καταβάλλω

καθαιρέω kathairéō · G2507 · to bring down, to lower, to take down

καθαιρέω means 'to take down, pull down, destroy,' which is semantically close to καταβάλλω in the sense of 'to throw down, knock down.' Both refer to bringing something down from a position, though καθαιρέω emphasizes deliberate dismantling or lowering while καταβάλλω emphasizes the forceful act of throwing.

ῥίπτω rhíptō · G4496 · to throw, to hurl, to put down

ῥίπτω means 'to throw, cast, hurl,' and overlaps with καταβάλλω in contexts of forcefully throwing something, though ῥίπτω is more general and lacks the specific 'downward' directionality that κατα- adds to καταβάλλω.

נָפַל nâphal · H5307 · to fall, to sink, to let fall

Hebrew נָפַל in causative (Hiphil) means 'to cause to fall, to throw down,' which is the core sense of καταβάλλω. This is a standard translation equivalent when καταβάλλω appears in contexts of overthrowing or casting down.

הָרַס hâraç · H2040 · to be in ruins, to tear down, to demolish

Hebrew הָרַס means 'to tear down, demolish, overthrow,' which overlaps closely with the 'throw down, knock down' sense of καταβάλλω, especially in contexts of destruction or demolition.

שָׁלַךְ shâlak · H7993 · to cast, to throw, to hurl

Hebrew שָׁלַךְ means 'to throw, cast,' and is a general term for throwing that can overlap with καταβάλλω in contexts where something is cast or thrown down.

To knock down19.10

In 2 Corinthians 4:9, Paul writes of the hardships of ministry, “persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed,” using this word for the act of being knocked to the ground.

To hurt badly, to cause to suffer considerably20.21

In the same verse, 2 Corinthians 4:9, the same phrase, “struck down, but not destroyed,” also carries the sense of severe, painful affliction endured in the course of that same blow.

To put down, to lay85.49

In Hebrews 6:1, the writer urges believers to press on to maturity, “not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God,” using this word for the act of setting something down in place.

Words formed from the same root. They share a form, not always a meaning.

Meanings adapted from the UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament, © United Bible Societies, CC BY-SA 4.0 and the UBS Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew (from the Semantic Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew), © United Bible Societies, CC BY-SA 4.0; MACULA Greek Linguistic Datasets, available at https://github.com/Clear-Bible/macula-greek/, licensed CC BY 4.0; MACULA Hebrew Linguistic Datasets © 2022-2024 by Biblica, Inc., CC BY 4.0. Westminster Leningrad Codex (tanach.us). OpenScriptures Hebrew Bible morphology (hb.openscriptures.org), CC BY 4.0.