ἀποστεγάζω (apostegazō)
apostegazō
to unroof
Quick Reference
- Language
- Koine Greek
- Testament
- New Testament
- Occurrences
- 1 verses
- Root
- —
Word Overview
The verb apostegazō describes the physical act of removing a roof to uncover what lies beneath. Found only once in the New Testament at Mark 2:4, it captures the specific moment when friends lower their paralyzed companion through the tiles of a crowded house to reach Jesus.
Its meaning is straightforward and literal: to strip away the covering. The word combines a prefix indicating removal with a root related to roofing or covering. This precise imagery highlights the determination of the group, who did not merely knock but dismantled part of the structure to create an opening for their friend’s healing.
Translators typically render this action as "unroofed" or "removed the roof." The term emphasizes the tangible effort required to bridge the gap between the crowd and the teacher. It serves as a concrete illustration of faith that goes beyond passive waiting, actively breaking through obstacles to bring need into the presence of grace.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word apostegazō describes a physical act of removing a roof to uncover what lies beneath. In Mark 2:4, friends of a paralyzed man could not reach Jesus because of the crowd. Instead of waiting or turning back, they climbed onto the flat roof and removed the tiles above Him. This literal unroofing shows that faith often requires tangible effort and determination.
When obstacles block your path to God, this story invites you to look for creative ways forward. It is not about forcing God’s hand but about refusing to let barriers separate you from His presence. The friends’ actions demonstrate that bringing need into the light of grace sometimes means breaking through what stands in the way.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 1 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- they removed1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- ἀπεστέγασαν1×
Key Verses
-
Mark 2:4
When they could not come near to him for the crowd, they removed the roof where he was. When they had broken it up, they let down the mat that the paralytic was lying on.
This verse uses the word to describe the specific physical action of removing roof tiles, highlighting the friends' determination to bring their paralyzed companion directly to Jesus despite the crowd.