Word Study for G2520 (καθήκω)

kathḗkō /kath-ay'-ko/ Ask about this word

Rootfrom κατά and ἥκω

Meaningto reach to, i.e. (neuter of present active participle, figuratively as adjective) becoming

KJV usageconvenient, fit.

Word Study

In depth

A plain-language study of kathḗkō — 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 kathḗkō, represented by G2520, is used to describe what is convenient or fit. It appears 4 times across 2 unique verses in the Bible. Derived from κατά and ἥκω, its base meaning is "to reach to," but it is used figuratively as an adjective to denote what is becoming or appropriate.

Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis

In scripture, G2520 is used to define moral or social appropriateness. In Romans, it describes actions that are "not convenient" and are undertaken by those who did not like to retain God in their knowledge, resulting in God giving them over to a reprobate mind Romans 1:28. In the book of Acts, the word is used by a crowd shouting that it was not fit for Paul to live, showing a severe judgment upon him Acts 22:22.

Related Words & Concepts

Several related words help clarify the contexts in which G2520 appears:

G96 adókimos (reprobate): This term describes a mind that is unapproved or rejected. It is directly linked to doing things that are not convenient, as seen in Romans 1:28.
G1381 dokimázō (like): Meaning to approve or test, this word appears in Romans 1:28 to describe how people "did not like" to retain God in their knowledge, which led to their reprobate state.
G1093 gē (earth): In Acts 22:22, the crowd desires to remove Paul from the earth, believing he is not fit to live. This word specifies the physical realm from which they sought his removal.
G2198 záō (to live): This word is central to the judgment in Acts 22:22, where the crowd declared that Paul was not fit to live.

Theological Significance

The theological weight of G2520 centers on moral standards and judgment.

A Standard of Conduct: The word establishes a clear line between what is proper and improper. Romans 1:28 identifies actions that are "not convenient" as a direct outcome of rejecting the knowledge of God.
The Consequence of Rejection: The appearance of G2520 in Romans 1:28 is part of a divine judgment. Because people did not approve of God, He gave them over to a mind that leads them to perform actions that are not fit.
Human Judgment: In Acts 22:22, a crowd uses the concept of fitness to condemn Paul. They declared it was "not fit" for him to live, seeking to remove him from the earth based on their own assessment.

Summary

In summary, G2520 serves as a critical marker for what is appropriate or becoming. Though used sparingly, it carries significant meaning, defining actions and even individuals that fall outside a proper standard. Whether describing the moral decay resulting from a reprobate mind Romans 1:28 or the basis for a crowd's condemnation of an apostle Acts 22:22, kathḗkō highlights the biblical distinction between what is fit and unfit.

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 2 occurrences, inflected in 2 grammatical forms — each row is one form, and the bar is how often it is that form.

Imperfect Active Indicative 3rd Singular 1×
Present Active Participle Accusative Plural Neuter 1×

Accusative: The direct object of the verb.
Singular: One.
Plural: More than one.
Neuter: Neuter grammatical gender.
3rd: Third person — the one spoken about ("he"/"they").
Present: Action in progress or repeated — happening now or continually.
Imperfect: Ongoing or repeated action in the past — "was doing".
Active: The subject performs the action.
Indicative: A plain statement of fact.
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 2 verses across 2 of the 27 books. Most frequent in Acts and Romans (1 verse each); never once in the other 25.

Acts

Romans

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.