Understanding ἀπαλλοτριόω (apallotrioo) Strong’s G526: Exploring the Deep Spiritual Chasm of Estrangement from God and His Glorious Path to Reconciliation

Pronunciation Guide: ah-pal-lot-ree-OH-oh

Basic Definition

Strong’s G526: To estrange, alienate, or separate completely from a previous state of fellowship or belonging. This powerful verb depicts the severe state of being cut off from relationship and rights, emphasizing both the action of separation and the resulting condition of estrangement. It carries the weight of complete disconnection from what was once intimate and familiar.

Etymology and Morphology

• Compound verb formed from ἀπό (from, away from) and ἀλλότριος (belonging to another)
• Primary usage in didactic and theological contexts
• Intensive form emphasizing completeness of separation
• Found in Hellenistic Greek legal documents regarding property alienation
• Middle-passive voice usage predominant in New Testament

ἀπαλλοτριόω Morphology:

• ἀπηλλοτριωμένοι (perfect passive participle, nominative plural masculine) – having been alienated
• ἀπηλλοτριωμένην (perfect passive participle, accusative singular feminine) – having been alienated
• ἀπαλλοτριοῦσθαι (present passive infinitive) – to be alienated

Origin & History

The term ἀπαλλοτριόω emerges from classical Greek legal vocabulary, where it primarily described the transfer or alienation of property rights. Plato uses it in “Laws” (915e) to discuss the illegal alienation of property. In the Septuagint, the word takes on deeper theological significance, appearing in Psalm 69:8 (68:9 LXX) to describe the psalmist’s experience of becoming “a stranger to my mother’s children,” foreshadowing its New Testament usage.

The transition from legal to theological usage is particularly evident in Josephus’s writings, where he employs ἀπαλλοτριόω to describe political and religious estrangement (Antiquities 11.148). The early church fathers, particularly Origen in his “Commentary on John,” expanded its usage to describe humanity’s spiritual alienation from God.

Expanded Definitions & Translation Options

• Complete severance of a previously existing relationship
• Legal transfer of rights or property to another
• State of being foreign or strange to something once familiar
• Spiritual condition of separation from God’s covenant community

ἀπαλλοτριόω Translation Options:

• “To be alienated from” – Best captures the passive sense of resulting condition
• “To be estranged from” – Emphasizes relational separation
• “To be cut off from” – Highlights the completeness of separation
• “To become a stranger to” – Reflects the loss of familiar status

Biblical Usage

In the New Testament, ἀπαλλοτριόω appears exclusively in Paul’s writings, where it serves as a powerful descriptor of humanity’s spiritual condition apart from the Messiah. Its usage in Ephesians 2:12 forms part of Paul’s stark contrast between believers’ former state of alienation and their new position in the Messiah.

The word carries particular weight in Colossians, where Paul employs it to describe both the universal condition of spiritual alienation and its resolution through the Messiah’s reconciling work. This usage creates a theological framework for understanding salvation as restoration from alienation to intimacy.

• “remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world [ἀπηλλοτριωμένοι]” Ephesians 2:12
• “And although you were formerly alienated [ἀπηλλοτριωμένους] and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds” Colossians 1:21
• “being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart [ἀπηλλοτριωμένοι]” Ephesians 4:18

Cultural Insights

In the ancient Near Eastern world, the concept of alienation carried profound social and legal implications. To be “alienated” meant more than emotional distance—it meant the loss of inheritance rights, community protection, and covenant privileges. This understanding illuminates Paul’s usage in Ephesians 2:12, where Gentiles are described as being “alienated from the commonwealth of Israel.”

The term would have resonated particularly with Paul’s Gentile audience in Asia Minor, where citizenship and belonging to the polis (city-state) were crucial aspects of identity. The idea of being alienated from the “commonwealth of Israel” would have conveyed not just religious separation but complete social and political exclusion from God’s covenant community.

Theological Significance

The use of ἀπαλλοτριόω in Paul’s writings presents a devastating picture of humanity’s natural state while simultaneously highlighting the magnificent scope of God’s reconciling work in the Messiah. This term underscores that the separation between God and humanity isn’t merely a passive distance but an active condition of alienation requiring divine intervention to overcome.

The word’s appearance in contexts discussing both individual and corporate reconciliation reveals God’s comprehensive salvation plan. In Ephesians, it serves to emphasize the radical nature of God’s grace in bringing those who were once “far off” into intimate fellowship with Himself and His covenant people.

This concept powerfully demonstrates that in the Messiah, God doesn’t merely bridge the gap between Himself and humanity—He completely reverses the state of alienation, transforming strangers and foreigners into members of His household (Ephesians 2:19).

Personal Application

Understanding ἀπαλλοτριόω deepens our appreciation for the radical transformation that occurs in salvation. For believers, reflecting on our former state of alienation should produce profound gratitude for God’s reconciling work and motivate us to share this message of reconciliation with others who remain estranged from Him.

This word also challenges us to examine any areas where we might be drifting from intimate fellowship with God or His people. Just as our initial alienation required divine intervention to overcome, maintaining close fellowship requires consistent engagement with the means of grace God has provided.

Related Words

• ξένος (xenos) [KSAY-nos] – stranger, foreigner, expressing the state of being unknown or unfamiliar See G3581
• ἀλλότριος (allotrios) [al-LOT-ree-os] – belonging to another, foreign, expressing ownership by another See G245
• χωρίζω (chorizo) [kho-RID-zo] – to separate, divide, expressing physical or spatial separation See G5563
• μακράν (makran) [mak-RAHN] – far, at a distance, expressing spatial or relational distance See G3112

Did you Know?

• The legal concept behind ἀπαλλοτριόω was so significant in ancient Greek society that specific courts dealt exclusively with cases of property alienation, showing the weight this word carried in its original context.
• Modern Greek still uses forms of this word in legal documents, particularly in property law, maintaining its ancient connection to the transfer of ownership rights.
• The intensive prefix ἀπό in ἀπαλλοτριόω emphasizes the completeness of the alienation, suggesting not just distance but a total severance of previous relationships—making the Messiah’s work of reconciliation all the more remarkable.

Remember This

ἀπαλλοτριόω powerfully depicts the chasm of our separation from God, only to magnify the glory of His grace in bringing us near through the Messiah Jesus.