Greek word · G2507

καθαιρέω

kathaireō

to take down

To take down or lower something (a body from a cross, a sail), to tear down a building, to destroy, and of persons to depose them from office.

Appears 8 times in 8 verses of the Greek New Testament. ·

What it means

καθ-αιρέω, -ῶ

[in LXX for נָתַץ, פָּרַץ, יָרַד, etc. ;]

1. to take down: with accusative of person(s) (the technical term for removal after crucifixion, Field, Notes, 44), Mark 15:36, 46, Luke 23:53, Acts 13:29.

2. to put down by force, pull down, destroy: ἀποθήκας, Luke 12:18 (opposite to οἰκοδομεῖν); δυνάστας, Luke 1:52; ἔθνη, Acts 13:19; pass., Acts 19:27 (diminished, Field, Notes, 129 f.); figuratively, to refute: λογισμούς, 2 Corinthians 10:5.†

(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 Luke 1:52

Range of meaning

To take down or lower something (a body from a cross, a sail), to tear down a building, to destroy, and of persons to depose them from office.

Against the English

'Put down' (KJV, WEB) is an older English idiom for deposing a ruler, but today it suggests insulting someone or putting an animal to sleep. 'Brought down' (BSB, NIV, NASB, ESV) keeps the downward motion.

How it drifted

'Put down' has shifted in modern English, so KJV and WEB readers may miss the picture of someone being lifted bodily off a seat.

Used elsewhere in the period

Sirach 10:14 LXX is a close parallel: 'The Lord pulled down (katheilen) the thrones of rulers and seated the gentle in their place.' Luke uses the verb in 12:18 (tearing down barns) and 23:53 (taking down Jesus' body).

From the study of Acts 13:19

Range of meaning

Literally "to take down": lowering something from a height, demolishing a building or fortification, taking down a body. Figuratively: to bring down or depose rulers, overthrow a power, destroy (BDAG). The basic picture is downward movement, something that stood being brought low.

Against the English

The KJV, WEB and YLT have "destroyed" and the BSB has "vanquished." "Destroyed" is a fair translation, but it can suggest that every person was wiped out. The Greek mainly pictures powers being toppled. "Vanquished" or "overthrew" captures the political and military defeat better.

Used elsewhere in the period

In Luke's writings it describes God who "has brought down the mighty from their thrones" (Luke 1:52, καθεῖλεν δυνάστας) and the taking down of Jesus' body from the cross (Luke 23:53; Acts 13:29). In the Septuagint (the Greek Old Testament) it often means tearing down altars, walls and strongholds.

From the study of Acts 13:29

Range of meaning

To take down or lower. It can also mean to pull down or demolish (buildings, strongholds), to overthrow rulers (Luke 1:52), or to destroy. With a body and a cross it is the normal term for removing the corpse.

Against the English

'Took him down' is accurate. The English hides nothing important.

Used elsewhere in the period

Used of Jesus' body in Mark 15:36, 46 and Luke 23:53. Philo (Against Flaccus 83) describes crucified men being taken down before a festival and handed to relatives for burial, and he uses this family of verbs.

Similar words

Where it appears

Mark · 2

  1. Mark 15:36 καθελεῖν to take down

    And someone ran and filled a sponge with sour wine. He put it on a reed and held it up for Jesus to drink, saying, “Leave Him alone. Let us see if Elijah comes to take Him down.”

  2. Mark 15:46 καθελὼν having taken down

    So Joseph bought a linen cloth, took down the body of Jesus, wrapped it in the cloth, and placed it in a tomb that had been cut out of the rock. Then he rolled a stone against the entrance to the tomb.

Luke · 3

  1. Luke 1:52 καθεῖλεν He has brought down

    He has brought down rulers from their thrones, but has exalted the humble.

    Here: A physical verb: to lift something down or tear it down. Luke uses it for taking Jesus' body down from the cross (23:53) and for tearing down barns (12:18). Here it pictures God pulling rulers off their seats. The aorist tense presents it as a completed act.

  2. Luke 12:18 καθελῶ I will tear down

    Then he said, ‘This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and will build bigger ones, and there I will store up all my grain and my goods.

  3. Luke 23:53 καθελὼν having taken down

    Then he took it down, wrapped it in a linen cloth, and placed it in a tomb cut into the rock, where no one had yet been laid.

Acts · 3

  1. Acts 13:19 καθελὼν having destroyed

    And having vanquished seven nations in Canaan, He gave their land to His people as an inheritance.

    Here: "Having brought down" or "overthrown." The picture is of pulling powers down from where they stood, like toppling rulers or demolishing a structure. This past participle sets the overthrow before the handing over of the land. God is the one doing it.

  2. Acts 13:29 καθελόντες having taken [Him] down

    When they had carried out all that was written about Him, they took Him down from the tree and laid Him in a tomb.

    Here: 'Having taken him down'. This is the ordinary word for lowering a body from a cross, used in the Gospel burial accounts (Luke 23:53; Mark 15:46). 'Him' is understood, not written.

  3. Acts 19:27 καθαιρεῖσθαι deposing

    There is danger not only that our business will fall into disrepute, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be discredited and her majesty deposed—she who is worshiped by all the province of Asia and the whole world.”

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