Greek word · G2594

καρτερέω

kartereō

to endure

To be strong, firm or steadfast; to hold out, persist, stand one's ground. It is related to kratos/kartos ('strength, might'). With a participle it can mean 'to keep on doing' something.

Appears once in the Greek New Testament. ·

What it means

καρτερέω, -ῶ

[in LXX: Job 2:9 (חָזַק hi.), Isaiah 42:14 (פָּאָה), Sirach 2:2 12:15, 2 12:1-18, 4Macc 7:1-23 * ;]

to be steadfast, patient: Hebrews 11:27 (cf. προσ-καρτερέω).†

(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 Hebrews 11:27

Range of meaning

To be strong, firm or steadfast; to hold out, persist, stand one's ground. It is related to kratos/kartos ('strength, might'). With a participle it can mean 'to keep on doing' something. The noun karteria ('steadfastness, endurance') was a standard virtue word in Greek ethics, especially for those who stood firm under threat or torture.

Against the English

KJV/ESV/WEB 'endured' can sound passive in modern English, as in putting up with something unpleasant. BSB/NIV 'persevered' and NLT 'kept right on going' bring out the active, forward-moving firmness better.

How it drifted

Modern 'endure' has moved toward 'tolerate, suffer through'. In 1611 it still carried more of the sense 'last, hold firm'.

Used elsewhere in the period

In the LXX: Job 2:9 (Job's wife: 'how long will you hold out?'), Sirach 2:2 ('set your heart right and be steadfast'), Sirach 12:15, and Isaiah 42:14. Jewish martyr literature, 4 Maccabees especially, praises karteria as the firmness of martyrs facing a raging tyrant. That closely parallels Moses facing the king's thumos.

Where it appears

Hebrews · 1

  1. Hebrews 11:27 ἐκαρτέρησεν.¶ he persevered.

    By faith Moses left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw Him who is invisible.

    Here: 'He held firm, stood strong.' The word comes from the vocabulary of strength. It means stubborn steadiness under pressure, not quietly putting up with things. This is the only place it appears in the New Testament.

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