What does καταγελάω (katageláō) mean in the Bible?
καταγελάω (katageláō): Scornful, contemptuous laughter directed at someone; more intense ridicule than simple mockery.
Greek · G2606
καταγελάω
To mock
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καταγελάωG2606
Pronunciationkatageláō
What does καταγελάω (katageláō) mean in the Bible?
καταγελάω (katageláō): Scornful, contemptuous laughter directed at someone; more intense ridicule than simple mockery.
Full entry for καταγελάω (G2606) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render G2606?
The BSB source-word alignment has 3 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include they laughed at (3).
Where does καταγελάω (katageláō) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Matthew 9:24. Its strongest book concentrations include Luke (1), Mark (1), Matthew (1).
Source Word Evidence
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders Itthey laughed at3×Matthew 9:24, Mark 5:40, Luke 8:53
Show sample aligned rows
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned rowMatthew 9:24
Aligned rows3
Books represented3
Matthew1Mark1Luke1
Source forms
κατεγέλων3xkategelōnMatthew 9:24, Mark 5:40, Luke 8:53
Parsing patterns
Verb - Imperfect Indicative Active - 3rd Person Plural3xMatthew 9:24, Mark 5:40, Luke 8:53
Evidence Summary
Greek word. Scornful, contemptuous laughter directed at someone; more intense ridicule than simple mockery.
Strong'sG2606
Lexical occurrences3 versesGreek text appearances3 timesWord forms1 form3 referencesVerse guides0 guides
Study linkLuke 8:40-56Source Gloss
to mock
Greek Text Appearances
Textus Receptus witness, full corpusGreek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
3 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
Matthew 9:24Verb Third Person Plural Imperfect Active Indicative
κατεγέλωνkategelwn
I laugh at, ridicule
Read verseMark 5:40Verb Third Person Plural Imperfect Active Indicative
κατεγέλωνkategelwn
I laugh at, ridicule
Read verseLuke 8:53Verb Third Person Plural Imperfect Active Indicative
κατεγέλωνkategelwn
I laugh at, ridicule
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 groups1Aligned forms3TensesImperfectVoicesActive
Verse guides are not available for this word yet, so verse references remain plain evidence markers.
Tenses
Voices
Indicativestates a fact or reality3×
Imperfect ActiveMatt 9:24 · Mark 5:40 · Luke 8:533×
Discourse Aspect
How this verb appears across 3 occurrences in the NT discourse index (MACULA Greek SBLGNT).
Aspect
Tense
imperfect3
Voice
active3
Mood
indicative3
NT Occurrences
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)
Sampled Scripture Occurrences
Representative Scripture witnesses for this entry: passage, original form, and sense in context.
Biblical Witnesses
scornful mockery of Jesus by mourners at a ruler's daughter's death
fool's derision and mockery of a wise person in dispute
cruel ridicule and laughter directed at the poor and afflicted
prophetic lament over sustained mockery and scorn from enemies
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.