The Greek verb apokrypto (G613) means to hide away, to conceal, or to keep secret. It is a compound of apo (away from) and krypto (to hide/conceal). The word appears in Matthew 11:25; Luke 10:21; 1 Corinthians 2:7; and Ephesians 3:9, always in the context of divine mysteries that God has hidden and now reveals.
Paul's use of apokrypto in 1 Corinthians 2:7 is central to his theology of divine revelation: 'We declare God's wisdom, a mystery that has been hidden (apokekrymmenon) and that God destined for our glory before time began.' The hidden things of God — the mystery of Christ, the mystery of the church, the mystery of the gospel's inclusion of the Gentiles — were not withheld out of caprice but out of sovereign wisdom, to be revealed at the right time. Jesus thanks the Father for hiding these things 'from the wise and learned, and revealing them to little children' (Matthew 11:25). The divine hiddenness is always a hiddenness in service of revelation.