What does καταπέτασμα (katapétasma) mean in the Bible?
καταπέτασμα (katapétasma): The Temple's inner veil separating the Holy Place from God's presence in the Holy of Holies.
Greek · G2665
καταπέτασμα
Curtain
Reading a lexicon entry
What this page is: Each lexicon entry shows the original Hebrew or Greek word behind the English translation: its meaning, its range of use, and where it appears in Scripture.
Strong's number: The Strong's code (H- or G-) is the standard reference number for this word. It connects this entry to chapter and passage language tabs.
Where it appears: The witness passages show where this word is used in context. Click any to open the study page for that passage.
This lexicon entry is part of our ongoing editorial review. If you notice missing content, unclear wording, or a possible correction, please send us a note through the Connect page. Screenshots are helpful.
καταπέτασμα G2665
Pronunciation katapétasma
What does καταπέτασμα (katapétasma) mean in the Bible?
καταπέτασμα (katapétasma): The Temple's inner veil separating the Holy Place from God's presence in the Holy of Holies.
Full entry for καταπέτασμα (G2665) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render G2665?
The BSB source-word alignment has 6 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include curtain (3), veil (3).
Where does καταπέτασμα (katapétasma) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Matthew 27:51. Its strongest book concentrations include Hebrews (3), Luke (1), Mark (1), Matthew (1).
Are there verse guides for καταπέτασμα (katapétasma)?
This entry includes 1 verse guide that explain exact original-language forms in context.
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 curtain 3× Hebrews 6:19, Hebrews 9:3, Hebrews 10:20
veil 3× Matthew 27:51, Mark 15:38, Luke 23:45
Show sample aligned rows
Matthew 27:51 καταπέτασμα to veil Noun - Nominative Neuter Singular Mark 15:38 καταπέτασμα to veil Noun - Nominative Neuter Singular Luke 23:45 καταπέτασμα to veil Noun - Nominative Neuter Singular Hebrews 6:19 καταπετάσματος to curtain Noun - Genitive Neuter Singular Hebrews 9:3 καταπέτασμα to curtain Noun - Accusative Neuter Singular Hebrews 10:20 καταπετάσματος to curtain Noun - Genitive Neuter Singular
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Matthew 27:51
Aligned rows 6
Books represented 4
Matthew 1 Mark 1 Luke 1 Hebrews 3
Source forms
καταπέτασμα 4x katapetasma Matthew 27:51, Mark 15:38, Luke 23:45, Hebrews 9:3
καταπετάσματος 2x katapetasmatos Hebrews 6:19, Hebrews 10:20
Parsing patterns
Noun - Nominative Neuter Singular 3x Matthew 27:51, Mark 15:38, Luke 23:45
Noun - Genitive Neuter Singular 2x Hebrews 6:19, Hebrews 10:20
Noun - Accusative Neuter Singular 1x Hebrews 9:3
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. The Temple's inner veil separating the Holy Place from God's presence in the Holy of Holies.
Source Gloss
curtain
Extended definition Source: STEPBible TBESG + Abbott-Smith
The Temple's inner veil separating the Holy Place from God's presence in the Holy of Holies.
(= cl. παραπέτασμα) [in LXX chiefly for פֹּרֶכֶת (the veil of the Holy of Holies), Exo.26:31, Lev.21:23, al.; also for מָסָךְ (the outer veil), Exo.35:12, Num_3:26, al. (elsewhere κάλυμμα) ;] in NT always the inner veil or curtain of the Temple (or Tabernacle): Mat.27:51, Mrk.15:38, Luk.23:45, Heb.6:19 9:3; figuratively, ἡ σὰρξ αὐτοῦ Heb.10:20.
Greek Text Appearances
Textus Receptus witness, full corpus Greek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
6 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
katapetasma
a veil, curtain
Read verse Mark 15:38 Noun Nominative Singular Neuter
καταπέτασμα katapetasma
a veil, curtain
Read verse Luke 23:45 Noun Nominative Singular Neuter
καταπέτασμα katapetasma
a veil, curtain
Read verse Hebrews 6:19 Noun Genitive Singular Neuter
καταπετάσματος· katapetasmatov
a veil, curtain
Read verse Hebrews 9:3 Noun Accusative Singular Neuter
καταπέτασμα katapetasma
a veil, curtain
Read verse Hebrews 10:20 Noun Genitive Singular Neuter
καταπετάσματος, katapetasmatov
a veil, curtain
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 this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.
This word appears as a noun across 3 case and number patterns. The form changes show how the word functions in a sentence; they do not change the basic lexical meaning by themselves.
Form patterns 3 Aligned forms 6 Case pattern Nominative (3) Number pattern Singular (6)
Genitive · Singular · Neuter Heb 6:19 · Heb 10:20 2×
Accusative · Singular · Neuter Heb 9:3 1×
Selected Scripture Witnesses
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
New Testament Witnesses
temple veil
Additional Occurrences
Mark 15:33–41 καταπέτασμα katapétasma
veil; curtain of temple separating holy places
Showing 2 selected witnesses from 6 lexical occurrence verses.
Word Origins
καταπέτασμα is built from these roots:
Why This Word Matters
Symbolizes access to God opened by Christ’s death. Luke 23:44–49
Canonical Themes
Sources
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