to kill
Apokteino denotes killing persons, whether planned, carried out, suffered, or described figuratively of hostility and the letter.
The verb most often denotes the taking of a person's life, including intended killing, completed acts, and being killed by others. In two clauses it is applied figuratively: the letter “kills,” while hostility is described as having been killed.
Senses in use
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Kill or put a person to death · dominant
The forms describe efforts and plots to take a person's life, as in Acts 21:31, where the APB renders the clause “they were seeking to kill him,” and John 11:53, where a plan is made “to kill him.” Completed killing is also stated in Acts 3:15 and Luke 13:4, while the passive infinitive in Mark 8:31 places being killed among what the Son of Man must undergo.
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Figuratively bring an opposing force to an end · rare
In 2 Corinthians 3:6, the present active form occurs in the contrast “the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.” In Ephesians 2:16, the aorist active participle is used of reconciliation through the cross, with the APB rendering “having killed the hostility in it.”
In the Anselm Project Bible: Across the supplied verses, the APB commonly renders the relevant clauses with “kill,” “killed,” or “be killed,” including plans, commands, and completed acts. In the two figurative clauses it retains “the letter kills” and “having killed the hostility”; These render the clauses rather than independently defining each form.