Quick Definition
ἀπολογέομαι v. I give a defense, defend myself
Strong's Definition
to give an account (legal plea) of oneself, i.e. exculpate (self)
Derivation: middle voice from a compound of G575 (ἀπό) and G3056 (λόγος);
KJV Usage: answer (for self), make defence, excuse (self), speak for self
UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament
UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament © United Bible Societies, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Thayer's Greek Lexicon
ἀπολογέομαι, -οὔμαι ; impf. ἀπελογούμην (Acts xxvi. 1); 1 aor. ἀπελογησάμην; 1 aor. pass. inf. ἀπολογηθῆναι, in a reflex. sense (Lk. xxi. 14) ; a depon. mid. verb (fr. λόγος), prop. to speak so as to absolve (amd) one’s self, talk one’s self off of a charge ete. ; 1. to defend one’s self, make one’s defence: absol., Lk. xxi. 14; Acts xxvi. 1; foll. by ὅτι, Acts xxv. 8; τί, to bring forward something in defence of one’s self, Lk. xii. 11; Acts xxvi. 24, (often so in Grk. writ. also) ; τὰ περὶ ἐμαυτοῦ ἀπ. either I bring forward what contributes to my defence [Ὁ], or I plead my own cause [R. V. make my defence], Acts xxiv. 10; περί with | gen. of the thing and ἐπί with gen. of pers., concerning a thing before one’s tribunal, Acts xxvi. 2; with dat. of the person whom by my defence I strive to convince that Iam innocent or upright, to defend or justify myself in one’s eyes [A. V. unto], Acts xix. 33; 2 Co. xii. 19, (Plat. Prot. p. 359 a.; often in Leian., Plut. ; [ef. B. 172 (149)]). 2. to defend a person or a thing (so not infreq. in prot. auth.): Ro. ii. 15 (where ace. to the context the , ἀπολύω deeds of men must be understood as defended) ; τὰ περὶ ἐμοῦ, Acts xxvi. 2 (but see under 1).
Mounce Concise Greek Dictionary
ἀπολογέομαι apologeomai 10x
to defend one’s self against a charge, to make a defence, Lk. 12:11; 21:14
Abbott-Smith Greek Lexicon
ἀπολογέομαι, -οῦμαι
(< ἀπό, λόγος), [in LXX: Je 12:1 (ויב) 38 (31):6, II Mac 13:26*;]
to defend: c. acc., Ro 2:15.
to defend one's self: absol., Lk 21:14, Ac 26:1; seq. ὅτι, Ac 25:8; τί, to adduce something in one's defence, Lk 12:11, Ac 26:24 (ταῦτα) 24:10 (τὰ περὶ ἐμαυτοῦ); περί, c. gen. rei, and ἐπί, c. gen. pers., Ac 26:2; c. dat. pers., Ac 19:33, II Co 12:19.†
Moulton & Milligan — Vocabulary of the Greek NT
ἀπολογέομαι. A good example of this judicial verb is afforded by P Par 3534 ff (a petition to King Ptolemy Philometor, B.C. 163) ἐάν σοι φαίνηται, συντάξαι καταστῆσαι ἐπί σε ὑπὲρ μὲν [ἐμοῦ ἀπολογιούμενον Δημήτριον ‘‘to make my defence” : cf. P Strass I. 51° (A.D. 262) ἀπολ]ογησομένους πρὸς τὰ [a Jel α[ἰ]ρόμενα αὑτοῖς and OG/S 609% (A.D. 231) μή τις ὡς ἀγνοήσας ἀπολογήσηται. Vettius Valens p. 2091 βασιλεῖ ἀπολογήσεται, καὶ ἐὰν μὴ ὑπὲρ ἑαυτοῦ, ὑπὲρ ἑτέρου δέ (cf. p. 2697°). Cf. fora cognate verb P Petr III. 53 (7)8 (iii/B.c.) (= Witkowski?, p. 45) πρὸς αἰτίαν, ὑπὲρ ἧς ἀπ]ολογίζεται, ‘to meet a charge against him, and make his defence” (Edd.), OGTIS 315% (B.C. 164-3) καὶ αὐτὸς ὑπὲρ ὧν ἔφησεν ἔχειν τὰς ἐντολὰς διὰ πλειόνων ἀπελογίσατο, P Leid A* (Ptol) ἀπολογίσωμαι (needlessly corrected to -ἥσωμαι by Leemans), α΄. See Hatzidakis #zz/. p. 395, ‘‘sagte man auch im Alterthum sowohl ἀπολογέομαι als ἀπολογίζομαι,᾽" and Mayser G7. p. 83f. The verb is found in MGr.
Liddell-Scott-Jones — Greek-English Lexicon
ἀπολογέομαι (apologeomai) — to defend oneself. ἀπολογ-έομαι, aorist ἀπελογησάμην[Refs 5th c.BC+]; also aorist passive ἀπελογήθην[Refs 5th c.BC+]: perfect ἀπολελόγημαι[Refs 5th c.BC+]:—speak in defence, defend oneself, opposed to κατηγορεῖν, περί τινος about a thing, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; πρὸς τὴν μαρτυρίαν in reference or answer to the evidence, [Refs 5th c.BC+]before.., [Refs 5th c.BC+]; ἀ. ὑπέρ τινος speak in another's behalf, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; ἀ. ὑπέρ τινος speak in support of a fact, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; πρὸς Μέλητον in answer to him, [Refs 5th c.BC+]the defendant, [Refs 5th c.BC+]
2. with accusative of things, defend oneself against, ἀ. τὰς διαβολάς[Refs 5th c.BC+]; τὰς πράξεις defend what one has done, [Refs 4th c.BC+]
3. ἀ. τι ἔς τι allege in one's defence against a charge, [Refs 5th c.BC+]
4. ἀ. δίκην θανάτου speak against sentence of death passing on one, [Refs 5th c.BC+] —Prose word, used once in Trag., see above—The _preposition_ ἀπό implies the remoual of a charge.
