The Greek verb apostrepho means to turn away from, to return, to put back, or to cause to turn away. It combines apo- (away from) and strepho (to turn). In the New Testament, it is used both physically (turning away) and spiritually (rejecting truth or turning back from evil).
Apostrepho appears in some of the New Testament's most searching warnings and calls to repentance. Paul warns Timothy that 'the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine...and will turn their ears away [apostrepho] from the truth' (2 Timothy 4:3-4). In Titus 1:14, false teachers are called those who turn away from the truth. Conversely, the word is used positively when Peter calls Israel to turn back (apostrepho) from their iniquities. Theologically, the word identifies the two directions of spiritual movement: turning toward God (repentance) or away from Him (apostasy).