Quick Definition
καθαιρέω v. I take down, depose, destroy
Strong's Definition
from 2596 and 138 (including its alternate); to lower (or with violence) demolish (literally or figuratively)
KJV Usage: cast (pull, put, take) down, destroy
UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament
verb | fut. καθελῶ · aor. καθεῖλον · ptc. καθελών | κατά + αἱρέομαι
15.110 · Linear Movement · Come/Go Down, Descend
to bring down, to lower to cause something or someone to be lowered or brought down For another interpretation of καθαιρέω in MRK 15:36, see 15.199.
15.199 · Linear Movement · Carry, Bear
to bring down, to take down to bring something down from one point to another For another interpretation of καθαιρέω in MRK 15:36, see 15.110.
20.54 · Violence, Harm, Destroy, Kill · Destroy
to destroy, to tear down, destruction to destroy completely by tearing down and dismantling It may be important in rendering LUK 12:18 to indicate clearly that there is purpose in tearing down the barns, and that presumably materials resulting from the dismantling of the barns would be used in building bigger ones.
20.42 · Violence, Harm, Destroy, Kill · Destroy
to destroy, to conquer to destroy by conquering and overpowering
13.38 · Be, Become, Exist, Happen · State
to do away with, to remove, to eliminate to cause a state to cease
1 There are undoubtedly some significant differences of meaning in this series in 13.38, but it is not possible to determine the distinctive differences on the basis of existing contexts.
UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament © United Bible Societies, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Thayer's Greek Lexicon
καθ-αιρέω, -@; fut. καθελῶ (Lk. xii. 18 [see ἀφαιρέω, init.]); 2 aor. καθεῖλον, (fr. obsol. ἕλω) ; pres. pass. καθαιροῦμαι ἔτ. Hom. down; Sept. for Ὑ ὙΠ, to cause to go down; 017, ΚΠ), 7135 1. to take down: without the notion of violence, τινά, to detach from the cross one crucified, Mk. xv. 36, 46; Lk. xxiii. 53, (Polyb. 1, 86, 6; Philo in Flace. § 10); τινὰ ἀπὸ τοῦ ξύλου, Acts xiii. 29 (Sept. Josh. viii. 29; x. 27); with the use of force, to throw down, cast down: τινὰ ἀπὸ θρόνου, LK. i. 52. 2. to pull down, demolish: τὰς ἀποθήκας, Opp. to οἰκοδομεῖν, Lk. xii. 18; λογισμούς, the (subtle) reasonings (of opponents) likened to fortresses, i. q. to refute, 2 Co. x. 4 (5); to destroy, ἔθνη, Acts xiii. 19 (Jer. xxiv. 6; Thue. 1, 4; Ael. v. h. 2, 35); τὴν μεγαλειότητά τινος, Acts xix. 27, where if preference is given (with LT Tr WH) to the reading τῆς μεγαλειότητος αὐτῆς, it must be taken as a partitive gen. somewhat of her magnificence; cf. B. 158 (138) note [so Meyer; cf. Xen. Hell. 4, 4, 13. Al. translate that she should even be deposed from her magnificence; cf. W. § 30, 6; B. § 132, 5].
Mounce Concise Greek Dictionary
καθαιρέω kathaireō 9x
take or bring down, Mk. 15:36, 46; Lk. 1:52; 23:53; Acts 13:29; tear down, destroy, Lk. 12:18; Acts 13:19; 19:27; 2 Cor. 10:4*
Abbott-Smith Greek Lexicon
καθ-αιρέω, -ῶ,
[in LXX for נתץ, פּרץ, ירד, etc.;]
to take down: c. acc. pers. (the technical term for removal after crucifixion, Field, Notes, 44), Mk 15:36, 46, Lk 23:53, Ac 13:29.
to put down by force, pull down, destroy: ἀποθήκας, Lk 12:18 (opp. to οἰκοδομεῖν); δυνάστας, Lk 1:52; ἔθνη, Ac 13:19; pass., Ac 19:27 (diminished, Field, Notes, 129 f.); fig., to refute: λογισμούς, II Co 10:5.†
Moulton & Milligan — Vocabulary of the Greek NT
καθαιρέω is used apparently in the full sense of “ pull down,” ‘‘demolish,”’ in P Petr I. 26° (B.c. 241) καθειρηκότος τὰς στέγας, and 7d. III. 46(1)15 χρεμάτισον Διονυσίωι ᾿Απολλωνίου τ[ῶ]ι ἐξειληφότει (corr. --ότι) τὴν βασιλεικὴν (corr. -τἰκὴν) κατάλυσιν προυπαρχοῦσαν ἐν ΤΠτολεμαίδει (corr. --ἰδι) 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° (B.c. 112) οἶκος καθειρημένος ἧς of τῦχοι (1. οἴκου καθῃρημένου οὗ οἱ τοῖχοι) περίεισιν καὶ εἴσοδος καὶ ἔξοδος, “ἐᾷ dismantled house of which the walls are standing and the entrance and the exit’: cf. P Tor I. 1-1 (B.c. 117), P Leid ΜῈ (ii/B.c.). See Field Votes, p. 129, on the translation of Ac 1927, and cf. further Aristeas 263 © θεὸς τοὺς ὑπερηφάνους καθαιρεῖ, τοὺς δὲ ἐπιεικεῖς Kal ταπεινοὺς ὑψοῖ. In P Oxy XII. 140878 (c. A.D. 210-4) [τὸ τοὺς λῃστὰς κα]θαι[ρ]εῖν χωρὶς τῶν ὑποδεχομένων μὴ δύνασθαι πᾶ[σι φανερόν, the editors render ‘‘that it is impossible to exterminate robbers apart from those who shelter them is evident to all.
Liddell-Scott-Jones — Greek-English Lexicon
καθαιρέω (kathaireō) — to take down. καθαιρ-έω, Ionic dialect κατ-, Aeolic dialect κατάγρημι, which see: future -ήσω[Refs 8th c.BC+]: future [Refs 1st c.AD+]aorist 2 καθεῖλον, infinitive καθελεῖν: aorist 1 καθεῖλα [LXX]: Ionic dialect perfect participle passive καταραιρημένος [Refs 5th c.BC+]:—take down, καθείλομεν ἱστία [Refs 8th c.BC+]; κ. ἄχθος take it down, i.e. off one's shoulders, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; κ. τῶν ἐκ τῆς στοᾶς ὅπλων some of them, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; κ. τινά, from the cross, [Refs 2nd c.BC+] —middle, κατελέσθαι τὰ τόξα take down one's bow, [Refs 5th c.BC+]
2. put down, close the eyes of the dead, ὄσσε καθαιρήσουσι θανόντι περ [Refs 8th c.BC+]
3. of sorcerers, bring down from the sky, σελήνην [Refs 5th c.BC+]
4. κατά με πέδον γᾶς ἕλοι may earth swallow me! [Refs 5th c.BC+]
II. put down by force, destroy, ὅτε κέν μιν μοῖρ᾽ ὀλοὴ καθέλῃσι [Refs 8th c.BC+], etc.; kill, slay, ταῦρον[Refs 7th c.BC+]; ἐάν τις ἀποκτείνῃ.. ἐν ὁδῷ καθελών Legal cited in [Refs 4th c.BC+]:—passive, of criminals, to be executed, [Refs 1st c.AD+]
II.2. put down, reduce, κ. Κῦρον καὶ τὴν Περσέων δύναμιν [Refs 5th c.BC+]; καθαιρεθῆναι, opposed to ἀρθῆναι, [Refs 4th c.BC+]; especially depose, dethrone, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; κ. τὸ λῃστικὸν ἐκ τῆς θαλάσσης remove it utterly from.., [Refs 5th c.BC+]; κ. ὕβριν τινός [LXX+5th c.BC+]passive, καθῃρημένος τὴν αἴσθησιν bereft of sense, [Refs 1st c.AD+]; καθαιρεῖσθαι τῆς μεγαλειότητος [Ἀρτέμιδος] [NT]
II.3. raze to the ground, demolish, πόλεις [LXX+5th c.BC+]; τῶν τειχῶν a part of the walls, [Refs 5th c.BC+]:—passive, [Refs 5th c.BC+]
II.4. cancel, rescind, τὸ Μεγαρέων ψήφισμα [Refs 5th c.BC+]
II.5. as law-term, condemn, ἡ καθαιροῦσα ψῆφος a verdict of guilty, [Refs 5th c.BC+]: with infinitive, ἐμὲ πάλος καθαιρεῖ.. λαβεῖν [Refs 5th c.BC+]; simply, decide, ὅ τι ἂν αἱ πλείους ψῆφοι καθαιρῶσι [Refs 1st c.BC+]; in book-keeping, ἃν καθαιρῶσιν αἱ ψῆφοι whatever the counters (or accounts) prove, probably in [Refs 4th c.BC+]
II.6. reduce, τῶν αὐξανομένων καὶ καθαιρουμένων γραμμῶν [Refs 4th c.BC+]; of mild caustics, τὰ ὑπερσαρκέοντα καθαιρεῖ (probably to be read instead of καθαίρει) [Refs 5th c.BC+]: Rhet., minimize, [Refs 4th c.BC+]
III. overpower, seize, κὰδ δέ μιν ὕπνος ᾕρει [Refs 8th c.BC+]; κ. τινά overtake, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; κ. τινὰ ἐν ἀφροσύνῃ catch in the act of folly, [Refs 5th c.BC+] seize by.., [Refs 3rd c.BC+]:—passive, κ. ὑπό τινος [Refs 5th c.BC+]
IV. fetch down as a reward or prize, καθαιρεῖν ἀγῶνας [Refs 1st c.AD+]: metaphorically, achieve, ἀγώνιον.. εὖχος ἔργῳ καθελών [Refs 5th c.BC+]future infinitive καθαρεῖν, παστόν, μίτραν[Refs]:—middle, φόνῳ καθαιρεῖσθ᾽, οὐ λόγῳ, τὰ πράγματα [Refs 5th c.BC+]:—passive, [Refs 5th c.BC+]
V. less frequently like the simple αἱρεῖν, take and carry off, [Refs]