Original Word: ἀπεκδύομαι
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: apekduomai
Pronunciation: ap-ek-doo'-om-ahee
Phonetic Spelling: (ap-ek-doo'-om-ahee)
KJV: put off, spoil
NASB: disarmed, laid aside
Word Origin: [middle voice from G575 (ἀπό - since) and G1562 (ἐκδύω - stripped)]

1. to divest oneself completely
2. (outwardly, externally) to despoil another completely

disarm

Middle voice from apo and ekduo; to divest wholly oneself, or (for oneself) despoil -- put off, spoil.

see GREEK apo

see GREEK ekduo

554 apekdýomai(from 575 /apó, "away from," which intensifies 1562 /ekdýō "go down and completely away from") – "completely strip off," thoroughly renounce. The double prefixes (apo, ek) strongly emphasize the depth of the renouncing. This "renunciation (stripping right off) is very emphatic" (Nigel Turner, Christian Words, 366).

554 /apekdýomai ("stripping completely off") was "probably coined by Paul meaning, 'I put off' (as a garment), 'from myself, I throw off' " (Souter; note the prefix, apo).

[Josephus does use this term, but the verb and noun forms are not documented before the NT.]

Word Origin
from apo and ekduó
Definition
to strip off from oneself
NASB Translation
disarmed (1), laid aside (1).

STRONGS NT 554: ἀπεκδύομαι

ἀπεκδύομαι: 1 aorist ἀπεκδυσαμην;

1. wholly to put off from oneself (ἀπό denoting separation from what is put oft): τόν παλαιόν ἄνθρωπον, Colossians 3:9.

2. wholly to strip off for oneself (for one's own advantage), despoil, disarm: τινα, Colossians 2:15. Cf. Winers De verb. comp. etc. Part iv., p. 14f (especially Lightfoot on Colossians 2:15). (Josephus, Antiquities 6, 14, 2 ἀπεκδυς (but Bekker edition has μετεκδυς) τήν.

Conceptual Overview

Strong’s Greek 554 denotes a decisive removal, as when clothing is stripped away. Scripture employs the verb to picture both Christ’s triumph over hostile powers and the believer’s renunciation of the old, sinful manner of life. The shared metaphor links redemption’s objective accomplishment in the cross with its subjective outworking in sanctification.

Occurrence in the New Testament

• Colossians 2:15 – Christ’s decisive stripping of the “rulers and authorities.”
• Colossians 3:9 – the believer’s corresponding stripping off of “the old self with its practices.”

Though used only twice, the verb anchors the epistle’s movement from doctrinal proclamation to ethical exhortation.

Christ’s Victory and Cosmic Warfare (Colossians 2:15)

“Having disarmed the powers and authorities, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.” (Colossians 2:15)

1. Scope of the victory: The “powers and authorities” encompass demonic forces (Ephesians 6:12). Paul portrays them as stripped of weapons and dignity, paraded in defeat.
2. Public spectacle: In the imagery of a Roman triumph, a victorious general displayed captives. Christ, through the shameful cross, reversed worldly expectations and displayed Satanic defeat to heaven and earth.
3. Assurance for the church: Because the hostile powers stand disrobed, believers are no longer enslaved to fear, legalistic condemnation, or occult intimidation (Hebrews 2:14-15). Worship, prayer, and mission proceed from a position of victory, not of mere hopeful struggle.

Ethical Renewal of the Believer (Colossians 3:9)

“Do not lie to one another, since you have taken off the old self with its practices,” (Colossians 3:9)

1. Moral implication: Lying contradicts a status already achieved—“you have taken off.” Sanctification is grounded in an accomplished removal, not in self-reformation.
2. Identity exchange: The “old self” is stripped so the “new self” may be “put on” (Colossians 3:10). The tense underscores a definitive past event applied at conversion, yet calling for ongoing consistency.
3. Community focus: Truthfulness protects the unity and testimony of the body of Christ. The stripping away of deceit mirrors Christ’s stripping away of demonic deceit in 2:15.

Old Testament Background and Typology

1. Priestly garments: When Aaron died, his priestly garments were removed and placed on Eleazar (Numbers 20:26-28). The act signified transition of authority and ministry. In Colossians, the old humanity is divested so that the believer may serve in newness.
2. Shame of defeat: Stripping defeated kings (for example, 1 Samuel 31:8-9) signaled total conquest. Paul deliberately echoes this motif to declare the enemy’s irreversible humiliation.
3. Isaiah’s Servant: “I clothe the heavens with darkness… I clothe the heavens with blackness” (Isaiah 50:3). The Messiah who clothes and unclothes creation also unclothes spiritual tyrants and re-clothes His people with righteousness (Isaiah 61:10).

Historical Reception

• Early Fathers (Ignatius, Irenaeus) seized upon Colossians 2:15 to argue against Gnostic fears, proclaiming that Christ nullified hostile aeons.
• The Reformers highlighted the definitive nature of the believer’s “putting off,” countering both antinomianism and works-based righteousness.
• Evangelical missions literature applies the verse when confronting animistic or occult contexts, stressing that idols and spirits stand powerless before the risen Lord.

Pastoral and Ministry Implications

1. Spiritual warfare: Preaching and counseling should emphasize Christ’s completed victory rather than techniques. Authority derives from the cross.
2. Discipleship: Ethical transformation starts with teaching believers who they are in Christ. Baptism becomes a lived reality: the old garment is buried, the new garment worn.
3. Corporate holiness: Churches cultivate an atmosphere where falsehood, secrecy, and hypocrisy are regularly “stripped off” through confession, accountability, and restorative discipline.
4. Worship: Songs and liturgy that celebrate the triumph of Christ reinforce the congregation’s identity as a liberated people.

Summary

The twofold use of Strong’s Greek 554 in Colossians intertwines Christology and sanctification. Christ has stripped the spiritual oppressors; therefore believers strip off their former ways. The cross stands as both the objective ground and the ethical pattern for Christian life and ministry, assuring victory, inspiring holiness, and knitting the community together in truth.

απεκδυσαμενοι απεκδυσάμενοι ἀπεκδυσάμενοι απεκδυσαμενος απεκδυσάμενος ἀπεκδυσάμενος apekdusamenoi apekdusamenos apekdysamenoi apekdysámenoi apekdysamenos apekdysámenosInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts