Quick Definition
I take down, depose, destroy
Strong's Definition
to lower (or with violence) demolish (literally or figuratively)
Derivation: from G2596 (κατά) and G138 (αἱρέομαι) (including its alternate);
KJV Usage: cast (pull, put, take) down, destroy
Thayer's Greek Lexicon
καθαιρέω, καθαίρω; future καθελῶ (Luk_12:18 (see ἀφαιρέω, at the beginning)); 2 aorist καθεῖλον (from the obsolete έ῾λω); present passive καθαιροῦμαι; from Homer down; the Sept. for δεψΔιγ, to cause to go down; δΘψΗρ, πΘϊΗυ, τΘΜψΗυ;
1. to take down: without the notion of violence, τινα, to detach from the cross one crucified, Mar_15:36; Mar_15:46; Luk_23:53 (Polybius 1, 86, 6; Philo in Flacc. § 10); τινα ἀπό τοῦ ξύλου, Act_13:23 (the Sept. Jos_8:29; Jos_10:27); with the use of force, to throw down, cast down: τινα ἀπό θρόνου, Luk_1:52.
2. to pull down, demolish: τάς ἀποθήκας, opposed to οἰκοδομεῖν, Luk_12:18; λογισμούς, the (subtle) reasonings (of opponents) likened to fortresses, equivalent to to refute, 2Co_10:4 (5); to destroy, ἔθνη, Act_13:19 (Jer_24:6; Thucydides 1, 4; Aelian v. h. 2, 25); τήν μεγαλειότητα τίνος, Act_19:27, where if preference is given (with L T Tr WH) to the reading τῆς μεγαλειότητος αὐτῆς, it must be taken as a partitive genitive somewhat of her magnificence; cf. Buttmann, 158 (138) note (so Meyer; cf. Xenophon, Hell. 4, 4, 13. Al. translate that she should even be deposed from her magnificence; cf. Winers Grammar, § 30, 6; Buttmann, § 132, 5).
Mounce Concise Greek Dictionary
καθαιρέω kathaireō 9x
take or bring down, Mar_15:36 ; Mar_15:46 ; Luk_1:52 ; Luk_23:53 ; Act_13:29 ;
tear down, destroy, Luk_12:18 ; Act_13:19 ; Act_19:27 ; 2Co_10:4
Abbott-Smith Greek Lexicon
καθ -αιρέω , -ῶ ,
[in LXX for H5422 , H6555 , H3381 , etc.;]
1. to take down: c . acc pers . (the technical term for removal after crucifixion, Field, Notes , 44), Mar_15:36 ; Mar_15:46 , Luk_23:53 , Act_13:29 .
2. to put down by force, pull down, destroy: ἀποθήκας , Luk_12:18 ( opp . to οἰκοδομεῖν ); δυνάστας , Luk_1:52 ; ἔθνη , Act_13:19 ; pass ., Act_19:27 (diminished, Field, Notes , 129 f .); fig ., to refute: λογισμούς , 2Co_10:5 .†
Moulton & Milligan — Vocabulary of the Greek NT
καθαιρέω [page 310]
καθαιρέω is used apparently in the full sense of pull down, demolish, in P Petr I. 26 .6 (B.C. 241) καθειρηκότος τὰς στέγα̣ς , and id. III. 46(l) .15 χρεμάτισον Διονυσίωι Ἀπολλωνίου τ̣[ῶ ]ι̣ ἐξειληφότει (corr. ότι ) τὴν βασιλεικὴν (corr. ικὴν ) κατάλυσιν προυπαρχοῦσαν ἐν Πτολεμαίδει (corr. ίδι ) καθελεῖν διὰ τὸ πεπονηκέναι , pay Dionysios, son of Apollonios, who has contracted to take down the Royal quarters previously existing at Ptolemais, owing to their dilapidation (Edd.). A somewhat weaker meaning is found in P Amh II. 54 .3 (B.C. 112) οἶκος καθει̣ρη̣μένος ἧς οἱ τῦχοι ( l. οἴκου καθῃρημένου οὗ οἱ τοῖχοι ) περίεισιν καὶ εἴσοδος καὶ ἔξοδος , a dismantled house of which the walls are standing and the entrance and the exit : cf. P Tor I. 1 ii. 1 (B.C. 117), P Leid M .15 (ii/B.C.). See Field Notes , p. 129, on the translation of Act_19:27 , and cf. further Aristeas 263 ὁ θεὸς τοὺς ὑπερηφάνους καθαιρεῖ , τοὺς δὲ ἐπιεικεῖς καὶ ταπεινοὺς ὑψοῖ . In P Oxy XII. 1408 .23 ( c. A.D. 210 4) [τὸ ? τοὺς λῃστὰς κα ]θαι [ρ ]εῖν χωρὶς τῶν ὑποδεχομένων μὴ δύνασθαι πασιφανερόν , the editors render that it is impossible to exterminate robbers apart from those who shelter them is evident to all.
Liddell-Scott — Intermediate Greek Lexicon
καθαιρέω ionic κατ- fut. ήσω fut. 2 καθελῶ aor2 καθεῖλον inf. καθελεῖν Pass., aor1 καθῃρέθην perf. -ῄρημαι "to take down", καθείλομεν ἱστία "we lowered" sail, Od. ; κ. ἄχθος "to take" a load "down", i. e. off one's shoulders, Ar. :—Mid., καταιρεῖσθαι τὰ τόξα "to take down one's" bow, Hdt. "to put down or close" the eyes of the dead, Hom. of sorcerers, "to bring down", Lat. caelo deducere, σελήνην Ar. , Plat. κατά με πέδον γᾶς ἕλοι (in tmesi) may earth "swallow" me! Eur. "to put down by force, destroy", Od. , Trag. : simply "to kill, slay", Eur. in a milder sense, "to put down, reduce", Hdt. , Dem. , etc.: "to depose, dethrone", Hdt. ; κ. τὸ λῃστικόν "to remove" it "utterly", Thuc. "to rase to the ground, pull down", τὰς πόλεις id=Thuc. ; τῶν τειχῶν a part of the walls, Xen. "to cancel, rescind", τὸ ψήφισμα Thuc. as attic law-term, "to condemn", Soph. "to reduce" in flesh, Plut. "to overpower, seize", κὰδ δέ μιν ὕπνος ᾕρει (in tmesi) Od. ; καθ. τινὰ ἐν ἀφροσύνῃ "to catch" in the act of folly, Soph. : c. gen. partis, κ. τῶν ὤτων "to seize by" the ears, Theocr. "to fetch down as a reward or prize", καθαιρεῖν ἀγῶνα or ἀγώνισμα Plut. : metaph. "to achieve", Pind. ; so in Mid., φόνῳ καθαιρεῖσθ᾽, οὐ λόγῳ, τὰ πράγματα Eur. ; in Pass., Hdt. more rarely like the simple αἱρέω, "to take and carry off, seize", id=Hdt.
STEPBible — Tyndale Abridged Greek Lexicon
καθ-αιρέω, -ῶ
[in LXX for נָתַץ, פָּרַץ, יָרַד, etc. ;]
__1. to take down: with accusative of person(s) (the technical term for removal after crucifixion, Field, Notes, 44), Mrk.15:36, 46, Luk.23:53, Act.13:29.
__2. to put down by force, pull down, destroy: ἀποθήκας, Luk.12:18 (opposite to οἰκοδομεῖν); δυνάστας, Luk.1:52; ἔθνη, Act.13:19; pass., Act.19:27 (diminished, Field, Notes, 129 f.); figuratively, to refute: λογισμούς, 2Co.10:5.†
(AS)
📖 In-Depth Word Study
Destroying (2507) kathaireo
Destroying (2507) (kathaireo from kata = down + haireo = to take for oneself) means to cause something or someone to be lowered. To take or bring down (Of our Lord Jesus from the Cross - Mark 15:36, 46, Lk 23:53, Acts 13:29; of buildings - Lk12:18) or to bring something down from one point to another.
Figuratively kathaireo speaks of bringing down rulers (Lk 1:52 - overthrowing them, taking away their power) or destroying evil nations (Acts 13:19), evil idols (Acts 19:27) or evil thoughts (2Co 10:4).
TDNT writes that kathaireo has...
four main senses a. “to take down,” b. “to tear down,” c. “to destroy,” and d. “to dethrone.” The LXX uses it in all these senses for various Hebrew equivalents, e.g., taking down the brazen sea, tearing down houses etc., destroying cities, and dethroning rulers.
The participle "destroying" is present tense which speaks of continuous activity.
There are only 9 uses of kathaireo in Scripture, all in the NT...
Mark 15:36 And someone ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a reed, and gave Him a drink, saying, "Let us see whether Elijah will come to take Him down."
Mark 15:46 And Joseph bought a linen cloth, took Him down, wrapped Him in the linen cloth, and laid Him in a tomb which had been hewn out in the rock; and he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb.
Luke 1:52 "He has brought down rulers from their thrones, And has exalted those who were humble.
Luke 12:18 "And he said, 'This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods.
Luke 23:53 And he took it down and wrapped it in a linen cloth, and laid Him in a tomb cut into the rock, where no one had ever lain.
Acts 13:19 "And when He had destroyed seven nations in the land of Canaan, He distributed their land as an inheritance-- all of which took about four hundred and fifty years.
Acts 13:29 "And when they had carried out all that was written concerning Him, they took Him down from the cross and laid Him in a tomb.
Acts 19:27 "And not only is there danger that this trade of ours fall into disrepute, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis be regarded as worthless and that she whom all of Asia and the world worship should even be dethroned from her magnificence."
2 Corinthians 10:4 for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses.