Bible Dictionaries
Leave, Left

Vine's Expository Dictionary of NT Words

* (a) In the sense of leaving, abandoning, forsaking.

apo, "from," and hiemi, "to send," has three chief meanings, (a) "to send forth, let go, forgive;" (b) "to let, suffer, permit;" (c) "to leave, leave alone, forsake, neglect." It is translated by the verb "to leave" (c), in Matthew 4:11; 4:20,22 , and parallel passages; Matthew 5:24; 8:15 , and parallel passages; Matthew 8:22 , RV, "leave (the dead)," AV, "let," and the parallel passage; Matthew 13:36 , RV, "left" (the multitude)," AV, "sent ... away;" Matthew 18:12; 19:27 , and parallel passages, RV, "we have left" (AV, "we have forsaken"); so Matthew 19:29; 22:22,25; 23:23 , RV, "have left undone" (AV, "have omitted," in the 1st part, "leave undone" in the second); Matthew 23:38 , and the parallel passage; Matthew 24:2,40,41 , and parallel passages; Matthew 26:56 , RV, "left;" Mark 1:18 , "left;" Mark 1:31; 7:8 , RV, "ye leave;" Mark 8:13; 10:28,29; 12:12,19-22; 13:34; Luke 10:30; 11:42 (in some mss.); Luke 12:39 , RV "have left," AV "have suffered" (No. 9 in Matthew 24:43 ); John 4:3,28,52; 8:29; 10:12; 14:18,27; 16:28,32; Romans 1:27; 1 Corinthians 7:11 , RV, "leave" (AV "put away"); John 7:13 (AV and RV); Hebrews 2:8; 6:1; Revelation 2:4 . See FORGIVE.

ana, "back" and hiemi, "to send," denotes "to let go, loosen, forbear;" it is translated "I will (never) leave (thee)" in Hebrews 13:5 . See FORBEAR.

"to leave behind" (kata, "down," leipo, "to leave"), is everywhere rendered by the verb "to leave" except in the following: the AV of Romans 11:4 , "I have reserved" (RV, "I have left"); Hebrews 11:27 , "he forsook;" 2 Peter 2:15 , AV, "have forsaken," RV, "forsaking." See FORSAKE , RESERVE.

"to leave behind" (apo, "from") is used (a) in the Active Voice, of "leaving" behind a cloak, 2 Timothy 4:13; a person, 2 Timothy 4:20; of "abandoning" a principality (by angels), Jude 1:6 , RV; (b) in the Passive Voice, "to be reserved, to remain," Hebrews 4:6,9; 10:26 . See REMAIN , No. 3. In the papyri it is used as a technical term in wills (Moulton and Milligan, Vocab.).

lit., "to leave behind in" (en, "in," and No. 3), signifies (a) "to leave behind," Romans 9:29 , "a seed;" (b) "to abandon, forsake," translated by the verb "to leave" in Acts 2:27,31 (in some mss., No. 3) of the soul of Christ; in the following by the verb "to forsake," Matthew 27:46; Mark 15:34; 2 Corinthians 4:9; 2 Timothy 4:10,16; Hebrews 10:25; 13:5 (see No. 2 in the same ver.). See FORSAKE.

"to leave remaining;" lit., "to leave under" (hupo), is used in the Passive Voice in Romans 11:3 , of a survivor.

"to leave over," is used in the Passive Voice in 1 Thessalonians 4:15,17 , RV, "that are left" (AV, "that remain"), lit., "left over," i.e., the living believers at the Lord's return. See REMAIN.

"to make to cease," is used in the Middle Voice, signifying "to cease, leave off," and is translated "had left" in Luke 5:4; "left" in Acts 21:32; elsewhere, "to cease." See CEASE.

signifies (a) "to let, permit, suffer," e.g., Matthew 24:43; (b) "to leave," Acts 23:32 , of "leaving" horsemen; Acts 27:40 , of "leaving" anchors in the sea, RV [AV, "committed (themselves)"]. See COMMIT , SUFFER.

limpano being a late form for leipo, "to leave," is used in 1 Peter 2:21 , "leaving (us an example)."

"to be over and above" (the number), hence, "to be or remain over," is translated "was left," in Matthew 15:37 , AV (RV, "remained over," as in Matthew 14:20; Luke 9:17; John 6:12,13 , where the AV adds "and above"), of the broken fragments after the feeding of the multitudes. See ABOUND.

Note: The corresponding noun, perisseuma, "that which is over and above," is used in the plural in Mark 8:8 , RV, "(of broken pieces) that remained over," AV, "(of the broken meat) that was left," lit., "of fragments of broken pieces." See REMAIN.

"to cast out" (ek, "from," ballo, "to cast"), "to drive out," is used in the sense of "rejecting" or "leaving out," in Revelation 11:2 , as to the measuring of the court of the Temple (marg., "cast without"). See CAST , No. 5.

* (b) In the sense of giving leave.

lit. denotes "to turn to" (epi, "upon, to," trepo, "to turn"), and so (a) "to commit, entrust" (not in NT); (b) "to permit, give leave, send," of Christ's permission to the unclean spirits to enter the swine, Mark 5:13; in Luke 8:32 , RV, "give ... leave," "gave ... leave" (AV, "suffer" and "suffered"); in John 19:38 , of Pilate's permission to Joseph to take away the body of the Lord; in Acts 21:39 , of Paul's request to the chief captain to permit him to address the people, RV, "give ... leave" (for AV, "suffer"); in Acts 21:40 , "he had given him leave" (AV, "... licence"). See LET , LIBERTY , LICENCE , PERMIT , SUFFER.

* (c) In the sense of taking leave of, bidding farewell to.

used in the Middle Voice in the NT, lit. signifies "to arrange oneself off" (apo, "from," tasso, "to arrange"); hence, "to take leave of," Mark 6:46 , RV, "had taken leave of" (AV, "had sent ... away"); Acts 18:18; 18:21 , RV, "taking his leave of" (AV, "bade ... farewell"); 2 Corinthians 2:13; in Luke 9:61 , "to bid farewell;" in Luke 14:33 it has its other meaning "renouncing" (AV, "forsaking"). See FAREWELL , FORSAKE , RENOUNCE.

"to embrace, salute, take leave of" (apo "from," aspazomai, "to salute"), is used in Acts 21:6 , AV, "when we had taken our leave" (RV, "bade ... farewell"). Some mss. have the simple verb aspazomai.