Greek word · G2525

καθίστημι

kathistēmi

to appoint/conduct

Literally 'to set down'. BDAG places Rom 5:19 under this third sense.

Appears 21 times in 20 verses of the Greek New Testament. ·

What it means

καθ-ίστημι

(and καθιστάνω, Acts 17:15), [in LXX for פָּקַד, קוּם, שׂוּם, etc., 24 words in all* ;]

1.

(a) to set down;

(b) to bring down to a place (Hom., Xen., al.; 2 Chronicles 28:15, 1 Samuel 5:3): Acts 17:15.

2. to set in order, appoint, make, constitute: Titus 1:5, 2 Peter 1:8; with dupl. accusative, κριτήν, Luke 12:14; ἡγούμενον, Acts 7:10; ἄρχοντα, Acts 7:27, 35" (LXX) ; ἀρχιερεῖς, Hebrews 7:28; before ἐπί, with genitive, Matthew 24:45 25:21, 23, Luke 12:42, Acts 6:3; id. with dative, Matthew 24:47, Luke 12:44; id. with accusative, Hebrews 2:7 (LXX) (WH, R, mg. omit); pass. (see Mayor, Ja., 115 f.), Romans 5:19, James 3:6 4:4; before εἰς with inf., Hebrews 8:3; τὰ πρὸς τ. θεόν, Hebrews 5:1 (cf. ἀντι-, ἀπο-καθίστημι).

† (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 Romans 5:19

Range of meaning

Literally 'to set down'. In use: (1) to bring or conduct someone to a place; (2) to appoint or install someone in an office or position, such as a steward over a household (Matt 24:45), administrators (Acts 6:3), a judge or ruler (Luke 12:14; Acts 7:27), or a priest (Heb 5:1); (3) to cause someone to be in a certain condition, to render or make (2 Pet 1:8, qualities that 'render' you not useless; James 4:4, whoever wants to be the world's friend 'is made / makes himself' God's enemy). BDAG places Rom 5:19 under this third sense.

Against the English

'Were made' (KJV, BSB, WEB and most modern versions) is not wrong, but in English 'made' can suggest manufacturing or being forced to act. YLT's 'constituted' is closer: placed in a standing or category. 'Appointed' or 'established as' also capture the sense of installing someone in a status.

How it drifted

English 'make' has become very broad and now leans toward cause and effect ('it made him angry'). The Greek verb keeps a strong sense of placing someone in a position, often with legal or official overtones.

Used elsewhere in the period

Common in the Septuagint (the Greek Old Testament) and in Hellenistic papyri for appointing officials and guardians. Josephus and other writers use it for installing rulers and priests. The 'render / cause to be' sense also occurs in classical and Koine Greek, for example making someone into an enemy or a friend.

From the study of Matthew 25:21

Range of meaning

To set, place; to appoint or install someone in a position; with ἐπί, to put someone in charge of something.

Against the English

KJV 'make thee ruler over' brings out the authority; WEB 'set you over' is literal; BSB and NIV 'put you in charge of' are clear and accurate.

Used elsewhere in the period

Used in the Septuagint for Pharaoh setting Joseph over Egypt (Gen 41:41) and Joseph over Potiphar's house (Gen 39:4-5). In Matt 24:45, 47 it is used twice: the master sets the slave over his household and then over all his possessions.

From the study of James 4:4

Range of meaning

To set down, place. To appoint someone to an office. To make or cause someone to be in a certain state. In the passive or middle: to be made, become, be established as.

Against the English

"Renders himself" or "makes himself" (BSB, ESV, NASB, WEB) treats the form as reflexive: the person does it to himself. "Becomes" (NIV) is neutral. KJV "is the enemy" flattens it into a simple state and loses the sense of being placed into a new standing. YLT "he is set" is wooden but keeps the idea of being placed.

Used elsewhere in the period

In James 3:6 the same form (καθίσταται) is used of the tongue, which "is set among our members". In Romans 5:19 the many "were made" (κατεστάθησαν) sinners. The verb also commonly means appointing to office (Matthew 24:45; Acts 6:3).

Where it appears

Matthew · 4

  1. Matthew 24:45 κατέστησεν has set

    Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of his household, to give the others their food at the proper time?

    Here: A single act of appointment to a post of oversight. The same verb is used for Joseph being set over Potiphar's house and over Egypt in the Greek Old Testament.

  2. Matthew 24:47 καταστήσει he will set

    Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions.

    Here: Future tense: the promotion happens when the master returns. This is the standard verb for appointing someone to an office or putting them in charge, and it repeats v. 45, 'whom the master set over his household'. The one appointment leads to a larger one.

  3. Matthew 25:21 καταστήσω. will I set.

    His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Enter into the joy of your master!’

    Here: A formal word for installing someone in office or putting someone in charge. It repeats the promise made to the 'faithful and wise slave' in 24:45-47, who is set over all his master's possessions.

  4. Matthew 25:23 καταστήσω. will I set.

    His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Enter into the joy of your master!’

    Here: "I will appoint you": a formal placement into office or authority. It is the same verb used for the faithful slave whom the master "puts over all his possessions" in 24:45–47.

Luke · 3

  1. Luke 12:14 κατέστησεν appointed

    But Jesus replied, “Man, who appointed Me judge or executor between you?”

    Here: The language of being officially installed in a post by someone with the authority to do it. Jesus is saying that nobody has given him this office.

  2. Luke 12:42 καταστήσει will set

    And the Lord answered, “Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom the master puts in charge of his servants to give them their portion at the proper time?

    Here: A future tense: "will put in charge". It is the vocabulary of formally installing someone in office, the same verb used when Joseph was set over Potiphar's house and over Egypt. The authority is delegated and does not belong to the manager.

  3. Luke 12:44 καταστήσει he will set

    Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions.

Acts · 5

  1. Acts 6:3 καταστήσομεν we will appoint

    Therefore, brothers, select from among you seven men confirmed to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will assign this responsibility to them

    Here: 'We will appoint' or 'we will put in charge'. Here 'we' is the Twelve. The community chooses and the apostles formally install. The word is used for being set over a household or estate as steward.

  2. Acts 7:10 κατέστησεν he appointed

    and rescued him from all his troubles. He granted Joseph favor and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh king of Egypt, who appointed him ruler over Egypt and all his household.

    Here: 'Set him in place' as an official. Grammatically the subject could be God, who is the subject of the earlier verbs, or Pharaoh, the nearest person named. The story itself says both: Pharaoh made Joseph ruler (Genesis 41:41), and God made him so (Genesis 45:8).

  3. Acts 7:27 κατέστησεν appointed

    But the man who was abusing his neighbor pushed Moses aside and said, ‘Who made you ruler and judge over us?

  4. Acts 7:35 κατέστησεν appointed

    This Moses, whom they had rejected with the words, ‘Who made you ruler and judge?’ is the one whom God sent to be their ruler and redeemer through the angel who appeared to him in the bush.

    Here: 'Appointed / set over [us]': a formal installation in office. The sneer is that Moses has no commission. The verse goes on to answer that God gave him one.

  5. Acts 17:15 καθιστάνοντες escorting

    Those who escorted Paul brought him to Athens and then returned with instructions for Silas and Timothy to join him as soon as possible.

Romans · 2

  1. Romans 5:19 κατεστάθησαν κατασταθήσονται were made, will be made

    For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.

    Here: Aorist passive: 'were set down as', 'were placed in the position of'. The verb means installing someone in a status or role. The passive leaves unstated who does the placing, though God as judge is implied.

Titus · 1

  1. Titus 1:5 καταστήσῃς may appoint

    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: 'Appoint, install.' This is the ordinary word for putting someone in charge of something, the way a master puts a steward over his household (Luke 12:42). It names the act of placing people in office. It does not describe a particular ceremony.

Hebrews · 3

  1. Hebrews 5:1 καθίσταται is appointed

    Every high priest is appointed from among men to represent them in matters relating to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins.

    Here: "Is installed" or "is put in office". It is the ordinary word for appointing an official. The present tense describes the standing arrangement.

  2. Hebrews 7:28 καθίστησιν appoints

    For the law appoints as high priests men who are weak; but the oath, which came after the law, appointed the Son, who has been made perfect forever.

    Here: The ordinary word for installing someone in an office (used of the high priest in 5:1 and 8:3). Present tense: the law keeps doing this, generation after generation. The verb is understood again in the second half: the oath 'installs' the Son.

  3. Hebrews 8:3 καθίσταται· is appointed;

    And since every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices, it was necessary for this One also to have something to offer.

James · 2

  1. James 3:6 καθίσταται is set

    The tongue also is a fire, a world of wickedness among the parts of the body. It pollutes the whole person, sets the course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.

    Here: 'Is set up / takes its place / makes itself' among our members. The same verb appears in 4:4 ('makes himself an enemy of God'), so it may mean the tongue sets itself up as the world of wrong inside the body.

  2. James 4:4 καθίσταται. is appointed.

    You adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore, whoever chooses to be a friend of the world renders himself an enemy of God.

    Here: "Is made / makes himself / is set down as". The form can be read as "renders himself" or "is constituted". Either way the choice puts the person in a new standing, almost as if enrolled on the other side.

2 Peter · 1

  1. 2 Peter 1:8 καθίστησιν make [you]

    For if you possess these qualities and continue to grow in them, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

    Here: With two accusatives it means 'render someone something'. The object 'you' is understood. The present tense states what these qualities regularly and reliably do.

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