Luke 13:25

This word is used only once in the NT. When ἀποκλείω is followed by an accusative, it typically expresses the action of shutting someone or something out or excluding them. The accusative usually refers to the person or thing being excluded. For example:

• ἀποκλείει τὸν ἐχθρόν — "He shuts out the enemy," where τὸν ἐχθρόν (the enemy) is the accusative object.

In contrast, the verb κλείω is the more general term for "to shut" or "to close" without the sense of exclusion. κλείω is typically used in neutral contexts for closing a door, gate, or container, without any implication of barring access or excluding someone from a place or state. For example:

• κλείει τὴν θύραν — "He shuts the door," where τὴν θύραν (the door) is the accusative, but with no connotation of exclusion or separation.

• κλείει τὰ βιβλία — "He shuts the books," where τὰ βιβλία (the books) is the accusative, indicating the simple action of closing, rather than exclusion.

Thus, ἀποκλείω involves a more forceful or exclusionary action, often with a person or thing being deliberately kept out of something, while κλείω is a more neutral and general term for simply closing or shutting something without such connotations of exclusion.