The Greek verb apokeimai (G606) means to be laid away, stored up, or reserved — the state of something set aside and kept for a specific purpose or person. It is a compound of apo (away) and keimai (to lie/be placed). The word appears four times in the New Testament: Colossians 1:5; 2 Timothy 4:8; Luke 19:20; and Hebrews 9:27.
The four uses of apokeimai reveal a theology of divine reservation. In Colossians 1:5, hope is 'stored up (apokeimenon) for you in heaven.' In 2 Timothy 4:8, Paul declares 'there is reserved (apokeitai) for me the crown of righteousness.' In Hebrews 9:27, the solemn truth: 'people are destined (apokeitai) to die once, and after that to face judgment.' What is stored up may be either reward or reckoning. This verb expresses the certainty of God's economy: nothing is lost in His accounting. The crown of righteousness laid up for Paul is as real and certain as any physical deposit — in fact, more secure (Matthew 6:19-20).