To reconstitute (in health, home or organization)
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The Greek verb apokathistemi describes restoring something or someone to a former, proper, or renewed condition. Gospel narratives use it when Jesus restores a man's hand and when a blind man's sight becomes clear after a second action.
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Full entry for ἀποκαθίστημι (G600) · Open the biblical lexicon
The Greek verb apokathistemi describes restoring something or someone to a former, proper, or renewed condition. Gospel narratives use it when Jesus restores a man's hand and when a blind man's sight becomes clear after a second action.
The BSB source-word alignment has 8 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include was restored (2), [and] he restores (1), [his sight] was restored (1), he will restore (1), I may be restored (1).
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Matthew 12:13. Its strongest book concentrations include Mark (3), Matthew (2), Acts (1), Hebrews (1).
The Greek verb apokathistemi describes restoring something or someone to a former, proper, or renewed condition. Gospel narratives use it when Jesus restores a man's hand and when a blind man's sight becomes clear after a second action. Jesus also speaks about Elijah restoring all things while placing that expectation beside the suffering and rejection of the Son of Man.
The disciples ask whether Jesus will now restore the kingdom to Israel, and Hebrews uses the verb for a person's hoped-for return to the community. The object of restoration therefore matters: bodily function, sight, people, an anticipated order, or renewed presence are not interchangeable. Healing narratives display Jesus' compassion and authority, but they do not promise that every faithful person receives complete physical restoration now.
Mark's two-stage sight account especially resists treating one moment or method as a universal pattern. Acts 1 redirects attention from controlling the kingdom's timing to Spirit-empowered witness. Responsible teaching asks what is restored, by whom, over what process, and toward what purpose while honoring disability, medical care, partial recovery, unresolved loss, and future hope.
Apokathistemi denotes restoration, reestablishment, return, or renewed function. Object, agent, timing, and narrative purpose distinguish bodily healing, progressive clarity, Elijah's preparatory work, kingdom expectation, relational return, and hope still awaiting fulfillment.
And after looking around at all of them, He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He did so, and it was restored.
Jesus tells the man to stretch out his hand, and the hand is restored before the watching opponents.
Once again Jesus placed His hands on the man’s eyes, and when he opened them his sight was restored, and he could see everything clearly.
After Jesus acts again, the man's sight is restored and he sees everything clearly.
He replied, “Elijah does indeed come first, and he restores all things. Why then is it written that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected?
Jesus affirms Elijah's restoring role and immediately asks about the Son of Man's suffering and rejection.
Jesus replied, “Elijah does indeed come, and he will restore all things.
Jesus tells the disciples that Elijah indeed comes and will restore all things.
So when they came together, they asked Him, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?”
The gathered disciples ask whether the risen Lord will now restore the kingdom to Israel.
And I especially urge you to pray that I may be restored to you soon.
The writer urgently requests prayer for a swift restoration to the receiving community.
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders ItA compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
Greek word. Restore to original state or condition, whether physical health, social order, or political arrangement.
Restore to original state or condition, whether physical health, social order, or political arrangement.
Textus Receptus witness, full corpusGreek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
8 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
I restore, give back
Read verseI restore, give back
Read verseI restore, give back
Read verseI restore, give back
Read verseI restore, give back
Read verseI restore, give back
Read verseI restore, give back
Read verseI restore, give back
Read verseFull New Testament corpus: 260 chapters, 7,957 verses, 140,628 tokens. Data source: honza/textus-receptus (data only), with authority check against byztxt/greektext-textus-receptus.
How mood, tense, and voice shift the force of this verb in context.
This verb appears through different tense, voice, mood, or stem patterns. Those forms help readers see how the action is presented in context.
Verse guides are not available for this word yet, so verse references remain plain evidence markers.
How this verb appears across 8 occurrences in the NT discourse index (MACULA Greek SBLGNT).
Aspect reflects grammatical form — not authorial emphasis. Participles and infinitives are verbal adjectives and nouns respectively.
Clause data: MACULA Greek (Clear Bible, CC BY 4.0) · SBLGNT (Logos/SBL, CC BY 4.0)
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Showing 6 selected witnesses from 8 lexical occurrence verses.
ἀποκαθίστημι is built from these roots:
Reflects comprehensive renewal accomplished by Christ.Luke 6:6–11
Indicates complete renewal.Mark 3:1–6
Signifies covenant restoration imagery.Mark 8:22–26
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
Apokathistemi directs attention to the concrete object of restoration. Luke 6 places a man's restored hand inside a Sabbath conflict where Jesus exposes opponents more concerned with accusation than mercy. The man is not a prop, and disability is not described as moral failure. Mark 8 records sight becoming clear after Jesus places His hands on the man again.
The narrative highlights Jesus' authority and the discipleship section's movement toward clearer sight, but it does not establish a repeatable number of prayers or make partial improvement shameful. Mark 9 and Matthew 17 connect Elijah's restoring work with John the Baptist while Jesus immediately speaks of the Son of Man's suffering and rejection. Restoration does not erase the cross.
Acts 1 records the disciples' kingdom-timing question, which Jesus answers by reserving times and seasons to the Father and commissioning witnesses in the Spirit's power. Hebrews 13 uses ordinary relational language for being restored to a community through prayer. Faithful application seeks healing and repair, welcomes medicine and rehabilitation, respects disabled identity and choice, accepts gradual or incomplete outcomes, tests reconciliation by safety and truth, and leaves final timing with God.
Mark.8.25
Apokathistemi transliterates Greek ἀποκαθίστημι. The compound verb emphasizes returning or restoring to a condition, position, or relation; the direct object and tense identify whether the text concerns a body part, sight, an ordered work, a kingdom, or a person's return.
Old Testament prophets speak of return, rebuilding, healing, and restored fortunes through several Hebrew words. Those themes inform New Testament expectation, but apokathistemi should not be made to promise a modern political restoration, a specific medical outcome, or reconciliation without justice and safety.