apeipomen carries the idea of refusing to build one’s ministry on concealed, shameful tactics and instead placing oneself and one’s message under scrutiny—divine scrutiny and the scrutiny of conscience awakened by truth.

Imagery in the Passage

Although Apeipomen is an action-word rather than a concrete object, 2 Corinthians 4:2 surrounds it with vivid oppositions: hidden versus manifested, craftiness versus truth, deceitful handling versus commendation to conscience. The imagery is that of bringing something out from concealment into open visibility. In the verse’s own terms, renunciation stands as a turning away from what depends on darkness and shame and a movement toward the open presentation of truth “in the sight of God.”

Sources: Lexical data from Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance and the Translators Brief Lexicon of Extended Strongs for Greek (STEPBible, CC BY). Occurrence data from the Translators Amalgamated Greek New Testament (STEPBible, CC BY). Scripture quotations from the World English Bible (public domain).