Greek word · G2702

καταφέρω

katapherō

to vote against

To carry or bring down; to be overcome, as by sleep; in legal settings, to bring against someone, including casting a vote against them.

Appears 4 times in 3 verses of the Greek New Testament. ·

What it means

κατα-φέρω

[in LXX for יָרַד hi., etc. ;]

to bring down: αἰτιώματα, Acts 25:7; ψῆφον, to cast a ballot, Acts 26:10; pass., to be borne down: ὕπνῳ, ἀπὸ τ. ὕ., Acts 20:9.†

(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 Acts 25:7

Range of meaning

To carry or bring down; to be overcome, as by sleep; in legal settings, to bring against someone, including casting a vote against them.

Against the English

'Bringing' (BSB, WEB, YLT, ESV) is correct but flat. KJV's 'laid ... against' comes closer to the sense of putting something heavy on someone, although it is translating the variant wording.

Used elsewhere in the period

Acts 20:9 uses it twice of Eutychus sinking into sleep and falling. Acts 26:10 has Paul 'casting down' his vote against believers. Related phrasing appears with simple pherō: 'what accusation do you bring against this man?' (John 18:29) and 'they brought no charge' (Acts 25:18).

Similar words

Where it appears

Acts · 4

  1. Acts 20:9 καταφερόμενος κατενεχθεὶς overpowered, having been overpowered

    And a certain young man named Eutychus, seated in the window, was sinking into a deep sleep as Paul talked on and on. When he was sound asleep, he fell from the third story and was picked up dead.

  2. Acts 25:7 καταφέροντες presenting

    When Paul arrived, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood around him, bringing many serious charges that they could not prove.

    Here: 'Bringing down' charges on him, in the present tense, so the accusations come one after another as the hearing runs. The 'down' suits the picture of heavy charges landing on the man in the middle.

  3. Acts 26:10 κατήνεγκα I cast against [them]

    And that is what I did in Jerusalem. With authority from the chief priests I put many of the saints in prison, and when they were condemned to death, I cast my vote against them.

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