What does καθαιρέω (kathairéō) mean in the Bible?
G2507 means to take down, pull down, demolish, depose, or refute. 52, Mary praises God for bringing rulers down from thrones and lifting the humble.
Greek · G2507
καθαιρέω
To lower (or with violence) demolish (literally or figuratively)
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καθαιρέωG2507
Pronunciationkathairéō
What does καθαιρέω (kathairéō) mean in the Bible?
G2507 means to take down, pull down, demolish, depose, or refute. 52, Mary praises God for bringing rulers down from thrones and lifting the humble.
Reader summary
Full entry for καθαιρέω (G2507) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render G2507?
The BSB source-word alignment has 9 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include deposed (1), having vanquished (1), He has brought down (1), he took it down (1), I will tear down (1).
Where does καθαιρέω (kathairéō) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Mark 15:36. Its strongest book concentrations include Acts (3), Luke (3), Mark (2), 2 Corinthians (1).
What This Word Actually Means
G2507 means to take down, pull down, demolish, depose, or refute. In Luke. 1. 52, Mary praises God for bringing rulers down from thrones and lifting the humble. In Luke. 23. 53, Joseph takes Jesus' body down, wraps it, and places it in an unused tomb. In 2Cor. 10. 5, Paul describes demolishing arguments and proud obstacles raised against the knowledge of God.
G2507 opens teaching on humbled power, dignified burial, dismantled falsehood, reduced idolatrous prestige, and possessions enlarged in folly. It does not authorize attacking people, destroying property, suppressing questions, or treating disagreement as a spiritual fortress. Taking something down may serve care, burial, correction, release, or domination, and context identifies the moral purpose.
How the Bible Uses It
G2507 covers bodies taken down from crucifixion, barns demolished, rulers deposed, nations overcome, prestige diminished, and arguments refuted. Physical and figurative objects must remain distinct.
- Luke.1.52
He has brought down rulers from their thrones, but has exalted the humble.
Mary's song praises God for bringing powerful rulers down from thrones and exalting humble people.
- Luke.23.53
Then he took it down, wrapped it in a linen cloth, and placed it in a tomb cut into the rock, where no one had yet been laid.
Joseph carefully takes Jesus' body down from the cross, wraps it, and places it in a new tomb.
- 2Cor.10.5
We demolish arguments and every presumption set up against the knowledge of God; and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
Paul's warfare image targets arguments and arrogant obstacles rather than human bodies.
Source Word Evidence
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders Itdeposed1×Acts 19:27
having vanquished1×Acts 13:19
He has brought down1×Luke 1:52
he took it down1×Luke 23:53
I will tear down1×Luke 12:18
they took [Him] down1×Acts 13:29
to take Him down1×Mark 15:36
took down1×Mark 15:46
We demolish1×2 Corinthians 10:5
Show sample aligned rows
Mark 15:36καθελεῖνtoto take Him downVerb - Aorist Infinitive ActiveMark 15:46καθελὼνtotook downVerb - Aorist Participle Active - Nominative Masculine SingularLuke 1:52καθεῖλενtoHe has brought downVerb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person SingularLuke 12:18καθελῶtoI will tear downVerb - Future Indicative Active - 1st Person SingularLuke 23:53καθελὼνtohe took it downVerb - Aorist Participle Active - Nominative Masculine SingularActs 13:19καθελὼνtohaving vanquishedVerb - Aorist Participle Active - Nominative Masculine SingularActs 13:29καθελόντεςtothey took [Him] downVerb - Aorist Participle Active - Nominative Masculine PluralActs 19:27καθαιρεῖσθαιtodeposedVerb - Present Infinitive Middle or Passive2 Corinthians 10:5καθαιροῦντεςtoWe demolishVerb - Present Participle Active - Nominative Masculine Plural
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned rowMark 15:36
Aligned rows9
Books represented4
Mark2Luke3Acts32 Corinthians1
Source forms
καθελὼν3xkathelōnMark 15:46, Luke 23:53, Acts 13:19
καθαιρεῖσθαι1xkathaireisthaiActs 19:27
καθαιροῦντες1xkathairountes2 Corinthians 10:5
καθεῖλεν1xkatheilenLuke 1:52
καθελεῖν1xkatheleinMark 15:36
καθελόντες1xkathelontesActs 13:29
καθελῶ1xkathelōLuke 12:18
Parsing patterns
Verb - Aorist Participle Active - Nominative Masculine Singular3xMark 15:46, Luke 23:53, Acts 13:19
Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular1xLuke 1:52
Verb - Aorist Infinitive Active1xMark 15:36
Verb - Aorist Participle Active - Nominative Masculine Plural1xActs 13:29
Verb - Future Indicative Active - 1st Person Singular1xLuke 12:18
Verb - Present Infinitive Middle or Passive1xActs 19:27
Verb - Present Participle Active - Nominative Masculine Plural1x2 Corinthians 10:5
Using This Word Well
Be careful not to...
- Do not use 2 Corinthians 10 to label people, questions, trauma responses, or dissent as strongholds to be violently subdued.
- Do not claim God's throne-reversal language for vandalism, mob action, or an unaccountable seizure of power.
Avoid claiming...
- Do not claim that G2507 commands believers to demolish people, sacred sites, books, or civic institutions.
- Do not claim that every deposed ruler or reduced institution is a direct act of divine approval for its successor.
Evidence Summary
Greek word. to lower (or with violence) demolish (literally or figuratively)
Strong'sG2507
Lexical occurrences9 versesGreek text appearances9 timesWord forms3 forms9 referencesVerse guides0 guides
Source Gloss
to lower (or with violence) demolish (literally or figuratively)
Greek Text Appearances
Textus Receptus witness, full corpusGreek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
9 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
Mark 15:36Verb Second Aorist Active Infinitive
καθελεῖνkaqelein
I take down, depose, destroy
Read verseMark 15:46Verb Second Aorist Active Participle Nominative Singular Masculine
καθελὼνkaqelwn
I take down, depose, destroy
Read verseLuke 1:52Verb Third Person Singular Second Aorist Active Indicative
καθεῖλεkaqeilen
I take down, depose, destroy
Read verseLuke 12:18Verb First Person Singular Second Future Active Indicative
καθελῶkaqelw
I take down, depose, destroy
Read verseLuke 23:53Verb Second Aorist Active Participle Nominative Singular Masculine
καθελὼνkaqelwn
I take down, depose, destroy
Read verseActs 13:19Verb Second Aorist Active Participle Nominative Singular Masculine
καθελὼνkaqelwn
I take down, depose, destroy
Read verseActs 13:29Verb Second Aorist Active Participle Nominative Plural Masculine
καθελόντεςkaqelontev
I take down, depose, destroy
Read verseActs 19:27Verb Present Passive Infinitive
καθαιρεῖσθαιkaqaireisqai
I take down, depose, destroy
Read verse2 Corinthians 10:5Verb Present Active Participle Nominative Plural Masculine
καθαιροῦντεςkaqairountev
I take down, depose, destroy
Read verseFull New Testament corpus: 260 chapters, 7,957 verses, 140,628 tokens. Data source: honza/textus-receptus (data only), with authority check against byztxt/greektext-textus-receptus.
Grammatical Forms
How mood, tense, and voice shift the force of this verb in context.
This verb appears through different tense, voice, mood, or stem patterns. Those forms help readers see how the action is presented in context.
Form groups3Aligned forms9TensesAorist, Future, PresentVoicesActive, Passive
Verse guides are not available for this word yet, so verse references remain plain evidence markers.
Tenses
Voices
Participleverbal adjective — the action as a modifying quality5×
Aorist ActiveMark 15:46 · Luke 23:53 · Acts 13:19 · Acts 13:294×
Present Active2 Cor 10:41×
Infinitiveverbal noun — the action in abstract2×
Aorist ActiveMark 15:361×
Present PassiveActs 19:271×
Indicativestates a fact or reality2×
Aorist ActiveLuke 1:521×
Future ActiveLuke 12:181×
Discourse Aspect
How this verb appears across 9 occurrences in the NT discourse index (MACULA Greek SBLGNT).
Aspect
Tense
aorist6present2future1
Voice
active8passive1
Mood
participle5infinitive2indicative2
NT Occurrences
Mark 15:36καθελεῖνaorist active infinitiveinfinitiveMark 15:46καθελὼνaorist active participleparticipleLuke 1:52καθεῖλενaorist active indicativecompletedLuke 12:18καθελῶfuture active indicativeprospectiveLuke 23:53καθελὼνaorist active participleparticipleActs 13:19καθελὼνaorist active participleparticipleActs 13:29καθελόντεςaorist active participleparticipleActs 19:27καθαιρεῖσθαιpresent passive infinitiveinfinitive2 Corinthians 10:4καθαιροῦντεςpresent active participleparticiple
Aspect reflects grammatical form — not authorial emphasis. Participles and infinitives are verbal adjectives and nouns respectively.
Clause data: MACULA Greek (Clear Bible, CC BY 4.0) · SBLGNT (Logos/SBL, CC BY 4.0)
Word Origins
καθαιρέω is built from these roots:
Part of These Phrases
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
For the Preacher and Teacher
G2507 can describe both tender removal and forceful overthrow. Joseph takes Jesus down from the cross and provides burial care, treating the executed body with dignity when imperial punishment intended shame. Mary's song announces a wider reversal in which God brings rulers down and lifts the humble. The praise belongs to God's just action and does not grant every revolutionary movement divine status.
Paul uses military language for intellectual and spiritual ministry, but the targets are arguments and arrogant claims, not persons. Thoughts are brought into Christ's obedience through truthful gospel labor, not physical coercion. Faithful application honors bodies, challenges proud systems, and refutes deception with evidence, patience, and clear reasoning.
It refuses to demolish questioners, erase records, or attack objects merely to display zeal.
Anchor passage
Luke.23.53
Doctrinal connections
- G2507: God brings proud rulers down and lifts humble people according to His just mercy.
- G2507: Jesus' executed body receives courageous, material, and dignified burial care.
- G2507: resurrection hope does not make the treatment of a dead body unimportant.
- G2507: apostolic warfare demolishes arguments and pretensions rather than harming human opponents.
- G2507: wealth-driven expansion can tear down adequate stores while neglecting life before God.
- G2507: false religious prestige may be diminished when the gospel changes worship and commerce.
G2507 is a Greek compound verb used for taking something down, demolishing, deposing, diminishing, or refuting. Concrete objects and figurative arguments produce distinct but related senses.
From Old to New Testament
God brings down proud kingdoms and raises the lowly throughout the prophets and songs of Israel, while the Gospel centers this reversal on Jesus' humbled death and resurrection. The removal of Jesus' body for honorable burial and the dismantling of proud arguments both serve truth without licensing destruction of people.