To be (render) entirely idle (useless), literally or figuratively
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Καταργέω (katargéō) means to make ineffective, nullify, abolish in function, release from operative power, or bring to an end. The unfruitful fig tree “uses up” the soil without producing fruit, an idiomatic use about rendering ground unproductive.
Reader summary
Full entry for καταργέω (G2673) · Open the biblical lexicon
Καταργέω (katargéō) means to make ineffective, nullify, abolish in function, release from operative power, or bring to an end. The unfruitful fig tree “uses up” the soil without producing fruit, an idiomatic use about rendering ground unproductive.
The BSB source-word alignment has 27 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include nullify (2), was fading away (2), [who] has abolished (1), annihilate (1), are coming to nothing (1).
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Luke 13:7. Its strongest book concentrations include 1 Corinthians (9), Romans (6), 2 Corinthians (4), Galatians (3).
This entry includes 2 verse guides that explain exact original-language forms in context.
Καταργέω (katargéō) means to make ineffective, nullify, abolish in function, release from operative power, or bring to an end. The unfruitful fig tree “uses up” the soil without producing fruit, an idiomatic use about rendering ground unproductive. Paul says believers have been released from the Law in the respect in which it held them, so they serve in the Spirit's newness rather than the written code's oldness.
At the end Christ nullifies every hostile rule, authority, and power before handing the kingdom to the Father. Galatians insists that the later Law cannot invalidate God's earlier covenant promise. Hebrews says Christ shared flesh and blood so that through death He might render the devil's death-wielding power ineffective. The object and stated relation define what ceases to operate; the verb does not necessarily mean annihilation.
Καταργέω describes making something ineffective or ending its operative force: soil used unproductively, release from the Law's binding relation, hostile powers abolished, a promise not nullified, and the devil's death-power defeated.
So he said to the keeper of the vineyard, ‘Look, for the past three years I have come to search for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Therefore cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?’
The fruitless tree occupies and exhausts soil without yield, so the owner questions allowing continued unproductive use before the gardener requests one more season.
But now, having died to what bound us, we have been released from the law, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code.
Believers have died to the binding relation that held them, enabling service in the Spirit's newness rather than under the written code's old mode.
Then the end will come, when He hands over the kingdom to God the Father after He has destroyed all dominion, authority, and power.
Christ brings every hostile dominion, authority, and power to nothing before the kingdom's climactic handing over to God the Father.
What I mean is this: The law that came 430 years later does not revoke the covenant previously established by God, so as to nullify the promise.
The Law arriving centuries later cannot invalidate God's previously confirmed covenant or make the promise ineffective, preserving promise priority.
Now since the children have flesh and blood, He too shared in their humanity, so that by His death He might destroy him who holds the power of death, that is, the devil,
By sharing humanity and dying, the Son renders ineffective the devil who held the power of death and frees people enslaved through fear.
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.
Verse-level guides showing how this original-language form works in its specific context, including grammar, verse function, and guarded interpretation.
Greek word. To render inoperative, invalid, or abolished; to nullify or strip of power and effectiveness.
Textus Receptus witness, full corpusGreek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
16 of 27 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
I bring to naught, sever, abolish
Read verseI bring to naught, sever, abolish
Read verseI bring to naught, sever, abolish
Read verseI bring to naught, sever, abolish
Read verseI bring to naught, sever, abolish
Read verseI bring to naught, sever, abolish
Read verseI bring to naught, sever, abolish
Read verseI bring to naught, sever, abolish
Read verseI bring to naught, sever, abolish
Read verseI bring to naught, sever, abolish
Read verseI bring to naught, sever, abolish
Read verseI bring to naught, sever, abolish
Read verseI bring to naught, sever, abolish
Read verseI bring to naught, sever, abolish
Read verseI bring to naught, sever, abolish
Read verseI bring to naught, sever, abolish
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.
How this verb appears across 27 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 27 lexical occurrence verses.
καταργέω is built from these roots:
Describes the believer’s release from the law’s former binding authority.2 Timothy 1:8-12
The gospel announces that Christ has rendered death powerless through His redemptive work.Romans 7:1-6
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
God's saving work changes what can govern His people. The fig-tree saying uses the verb for wasted productivity, reminding readers that continued privilege seeks fruit. Romans does not call God's Law evil; believers die to the condemning and binding relation in which sin exploited it, and now serve in the Spirit's newness. Galatians guards the promise from a different error: later Law cannot cancel the covenant God confirmed to Abraham.
First Corinthians stretches the verb toward the end, when Christ abolishes every rival dominion. Hebrews places that victory inside incarnation and death, through which the devil's death-power is rendered ineffective and fearful slaves are freed. Teachers should name the exact function ended. Καταργέω celebrates real defeat and release without requiring the idea that every nullified reality ceases to exist immediately or becomes devoid of all scriptural significance.
Luke.13.7
Καταργέω is a compound verb whose range includes make idle, ineffective, inoperative, void, or bring to an end. The direct object and domain establish whether the focus is release, invalidation, defeat, or cessation.
God's promise cannot be canceled, oppressive powers meet their end, the new covenant brings Spirit-shaped service, and the Messiah defeats death through sharing human flesh and dying.