What does κατακαίω (katakaíō) mean in the Bible?
G2618 means to burn up or consume by fire. 19, former practitioners of magic publicly burn valuable books as part of a freely made break with their former practices.
Greek · G2618
κατακαίω
To burn
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κατακαίωG2618
Pronunciationkatakaíō
What does κατακαίω (katakaíō) mean in the Bible?
G2618 means to burn up or consume by fire. 19, former practitioners of magic publicly burn valuable books as part of a freely made break with their former practices.
Reader summary
Full entry for κατακαίω (G2618) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render G2618?
The BSB source-word alignment has 12 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include - (2), He will burn up (2), [and] burned [them] (1), are burned (1), be burned (1).
Where does κατακαίω (katakaíō) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Matthew 3:12. Its strongest book concentrations include Revelation (5), Matthew (3), 1 Corinthians (1), Acts (1).
What This Word Actually Means
G2618 means to burn up or consume by fire. In Acts. 19. 19, former practitioners of magic publicly burn valuable books as part of a freely made break with their former practices. In 1Cor. 3. 15, deficient work is burned up and the builder suffers loss, though the person is saved. In Heb. 13. 11, sacrificial bodies are burned outside the camp, providing the setting for the call to go to Jesus outside the camp.
G2618 opens teaching on costly repentance, work tested by God, rejected prestige, sacrificial exclusion, and final judgment. It does not endorse forced book burning, teach salvation by ministry performance, or permit Christians to punish people as chaff.
How the Bible Uses It
G2618 describes books, building work, sacrificial bodies, chaff, weeds, earth, vegetation, and Babylon burned up. Literal destruction supplies images for renunciation, evaluation, exclusion, and eschatological judgment.
- Acts.19.19
And a number of those who had practiced magic arts brought their books and burned them in front of everyone. When the value of the books was calculated, the total came to fifty thousand drachmas.
People leaving magic practices voluntarily burn costly books publicly, making their renunciation concrete.
- 1Cor.3.15
If it is burned up, he will suffer loss. He himself will be saved, but only as if through the flames.
A builder's work may be consumed under divine testing, producing real loss without making that work the basis of salvation.
- Heb.13.11
Although the high priest brings the blood of animals into the Holy Place as a sacrifice for sin, the bodies are burned outside the camp.
Bodies of sin offerings are burned outside the camp, a pattern Hebrews connects to Jesus' suffering outside the gate.
Source Word Evidence
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders It-2×Revelation 8:7
He will burn up2×Matthew 3:12, Luke 3:17
[and] burned [them]1×Acts 19:19
are burned1×Hebrews 13:11
be burned1×Matthew 13:30
burn1×Revelation 17:16
burned1×Matthew 13:40
is burned up1×1 Corinthians 3:15
she will be consumed1×Revelation 18:8
was burned up1×Revelation 8:7
Show sample aligned rows
Matthew 3:12κατακαύσειtoHe will burn upVerb - Future Indicative Active - 3rd Person SingularMatthew 13:30κατακαῦσαιtobe burnedVerb - Aorist Infinitive ActiveMatthew 13:40κατακαίεταιtoburnedVerb - Present Indicative Middle or Passive - 3rd Person SingularLuke 3:17κατακαύσειtoHe will burn upVerb - Future Indicative Active - 3rd Person SingularActs 19:19κατέκαιονto[and] burned [them]Verb - Imperfect Indicative Active - 3rd Person Plural1 Corinthians 3:15κατακαήσεταιtois burned upVerb - Future Indicative Passive - 3rd Person SingularHebrews 13:11κατακαίεταιtoare burnedVerb - Present Indicative Middle or Passive - 3rd Person SingularRevelation 8:7κατεκάηtowas burned upVerb - Aorist Indicative Passive - 3rd Person SingularRevelation 8:7κατεκάηto-Verb - Aorist Indicative Passive - 3rd Person SingularRevelation 8:7κατεκάηto-Verb - Aorist Indicative Passive - 3rd Person Singular
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned rowMatthew 3:12
Aligned rows12
Books represented6
Matthew3Luke1Acts11 Corinthians1Hebrews1Revelation5
Source forms
κατεκάη3xkatekaēRevelation 8:7
κατακαίεται2xkatakaietaiMatthew 13:40, Hebrews 13:11
κατακαύσει2xkatakauseiMatthew 3:12, Luke 3:17
κατακαήσεται1xkatakaēsetai1 Corinthians 3:15
κατακαυθήσεται1xkatakauthēsetaiRevelation 18:8
κατακαῦσαι1xkatakausaiMatthew 13:30
κατακαύσουσιν1xkatakausousinRevelation 17:16
κατέκαιον1xkatekaionActs 19:19
Parsing patterns
Verb - Aorist Indicative Passive - 3rd Person Singular3xRevelation 8:7
Verb - Future Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular2xMatthew 3:12, Luke 3:17
Verb - Future Indicative Passive - 3rd Person Singular2x1 Corinthians 3:15, Revelation 18:8
Verb - Present Indicative Middle or Passive - 3rd Person Singular2xMatthew 13:40, Hebrews 13:11
Verb - Aorist Infinitive Active1xMatthew 13:30
Verb - Future Indicative Active - 3rd Person Plural1xRevelation 17:16
Verb - Imperfect Indicative Active - 3rd Person Plural1xActs 19:19
Using This Word Well
Be careful not to...
- Do not organize forced book burnings, property destruction, or public humiliation in imitation of Acts 19.
- Do not tell abuse survivors or marginalized people that exclusion automatically means they are sharing Christ's reproach.
Avoid claiming...
- Do not claim that G2618 always means annihilation or settles every theological question about final punishment.
- Do not claim that a ministry leader may burn up people, dissent, records, or evidence in God's name.
Evidence Summary
Greek word. to burn
Strong'sG2618
Lexical occurrences11 versesGreek text appearances12 timesWord forms2 forms11 referencesVerse guides0 guides
Source Gloss
to burn
Greek Text Appearances
Textus Receptus witness, full corpusGreek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
12 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
Matthew 3:12Verb Third Person Singular Future Active Indicative
κατακαύσειkatakausei
I burn up, consume entirely
Read verseMatthew 13:30Verb Aorist Active Infinitive
κατακαῦσαιkatakausai
I burn up, consume entirely
Read verseMatthew 13:40Verb Third Person Singular Present Passive Indicative
κατακαίεται,katakaietai
I burn up, consume entirely
Read verseLuke 3:17Verb Third Person Singular Future Active Indicative
κατακαύσειkatakausei
I burn up, consume entirely
Read verseActs 19:19Verb Third Person Plural Imperfect Active Indicative
κατέκαιονkatekaion
I burn up, consume entirely
Read verse1 Corinthians 3:15Verb Third Person Singular Second Future Passive Indicative
κατακαήσεται,katakahsetai
I burn up, consume entirely
Read verseHebrews 13:11Verb Third Person Singular Present Passive Indicative
κατακαίεταιkatakaietai
I burn up, consume entirely
Read verse2 Peter 3:10Verb Third Person Singular Second Future Passive Indicative
κατακαήσεται.katakahsetai
I burn up, consume entirely
Read verseRevelation 8:7Verb Third Person Singular Second Aorist Passive Indicative
κατεκάη,katekah
I burn up, consume entirely
Read verseRevelation 8:7Verb Third Person Singular Second Aorist Passive Indicative
κατεκάη.katekah
I burn up, consume entirely
Read verseRevelation 17:16Verb Third Person Plural Future Active Indicative
κατακαύσουσινkatakausousin
I burn up, consume entirely
Read verseRevelation 18:8Verb Third Person Singular Future Passive Indicative
κατακαυθήσεται,katakauqhsetai
I burn up, consume entirely
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 groups2Aligned forms11TensesAorist, Future, Imperfect, PresentVoicesPassive, Active
Verse guides are not available for this word yet, so verse references remain plain evidence markers.
Tenses
Voices
Indicativestates a fact or reality10×
Aorist PassiveRev 8:73×
Future ActiveMatt 3:12 · Luke 3:17 · Rev 17:163×
Future Passive1 Cor 3:15 · Rev 18:82×
Imperfect ActiveActs 19:191×
Present PassiveHeb 13:111×
Infinitiveverbal noun — the action in abstract1×
Aorist ActiveMatt 13:301×
Discourse Aspect
How this verb appears across 11 occurrences in the NT discourse index (MACULA Greek SBLGNT).
Aspect
Tense
future5aorist4imperfect1present1
Voice
passive6active5
Mood
indicative10infinitive1
NT Occurrences
Matthew 3:12κατακαύσειfuture active indicativeprospectiveMatthew 13:30κατακαῦσαιaorist active infinitiveinfinitiveLuke 3:17κατακαύσειfuture active indicativeprospectiveActs 19:19κατέκαιονimperfect active indicativebackground1 Corinthians 3:15κατακαήσεταιfuture passive indicativeprospectiveHebrews 13:11κατακαίεταιpresent passive indicativeongoingRevelation 8:7κατεκάηaorist passive indicativecompletedRevelation 8:7κατεκάηaorist passive indicativecompletedRevelation 8:7κατεκάηaorist passive indicativecompletedRevelation 17:16κατακαύσουσινfuture active indicativeprospectiveRevelation 18:8κατακαυθήσεταιfuture passive indicativeprospective
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
κατακαίω 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
G2618 emphasizes decisive consumption. In Ephesus, those who practiced magic bring and burn their own costly books. The act makes repentance materially visible, but the narrative does not authorize Christians to seize and destroy others' possessions. In Corinth, fire tests each builder's work. What lacks enduring quality is lost, yet Paul distinguishes the work's loss from the person's salvation and warns leaders that the church belongs to God.
Hebrews draws from bodies burned outside the camp to direct believers toward Jesus, who suffered outside the gate and bears reproach beyond respectable security. Parables and Revelation extend burning to final separation and Babylon's collapse. Faithful application releases tools of exploitation, builds carefully on Christ, stands with the rejected Jesus, and leaves final judgment to God.
It never turns fire imagery into permission for censorship, arson, coercive discipline, or contempt for people.
Anchor passage
1Cor.3.15
Doctrinal connections
- G2618: repentance can involve voluntarily relinquishing assets bound to exploitative or idolatrous practice.
- G2618: God tests ministry work for enduring quality, so visible success is not the final measure.
- G2618: loss of defective work is serious but is not identical to earning or losing salvation in the verse.
- G2618: Jesus suffers outside the gate and calls disciples beyond the security of religious respectability.
- G2618: final separation and judgment belong to God's appointed agents and timing.
- G2618: Babylon's burning exposes the fragility of wealth and power built on exploitation.
G2618 combines a verb for burning with an intensive prefix and commonly means burn up or consume. The result-oriented force fits both literal destruction and metaphors of tested work or final judgment.
From Old to New Testament
Old Testament sacrificial bodies burned outside the camp inform Hebrews, while prophetic fire against proud cities supplies background for New Testament judgment images and Babylon's fall. The final renewal therefore opposes both present violence and confident human claims to control divine judgment.