Greek word · G1299

διατάσσω

diatassō

to direct

To arrange, organize, give detailed instructions, command. It was used of officials, commanders and householders setting things in order.

Appears 16 times in 16 verses of the Greek New Testament. ·

What it means

δια-τάσσω

[in LXX for שׂוּם, שָׁמַר, etc. ;]

to charge, give orders to, appoint, arrange, ordain: with dative, Matthew 11:1, 1 Corinthians 9:14 16:1; before inf., Luke 8:55, Acts 18:2. Mid., 1 Corinthians 7:17, Acts 20:13; with accusative, 1 Corinthians 11:34; with dative, Titus 1:5; before inf., Acts 7:44 24:23. Pass., τὸ διατεταγμένον, Luke 3:13, Acts 23:31; τὰ διαταχθέντα, Luke 17:9-10; διαταγείς, Galatians 3:19.†

(AS)

From G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament (1922), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of 1 Corinthians 16:1

Range of meaning

To arrange, organize, give detailed instructions, command. It was used of officials, commanders and householders setting things in order.

Against the English

KJV's 'given order' and the WEB's 'commanded' keep the weight of authority. NIV's 'told' is softer. BSB, ESV and NASB have 'directed', which is about right: organizing instructions with an apostle's authority behind them.

Used elsewhere in the period

Paul uses it for his standing instructions in all the churches (1 Cor 7:17), for arrangements he will make on arrival (11:34), and for what the Lord commanded (9:14). In wider Greek it is used for military and administrative orders.

From the study of 1 Corinthians 9:14

Range of meaning

To arrange or put in order. To give detailed instructions or directions, to order. Used of military dispositions, administrative arrangements and the instructions of a superior (BDAG).

Against the English

KJV "ordained", ESV/NIV "commanded", NASB "directed", BSB "prescribed". "Commanded" is accurate but can sound like a law that everyone must obey. "Directed" or "arranged" keeps the word's sense of an organising instruction about how the mission is to work.

How it drifted

KJV "ordained" (from the Vulgate's "ordinavit") meant "decreed, set in order" in 1611. Modern readers easily hear clergy ordination, which is not in view.

Used elsewhere in the period

Paul uses the verb for his own standing instructions to churches: "this is what I direct in all the churches" (1 Cor 7:17), "I will give directions when I come" (11:34), "as I directed the churches of Galatia" (16:1). In Matt 11:1 it describes Jesus instructing the Twelve as he sends them out, the very occasion behind this verse. In the papyri it is common for official orders and arrangements.

From the study of 1 Corinthians 7:17

Range of meaning

To arrange, set in order, give detailed instructions, command. It is used of officials and commanders issuing orders, and of testators settling affairs. The middle voice used here ('I direct') stresses the speaker's own authority.

Against the English

KJV 'ordain', WEB 'command', BSB 'prescribe', YLT 'direct'. 'Ordain' can mislead modern readers, who may think of ordaining clergy. The sense is laying down a rule.

Used elsewhere in the period

Paul uses it in 1 Cor 11:34 ('the rest I will set in order when I come') and 16:1 ('as I directed the churches of Galatia'). It is common in the papyri for administrative orders.

Where it appears

Matthew · 1
  1. Matthew 11:1 διατάσσων commanding

    After Jesus had finished instructing His twelve disciples, He went on from there to teach and preach in their cities.

    Here: 'Giving orders.' The word is used for commands from someone in authority. Chapter 10 was a commissioning with binding instructions, not a lecture.

Luke · 4
  1. Luke 3:13 διατεταγμένον appointed

    “Collect no more than you are authorized,” he answered.

  2. Luke 8:55 διέταξεν He directed

    Her spirit returned, and at once she got up. And He directed that she be given something to eat.

    Here: "He gave instructions." It is a word for setting things in order or giving directions. Jesus takes charge of what happens next in the household.

  3. Luke 17:9 διαταχθέντα having been commanded

    Does he thank the servant because he did what he was told?

  4. Luke 17:10 διαταχθέντα having been commanded

    So you also, when you have done everything commanded of you, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.’”

    Here: "The things that were ordered": the language of tasks assigned by a master or an officer. It repeats the exact phrase of v.9 ("did the things ordered"), which ties the disciples to the slave in the story.

Acts · 5
  1. Acts 7:44 διετάξατο had commanded

    Our fathers had the tabernacle of the Testimony with them in the wilderness. It was constructed exactly as God had directed Moses, according to the pattern he had seen.

    Here: "Gave orders, arranged." The word is used for issuing detailed instructions. The aorist (a simple past act) treats God's command as one decisive event.

  2. Acts 18:2 διατεταχέναι to have commanded

    There he found a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla because Claudius had ordered all the Jews to leave Rome. Paul went to visit them,

    Here: 'Had ordered.' This is the language of an official instruction. The Greek perfect tense presents the order as given and still in force.

  3. Acts 20:13 διατεταγμένος having arranged himself

    We went on ahead to the ship and sailed to Assos, where we were to take Paul aboard. He had arranged this because he was going there on foot.

  4. Acts 23:31 διατεταγμένον ordered

    So the soldiers followed their orders and brought Paul by night to Antipatris.

  5. Acts 24:23 διαταξάμενος having commanded

    He ordered the centurion to keep Paul under guard, but to allow him some freedom and permit his friends to minister to his needs.

1 Corinthians · 4
  1. 1 Corinthians 7:17 διατάσσομαι.¶ I prescribe.

    Regardless, each one should lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him and to which God has called him. This is what I prescribe in all the churches.

    Here: 'I direct, I lay down as a standing order' (present tense: my regular practice). It is the language of giving instructions or arranging affairs, as in 11:34 and 16:1.

  2. 1 Corinthians 9:14 διέταξεν has prescribed

    In the same way, the Lord has prescribed that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel.

    Here: "Gave directions" or "made arrangements". The tense points to one definite past act, when Jesus sent out his messengers. Paul uses the same verb for his own instructions to the churches (7:17; 11:34; 16:1).

  3. 1 Corinthians 11:34 διατάξομαι.¶ I will set in order.

    If anyone is hungry, he should eat at home, so that when you come together it will not result in judgment. And when I come, I will give instructions about the remaining matters.

  4. 1 Corinthians 16:1 διέταξα I have directed

    Now about the collection for the saints, you are to do as I directed the churches of Galatia:

    Here: 'I gave directions': an apostle laying down how something is to be organized. The same verb is used in 7:17 and 11:34. The past tense points to instructions already given to Galatia.

Galatians · 1
  1. Galatians 3:19 διαταγεὶς having been ordained

    Why then was the law given? It was added because of transgressions, until the arrival of the seed to whom the promise referred. It was administered through angels by a mediator.

    Here: 'Having been ordered or arranged'. It is a word for administration and decrees, used of setting out regulations. It describes how the law was put in force.

Titus · 1
  1. Titus 1:5 διεταξάμην· directed;

    The reason I left you in Crete was that you would set in order what was unfinished and appoint elders in every town, as I directed you.

    Here: 'I gave instructions, I laid it out.' Paul uses this verb for his standing arrangements for the churches (1 Cor 7:17; 11:34; 16:1). Here it refers to orders Titus has already received, which the qualifications in verses 6–9 now put in writing.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.