To appoint/conduct
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Kathistemi means to appoint, set, put in charge, constitute, or bring into a certain standing. The word can describe practical appointment to responsibility, as in Acts 6, or rejected authority vindicated by God, as in Acts 7.
Reader summary
Full entry for καθίστημι (G2525) · Open the biblical lexicon
Kathistemi means to appoint, set, put in charge, constitute, or bring into a certain standing. The word can describe practical appointment to responsibility, as in Acts 6, or rejected authority vindicated by God, as in Acts 7.
The BSB source-word alignment has 21 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include appointed (2), he will put him in charge (2), I will put (2), is appointed (2), made (2).
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Matthew 24:45. Its strongest book concentrations include Acts (5), Matthew (4), Hebrews (3), Luke (3).
Kathistemi means to appoint, set, put in charge, constitute, or bring into a certain standing. The word can describe practical appointment to responsibility, as in Acts 6, or rejected authority vindicated by God, as in Acts 7. Jesus uses it in stewardship teaching when a master puts a servant in charge. Paul uses the word in Romans 5 for the constituted condition of humanity through Adam's disobedience and Christ's obedience.
Titus uses it for appointing elders in every town, while Hebrews uses it for high priests appointed to represent people before God. The word therefore helps readers connect authority, responsibility, representation, and standing under God's ordering hand.
Kathistemi carries the idea of being set into a role, responsibility, or condition. The New Testament uses it for appointed service, household stewardship, Moses' rejected authority, elder appointment, priestly representation, and the Adam-Christ contrast of being made sinners or righteous.
Therefore, brothers, select from among you seven men confirmed to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will assign this responsibility to them
The apostles tell the church to select qualified men whom they will assign to the daily responsibility. Appointment serves order, mercy, and faithful ministry.
This Moses, whom they had rejected with the words, ‘Who made you ruler and judge?’ is the one whom God sent to be their ruler and redeemer through the angel who appeared to him in the bush.
Stephen says God sent the rejected Moses as ruler and redeemer. Kathistemi language highlights authority given by God despite human rejection.
And the Lord answered, “Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom the master puts in charge of his servants to give them their portion at the proper time?
Jesus asks about the faithful manager whom the master puts in charge. The word frames delegated stewardship under future accountability.
For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.
Paul uses the word for humanity being made sinners through Adam and made righteous through Christ. It carries representative and covenantal weight.
The reason I left you in Crete was that you would set in order what was unfinished and appoint elders in every town, as I directed you.
Paul tells Titus to appoint elders in every town. Church order is not ornamental; it serves unfinished pastoral work.
Every high priest is appointed from among men to represent them in matters relating to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins.
Every high priest is appointed from among men to represent them before God. The word supports the theme of divinely ordered representation.
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders ItA compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
Greek word. To appoint someone to an official position or role of authority and responsibility.
Textus Receptus witness, full corpus Greek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
16 of 22 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
I set, establish, appoint, conduct
Read verseI set, establish, appoint, conduct
Read verseI set, establish, appoint, conduct
Read verseI set, establish, appoint, conduct
Read verseI set, establish, appoint, conduct
Read verseI set, establish, appoint, conduct
Read verseI set, establish, appoint, conduct
Read verseI set, establish, appoint, conduct
Read verseI set, establish, appoint, conduct
Read verseI set, establish, appoint, conduct
Read verseI set, establish, appoint, conduct
Read verseI set, establish, appoint, conduct
Read verseI set, establish, appoint, conduct
Read verseI set, establish, appoint, conduct
Read verseI set, establish, appoint, conduct
Read verseI set, establish, appoint, conduct
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.
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.
Verse guides are not available for this word yet, so verse references remain plain evidence markers.
How this verb appears across 19 occurrences in the NT discourse index (MACULA Greek SBLGNT).
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)
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Showing 3 selected witnesses from 21 lexical occurrence verses.
καθίστημι is built from these roots:
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
Kathistemi reminds readers that many biblical roles and conditions are received, not self-invented. The seven are assigned a responsibility so mercy and word ministry can both be honored. Moses is sent as ruler and redeemer though rejected. A household manager is put in charge and later examined. Titus appoints elders for ordered church care. Hebrews describes priests appointed for representation.
Romans 5 reaches deeper, showing humanity constituted in Adam and the many made righteous through Christ's obedience. The word therefore helps teachers discuss authority without pride, service without disorder, and standing before God without pretending people create their own condition.
Titus.1.5
Kathistemi often carries a causative sense: someone is set, appointed, put in charge, or constituted. The object and context determine whether the emphasis falls on office, responsibility, authority, or condition.
The Old Testament repeatedly shows God appointing leaders, priests, and stewards for His people. The New Testament continues that pattern while centering final representation and righteousness in Christ's obedience.
MorphGNT Strong's Dictionary XML — CC0 1.0 Public Domain
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible (morphhb/OSHB) — CC BY 4.0
Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon — CC BY 4.0
Berean Standard Bible (BSB) source-word alignment - CC0 Public Domain