ἄχρι and ἄχρις (the latter of which in the N. T. is nowhere placed before a consonant, but the former before both vowels and consonants, although euphony is so far regarded that we almost constantly find ἄχρι ἧς ἡμέρας, ἄχρις οὗ, cf. Buttmann, 10 (9); [Winer's Grammar, 42]; and ἄχρι οὗ is not used except in Acts 7:18 and Revelation 2:25 by L T Tr WH and Luke 21:24 by T Tr WH; [to these instances must now be added 1 Corinthians 11:26 T WH; 1 Cor 15:25 T WH; Romans 11:25 WH (see their Appendix, p. 148); on the usage in secular authors ('where -ρι is the only Attic form, but in later authors the epic -ρις prevailed', Liddell and Scott, under the word) cf. Lobeck, Pathol. Elementa, vol. ii., p. 210f; Rutherford, New Phryn., p. 64; further, Klotz ad Devar. vol. ii. 1, p. 230f]); a particle indicating the terminus ad quem. (On its use in the Greek writings cf. Klotz as above, p. 224ff). It has the force now of a preposition now of a conjunction, even to; until, to the time that; (on its derivation see below).
1. as a preposition it takes the genitive [cf. Winer's Grammar, § 54, 6], and is used
a. of place: Acts 11:5; Acts 13:6; Acts 20:4 [T Tr marginal reading WH omit; Tr text brackets]; Acts 28:15; 2 Corinthians 10:13; Hebrews 4:12 (see μερισμός, 2); Revelation 14:20; Revelation 18:5.
b. of Time: ἄχρι καιροῦ, until a season that seemed to him opportune, Luke 4:13 [but cf. καιρός, 2 a.]; until a certain time, for a season, Acts 13:11; [ἄχρι (vel μέχρι, which see 1 a.) τοῦ θερισμοῦ, Matthew 13:30 WH marginal reading cf. ἕως, II. 5]; ἄχρι ἧς ἡμέρας until the day that etc. Matthew 24:38; Luke 1:20; Luke 17:27; Acts 1:2; [ἄχρι (Rec. et al. ἕως) τῆς ἡμέρας ἧς, Acts 1:22 Tdf.]; ἄχρι ταύτης τῆς ἡμέρας and ἄχρι τῆς ἡμέρας ταύτης, Acts 2:29; Acts 23:1; Acts 26:22; ἄχρι [-ρις R G] ἡμερῶν πέντε even to the space of five days, i. e. after [A. V. in] five days, Acts 20:6; ἄχρις [-ρι T Tr WH] αὐγῆς, Acts 20:11; ἄχρι τοῦ νῦν, Romans 8:22; Philippians 1:5; ἄχρι τέλους, Hebrews 6:11; Revelation 2:26; see besides, Acts 3:21; [Acts 22:22]; Romans 1:13; Romans 5:13; 1 Corinthians 4:11; 2 Corinthians 3:14; Galatians 4:2; Philippians 1:6 [-ρι L T WH].
c. of Manner and Degree: ἄχρι θανάτου, Acts 22:4 (even to delivering unto death); Revelation 2:10 (to the enduring of death itself); Revelation 12:11; and, in the opinion of many interpreters, Hebrews 4:12 [see μερισμός, 2].
d. joined to the relative οὗ (ἄχρις οὗ for ἄχρι τούτου, ᾧ) it has the force of a conjunction, until, to the time that: followed by the indicative preterite, of things that actually occurred and up to the beginning of which something continued, Acts 7:18 (ἄχρις οὗ ἀνέστη βασιλεύς); Acts 27:33. followed by a subjunctive aorist having the force of a future perfect, Luke 21:24 L T Tr WH; Romans 11:25; 1 Corinthians 11:26 [Rec. ἄχρις οὗ ἄν]; Galatians 3:19 [not WH text (see 2 below)]; Galatians 4:19 [T Tr WH μέχρις]; Revelation 7:3 Rec.^elz G; ἄχρις οὗ ἄν until, whenever it may be [cf. Winer's Grammar, § 42, 5 b.], 1 Corinthians 15:25 [Rec.]; Revelation 2:25. with indicative present as long as: Hebrews 3:13; cf. Bleek at the passage and Buttmann, 231 (199).
2. ἄχρις without οὗ has the force of a simple conjunction, until, to the time that: followed by subjunctive aorist, Luke 21:24 R G; Revelation 7:3 L T Tr WH; Rev 15:8; [Revelation 17:17 Rec.]; Revelation 20:3 [Rev 20:5 G L T Tr WH]; with indicative future, Revelation 17:17 [L T Tr WH]; [ἄχρις ἄν followed by subjunctive aorist, Galatians 3:19 WH text (see 1 d. above)]. Since ἄχρι is akin to ἀκή and ἀκρός [but cf. Vanicek, p. 22; Curtius, § 166], and μέχρι to μῆκος, μακρός, by the use of the former particle the reach to which a thing is said to extend is likened to a height, by the use of μέχρι, to a length; ἄχρι, indicating ascent, signifies up to; μέχρι, indicating extent, is unto, as far as; cf. Klotz as above, p. 225f. But this primitive distinction is often disregarded, and each particle used of the same thing; cf. ἄχρι τέλους, Hebrews 6:11; μέχρι τέλους, Hebrews 3:6, 14; Xenophon, symp. 4, 37 περίεστί μοι καὶ ἐσθίοντι ἄχρι τοῦ μὴ πεινῆν ἀφικέσθαι καὶ πίνοντι μέχρι τοῦ μὴ διψῆν. Cf. Fritzsche on Romans 5:13, vol i., p. 308ff; [Ellicott on 2 Timothy 2:9. Ἄχρι occurs 20 times in the writings of Luke; elsewhere in the four Gospels only in Matthew 24:38.].

BLB Scripture Index of Thayer's