The Greek verb apokylio (G617) means to roll away or to roll back. It is a compound of apo (away from) and kylio (to roll). The word appears in all three Synoptic Gospels in the resurrection narratives — in the accounts of the stone being rolled away from Jesus' tomb (Matthew 28:2; Mark 16:3-4; Luke 24:2). It is a physically precise verb for a singular historical event that changed everything.
The apokylio of the stone at the resurrection is rich in symbolic resonance. The stone was not rolled away to let Jesus out — He had already risen; it was rolled away to let the disciples in, to see the evidence of resurrection. Angels accomplish the rolling away (Matthew 28:2), signaling that the resurrection is an act of divine power, not human effort. The stone had been sealed with Roman authority (Matthew 27:66), yet divine power made that seal irrelevant. In the Old Testament, stones were often rolled away from wells to provide access to life-giving water (Genesis 29:3,10). Christ's resurrection is the opening of the ultimate well: access to eternal life for all who believe.