Word Study for G2507 (καθαιρέω)

kathairéō /kath-ahee-reh'-o/ Ask about this word

Rootfrom κατά and αἱρέομαι (including its alternate)

Meaningto lower (or with violence) demolish (literally or figuratively)

KJV usagecast (pull, put, take) down, destroy.

Word Study

In depth

A plain-language study of kathairéō — the range of meaning it carries, how Scripture actually uses it, and where it points. Written for readers who don’t know the original language.

Core Meaning & Semantic Range

The Greek word καθαιρέω (kathairéō), represented by G2507, means to lower, demolish, or destroy, often with violence. It appears 11 times across 9 unique verses in the Bible. Its definition, "from κατά and αἱρέομαι... to lower (or with violence) demolish (literally or figuratively)," indicates a broad range of actions from physical removal to the complete destruction of abstract concepts.

Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis

In the biblical narrative, G2507 is applied in both literal and figurative contexts. It is used multiple times to describe the physical act of taking Jesus' body down from the tree after the crucifixion (Acts 13:29, Luke 23:53, Mark 15:46). The word also depicts destructive force, such as God having destroyed seven nations in the land of Chanaan Acts 13:19 and the rich man's plan to pull down his barns to build greater ones Luke 12:18. Figuratively, it describes God having put down the mighty from their seats Luke 1:52 and is used in the context of spiritual warfare for casting down imaginations 2 Corinthians 10:5.

Related Words & Concepts

Several related words help to clarify the context and meaning of G2507:

G1413 dynástēs (a ruler or officer): This word for the "mighty" or "potentate" is used to identify those whom God has put down G2507 from their seats of power, showing a direct reversal of authority Luke 1:52.
G5313 hýpsōma (an elevated place or thing): This term for a "high thing" or barrier is what is targeted to be cast down G2507 in the spiritual sense, specifically anything that exalts itself against the knowledge of God 2 Corinthians 10:5.
G3618 oikodoméō (to be a house-builder, i.e. construct): This word provides a direct contrast to G2507. In the parable of the rich fool, he plans to first pull down G2507 his old barns before he can build G3618 new ones Luke 12:18.

Theological Significance

The theological weight of G2507 is significant, highlighting themes of divine authority, spiritual conflict, and Christ's sacrifice.

Divine Sovereignty: The word is used to demonstrate God's ultimate power over human rulers and structures. He is the one who put down the mighty from their seats, establishing his authority over all earthly potentates Luke 1:52.
Spiritual Warfare: In one of its most prominent uses, G2507 is a key verb for the believer's responsibility to demolish spiritual strongholds. This involves casting down imaginations and every high thing that opposes God's knowledge 2 Corinthians 10:5.
Christ's Humiliation: The repeated use of G2507 to describe taking Christ's body down from the cross is a somber depiction of the completion of his earthly suffering and his submission to death before the resurrection (Acts 13:29, Luke 23:53).

Summary

In summary, G2507 is a dynamic word that conveys forceful action. Whether it is used for the literal act of taking something down, the demolition of a physical structure, the toppling of nations, or the spiritual act of destroying false arguments, it consistently points to an action of bringing something high to a lower state. From the cross to the battlefield of the mind, καθαιρέω illustrates the power to dismantle and destroy.

How the KJV Renders It

Translation

Strong’s lists the renderings but not their weight. These are counted from the King James text of the tagged verses — the bar under each is how often the translators actually reached for it. Select one to filter the occurrences below.

Grammatical Forms

Morphology

In the Greek New Testament, this word appears as a verb across 8 occurrences, inflected in 6 grammatical forms — each row is one form, and the bar is how often it is that form.

2nd Aorist Active Participle Nominative Singular Masculine 3×
2nd Aorist Active Indicative 3rd Singular 1×
2nd Aorist Active Infinitive 1×
2nd Aorist Active Participle Nominative Plural Masculine 1×
2nd Future Active Indicative 1st Singular 1×
Present Passive Infinitive 1×

Nominative: The subject of the verb.
Singular: One.
Plural: More than one.
Masculine: Masculine grammatical gender.
1st: First person — the speaker ("I"/"we").
2nd: Second person — the one addressed ("you").
3rd: Third person — the one spoken about ("he"/"they").
Present: Action in progress or repeated — happening now or continually.
Future: Action yet to take place.
Aorist: Action viewed as a single whole — usually a simple past event.
Active: The subject performs the action.
Passive: The subject is acted upon.
Indicative: A plain statement of fact.
Infinitive: The verb as a noun — "to do".
Participle: A verbal adjective — describes while carrying the verb's action.

Theographic Context

Context

The people, places, and span of history the verses containing this word touch on — drawn from the theographic tagging of Scripture. Select any name to isolate its verses in the occurrence list.

Biblical Distribution

Distribution

Appears in 9 verses across 4 of the 27 books. Most frequent in Luke and Acts (3 verses each); never once in the other 23.

Mark

Luke

Acts

2 Corinthians

Every Occurrence

Concordance

Every verse where the word is tagged in the King James text. Filter by book, by the English word the translators chose, or search within the verses.

Sources. Definition and numbering: James Strong, Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (1890). Morphology: STEPBible / Tyndale House (CC BY). Verse tagging: the King James text keyed to Strong’s numbers. Every count on this page is computed from the tagged corpus, not estimated.