What does καταπατέω (katapatéō) mean in the Bible?
Katapateo describes trampling underfoot, either as physical action or within an image of rejection and contempt. Luke reports a crowded gathering trampling people and seed trampled on the path.
Greek · G2662
καταπατέω
Katapateo describes trampling underfoot, either as physical action or within an image of rejection and contempt. Luke reports a crowded gathering trampling people and seed trampled on the path.
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καταπατέωG2662
Pronunciationkatapatéō
What does καταπατέω (katapatéō) mean in the Bible?
Reader summary
Full entry for καταπατέω (G2662) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render G2662?
The BSB source-word alignment has 5 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include [and] trampled (1), [who] has trampled on (1), it was trampled (1), they may trample (1), they were trampling (1).
Where does καταπατέω (katapatéō) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Matthew 5:13. Its strongest book concentrations include Luke (2), Matthew (2), Hebrews (1).
Are there verse guides for καταπατέω (katapatéō)?
This entry includes 1 verse guide that explain exact original-language forms in context.
What This Word Actually Means
Katapateo describes trampling underfoot, either as physical action or within an image of rejection and contempt. Luke reports a crowded gathering trampling people and seed trampled on the path. Matthew speaks of discarded tasteless salt and pearls that may be trampled by swine. Hebrews uses the verb for trampling the Son of God within a grave warning joined to profaning covenant blood and insulting the Spirit of grace.
The objects and settings matter: bodily crowd danger, a sowing scene, teaching images and deliberate repudiation must not be collapsed into one accusation. Hebrews also calls the community to draw near, encourage love and retain confidence after suffering. The verb therefore supports attention to destructive disregard without identifying every struggle, question or lapse as contempt for Christ.
It never gives a teacher permission to trample people while invoking a warning against trampling.
How the Bible Uses It
Five direct BSB verb forms describe trampling people, seed, discarded salt and pearls, then metaphorical contempt toward God's Son in Hebrews. The physical and figurative objects retain their distinct settings.
- Luke.12.1
In the meantime, a crowd of many thousands had gathered, so that they were trampling one another. Jesus began to speak first to His disciples: “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.
People are being trampled in a large gathering before Jesus warns His disciples about hypocrisy; the physical danger is not a commendation of crowded religious enthusiasm.
- Luke.8.5
“A farmer went out to sow his seed. And as he was sowing, some seed fell along the path, where it was trampled, and the birds of the air devoured it.
Seed is trampled on the path in the sowing story, later explained through hearing and the removal of the word.
- Matt.5.13
You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its savor, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.
Tasteless salt is discarded and trampled within teaching that moves to visible good deeds glorifying the Father.
- Matt.7.6
Do not give dogs what is holy; do not throw your pearls before swine. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces.
Trampled pearls appear between self-examination in judging and the appeal to treat others as one wishes to be treated; the image does not authorize degrading labels for people.
- Heb.10.29
How much more severely do you think one deserves to be punished who has trampled on the Son of God, profaned the blood of the covenant that sanctified him, and insulted the Spirit of grace?
Trampling the Son is joined to profaning covenant blood and insulting the Spirit, within a unit that also encourages confident approach and persevering faith.
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[and] trampled1×Matthew 5:13
[who] has trampled on1×Hebrews 10:29
it was trampled1×Luke 8:5
they may trample1×Matthew 7:6
they were trampling1×Luke 12:1
Show sample aligned rows
Matthew 5:13καταπατεῖσθαιto[and] trampledVerb - Present Infinitive Middle or PassiveMatthew 7:6καταπατήσουσινtothey may trampleVerb - Future Indicative Active - 3rd Person PluralLuke 8:5κατεπατήθηtoit was trampledVerb - Aorist Indicative Passive - 3rd Person SingularLuke 12:1καταπατεῖνtothey were tramplingVerb - Present Infinitive ActiveHebrews 10:29καταπατήσαςto[who] has trampled onVerb - Aorist Participle Active - Nominative Masculine Singular
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned rowMatthew 5:13
Aligned rows5
Books represented3
Matthew2Luke2Hebrews1
Source forms
καταπατεῖν1xkatapateinLuke 12:1
καταπατεῖσθαι1xkatapateisthaiMatthew 5:13
καταπατήσας1xkatapatēsasHebrews 10:29
καταπατήσουσιν1xkatapatēsousinMatthew 7:6
κατεπατήθη1xkatepatēthēLuke 8:5
Parsing patterns
Verb - Aorist Indicative Passive - 3rd Person Singular1xLuke 8:5
Verb - Aorist Participle Active - Nominative Masculine Singular1xHebrews 10:29
Verb - Future Indicative Active - 3rd Person Plural1xMatthew 7:6
Verb - Present Infinitive Active1xLuke 12:1
Verb - Present Infinitive Middle or Passive1xMatthew 5:13
Using This Word Well
Be careful not to...
- Offer the full warning with patient hearing and encouragement rather than panic or manufactured certainty.
- Protect people from physical danger and degrading treatment in any teaching or gathering.
Avoid claiming...
- This verb does not establish that sincere doubt or every lapse is final contempt for Christ.
- No warning against trampling permits leaders to degrade, threaten or physically harm people.
Key Verse and Form Guides
Verse-level guides showing how this original-language form works in its specific context, including grammar, verse function, and guarded interpretation.
Evidence Summary
Greek word. Deliberate desecration or rejection; trampling what is sacred underfoot in contempt and disdain.
Source Gloss
to trample down; figuratively, to reject with disdain
Greek Text Appearances
Textus Receptus witness, full corpusGreek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
5 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
katapateisqai
I trample under foot
Read verseMatthew 7:6Verb Third Person Plural Aorist Active Subjunctive
καταπατήσωσινkatapathswsin
I trample under foot
Read verseLuke 8:5Verb Third Person Singular Aorist Passive Indicative
κατεπατήθη,katepathqh
I trample under foot
Read verseLuke 12:1Verb Present Active Infinitive
καταπατεῖνkatapatein
I trample under foot
Read verseHebrews 10:29Verb Aorist Active Participle Nominative Singular Masculine
καταπατήσας,katapathsav
I trample under foot
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 forms5TensesPresent, Future, AoristVoicesPassive, Active
Tenses
Voices
Infinitiveverbal noun — the action in abstract2×
Present ActiveLuke 12:11×
Indicativestates a fact or reality2×
Future ActiveMatt 7:61×
Aorist PassiveLuke 8:51×
Participleverbal adjective — the action as a modifying quality1×
Aorist ActiveHeb 10:291×
Discourse Aspect
How this verb appears across 5 occurrences in the NT discourse index (MACULA Greek SBLGNT).
Aspect
Tense
aorist2present2future1
Voice
active3passive2
Mood
indicative2infinitive2participle1
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)
Selected Scripture Witnesses
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Biblical Witnesses
literal treading underfoot, crowds pressing upon and crushing each other
literal treading down of seed on the path, preventing growth and fruitfulness
Showing 2 selected witnesses from 5 lexical occurrence verses.
Word Origins
καταπατέω 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
Hebrews begins this unit with confidence through Jesus' blood and the great priest over God's house. It calls believers to draw near, hold their hope and encourage love and good deeds before warning against deliberate repudiation. The trampling image belongs to that serious warning, joined to covenant blood treated as common and the Spirit of grace insulted.
The author then remembers the hearers' solidarity through persecution and confiscated property, urges them not to discard confidence and affirms persevering faith. A teacher must retain this whole movement rather than use one image to terrify someone who asks for help. Matthew's pearls likewise stand near self-examination and the rule of neighbor care. Discernment about destructive contempt can coexist with protection, truthful hearing and encouragement; trampling people is never the appropriate means of teaching against trampling.
Anchor passage
Heb.10.29
Doctrinal connections
- Jesus' blood and priestly ministry give the community confidence to draw near.
- Holding hope rests on the faithfulness of the One who promised.
- Believers are urged to encourage love and good deeds together.
- Hebrews' warning joins contempt for the Son to covenant blood and the Spirit of grace.
- The same unit remembers solidarity with prisoners and endurance through confiscated property.
- Matthew places discernment near self-examination and the call to treat neighbors with care.
Active and passive forms describe agents doing the trampling or objects receiving it, with an infinitive in the crowded scene. The figurative sense in Hebrews comes from its object, the Son of God, and accompanying clauses rather than from verbal tense alone.
From Old to New Testament
Isaiah 5:1-7 portrays the Lord's vineyard losing protection and being trampled after expected justice yields bloodshed and cries of distress. The source-bound warning makes harm visible without identifying modern sufferers as rejected vineyards or adding its Hebrew verb to the direct Greek count.