A primary verb with a wide range of meanings: to raise or lift up (physically), to take up and carry (a burden, a cross), or to take away and remove (sin, an obstacle). Context determines whether the emphasis is on lifting or removing. It appears in pivotal statements by both John the Baptist and Jesus.
John the Baptist's declaration — 'Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away (airōn) the sin of the world' (John 1:29) — places this verb at the theological center of the gospel. The Lamb does not merely cover sin but lifts it up and carries it away. Jesus' call to discipleship uses the same verb: 'If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up (aratō) his cross, and follow me' (Matt 16:24). The disciple who takes up the cross carries the instrument of death as an act of life. In John 15:2, the Father 'takes away' (or 'lifts up') every branch that does not bear fruit — a dual image of judgment and nurture. The verb thus spans the full range of redemption: Christ lifts away our sin; we take up His cross.