Word Studies¶
1. kataluo (G2647) — "destroy"¶
Greek: καταλύω (katalyo) Transliteration: kataluo Definition: To loosen down, disintegrate; by implication to demolish (literally or figuratively); to lodge (as dissolving a journey) NT occurrences: 17 (BLB count); 20 total occurrences in KJV
Translations in KJV¶
- "to destroy" (3x) — Mat 5:17 (2x), Acts 6:14
- "shall be thrown down" (3x) — Mat 24:2, Mrk 13:2, Luk 21:6
- "destroyest" (2x) — Mat 26:61, Mrk 14:58 (temple)
- "will destroy" (1x) — Mat 27:40 (temple)
- "and lodge" (1x) — Luk 9:12
- "to be guest" (1x) — Luk 19:7
- "it will come to nought" (1x) — Acts 5:38
- "overthrow" (1x) — Acts 5:39
- "destroy" (1x) — Rom 14:20
- "were dissolved" (1x) — 2 Cor 5:1
- "I destroyed" (1x) — Gal 2:18
Usage Pattern¶
Two primary semantic clusters: 1. Physical demolition of buildings — temple destruction (Mat 24:2, 26:61, 27:40; Mrk 13:2, 14:58, 15:29; Luk 21:6), earthly tent/body dissolved (2 Cor 5:1) 2. Demolition of systems/movements — Mat 5:17 (law), Acts 5:38-39 (Gamaliel: if of God, cannot be overthrown), Acts 6:14 (Jesus shall destroy this place and change customs), Rom 14:20 (destroy not work of God for meat), Gal 2:18 (if I build again what I destroyed)
Key Observations¶
- In Mat 5:17, Jesus uses kataluo for what he did NOT come to do to the law. This word means thorough demolition — tearing down, dissolving, dismantling.
- In Gal 2:18, Paul uses the same word: "if I build again (oikodomeo) the things which I destroyed (kataluo)." The oikodomeo/kataluo contrast = building vs. demolishing. Paul "demolished" the law-for-justification system.
- The word in Gal 2:18 refers to dismantling the system of seeking righteousness through law-works, not to dismantling the law itself (since Paul in the same letter says "all the law is fulfilled in one word" — Gal 5:14).
2. pleroo (G4137) — "fulfil"¶
Greek: πληρόω (pleroo) Transliteration: pleroo Definition: To make replete, fill up, complete; used for fulfilling prophecy, completing a period, filling a space NT occurrences: 90 (BLB count); 72 total in KJV
Translations in KJV¶
- "it might be fulfilled" (8x) — prophetic fulfillment formula
- "be fulfilled" (6x)
- "filled" (4x)
- "to fulfil" (3x) — including Mat 5:17
- "fulfilled" (3x)
- "complete" (2x)
- Plus 33 other translations appearing 1x each
Matthew's Usage of pleroo¶
Matthew uses pleroo approximately 16 times, almost exclusively for prophetic fulfillment: - Mat 1:22 — "that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet" - Mat 2:15, 2:17, 2:23 — prophetic fulfillment - Mat 3:15 — "to fulfil all righteousness" - Mat 4:14 — prophetic fulfillment - Mat 5:17 — "not to destroy but to fulfil" - Mat 8:17, 12:17, 13:14, 13:35, 21:4, 26:54, 26:56, 27:9, 27:35 — prophetic fulfillment
Key Observations¶
- Matthew's characteristic formula is "hina plerothe" ("that it might be fulfilled") — applied to OT prophecy.
- In Mat 5:17, pleroo is set in contrast to kataluo: "not to kataluo but to pleroo." The contrast is between demolition and filling/completing.
- Semantic range: "fill up to the full" (not "fill up and terminate"). When a cup is filled (pleroo), it does not cease to exist — it is full.
- Paul uses pleroo in Rom 8:4: "that the righteousness [dikaioma] of the law might be fulfilled [plerothe] in us." Same word, applied to believers fulfilling the law's righteous requirement.
- Paul uses pleroo in Rom 13:8: "he that loveth another hath fulfilled [pepleroken] the law." Same word, applied to love as the active fulfilling of the law.
- Paul uses pleroo in Gal 5:14: "all the law is fulfilled [peplerotai] in one word." Same word.
3. histemi (G2476) — "establish"¶
Greek: ἵστημι (histemi) Transliteration: histemi Definition: To stand, set, establish, make firm; causative: to cause to stand NT occurrences: 158 (BLB count)
Usage in Romans 3:31¶
Greek text: νόμον οὖν καταργοῦμεν διὰ τῆς πίστεως; μὴ γένοιτο, ἀλλὰ νόμον ἱστάνομεν. - katargeo (G2673) — "make void/abolish" — Paul asks: do we katargeo the law through faith? - me genoito — "God forbid" — strongest possible negation - histanomen (present active indicative 1st plural of histemi) — "we establish/make stand"
Key Observation on Romans 3:31¶
Note: Romans 3:31 uses katargeo (G2673, "make void/render useless"), NOT kataluo (G2647, "destroy/demolish"). These are different Greek words: - kataluo = to tear down, demolish (Mat 5:17) - katargeo = to render idle, make ineffective, abolish (Rom 3:31) Paul denies BOTH: he does not kataluo the law (implicit from Mat 5:17 context) and he does not katargeo the law (explicit in Rom 3:31). Instead, he histemi (establishes/makes stand) the law.
4. katargeo (G2673) — "make void / abolish"¶
Greek: καταργέω (katargeo) Transliteration: katargeo Definition: To be (render) entirely idle (useless); literally or figuratively: to abolish, make void, bring to nought NT occurrences: 27 (BLB count); 32 in KJV
Key Uses with Law¶
- Rom 3:31 — "Do we make void (katargeo) the law? God forbid: yea, we establish (histemi) it."
- Rom 7:2 — woman is "loosed" (katargeo) from the law of the husband when he dies
- Rom 7:6 — "we are delivered (katargeo) from the law" — same word as "make void" in 3:31
- 2 Cor 3:7, 11, 13 — the "glory" of the ministry of condemnation "is done away" (katargeo)
- Eph 2:15 — "having abolished (katargeo) ... the law of commandments contained in ordinances (en dogmasin)"
- Gal 5:4 — "Christ is become of no effect (katargeo) unto you" (applied to Christ, not to law)
Key Observation¶
Romans 7:6 ("delivered from the law") uses katargeo — the same word Romans 3:31 emphatically denies ("do we katargeo the law? God forbid!"). Both uses by the same author in the same epistle. This creates the interpretive question: in what sense are believers "delivered from" the law when Paul denies "making void" the law?
5. nomos (G3551) — "law"¶
Greek: νόμος (nomos) Transliteration: nomos Definition: From nemo (to parcel out); law (through the idea of prescriptive usage) NT occurrences: 197
Paul's Multiple Uses of nomos¶
Paul uses nomos in several distinguishable senses (documented in pvj-04): 1. The Torah/Pentateuch as Scripture — Rom 3:21 ("witnessed by the law and the prophets") 2. The moral law/Decalogue — Rom 7:7 (quotes 10th commandment), Rom 13:9 (quotes 6th-10th) 3. The ceremonial/ritual system — contextual in Galatians re: circumcision 4. An operating principle — Rom 3:27 ("law of faith"), Rom 7:21 ("I find then a law"), Rom 8:2 ("law of the Spirit of life") 5. The law as a system of justification — Rom 3:28 ("without the deeds of the law"), Gal 2:16
"Under the law" (hypo nomon) — Complete Catalogue¶
| # | Reference | Greek | KJV Translation | Context |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rom 3:19 | hypo ton nomon | "under the law" | "what the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God" — under the law's jurisdiction for accountability |
| 2 | Rom 6:14 | hypo nomon | "under the law" | "ye are not under the law, but under grace" — contrasted with grace; purpose: sin shall NOT have dominion |
| 3 | Rom 6:15 | hypo nomon | "under the law" | "shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid" — Paul denies that "not under law" permits sin |
| 4 | 1 Cor 9:20a | hypo nomon | "under the law" | "to them that are under the law" — describes Jews' covenantal status |
| 5 | 1 Cor 9:20b | hos hypo nomon | "as under the law" | "as under the law" — Paul's evangelistic posture |
| 6 | 1 Cor 9:20c | hypo nomon | "under the law" | "that I might gain them that are under the law" — repetition |
| 7 | 1 Cor 9:21 | ennomos Christou | "under the law to Christ" | "being not without law (anomos) to God, but under the law (ennomos) to Christ" — Paul IS under law to Christ |
| 8 | Gal 3:23 | hypo nomon | "under the law" | "kept under the law, shut up unto the faith" — custodial/pedagogical role |
| 9 | Gal 4:4 | hypo nomon | "under the law" | "made under the law" — Christ subjected to the law's jurisdiction |
| 10 | Gal 4:5 | hypo nomon | "under the law" | "redeem them that were under the law" — redemption from the law's condemning jurisdiction |
| 11 | Gal 4:21 | hypo nomon | "under the law" | "ye that desire to be under the law" — Galatians wanting to return to law-for-justification |
| 12 | Gal 5:18 | hypo nomon | "under the law" | "if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law" — Spirit-leading replaces law-condemnation |
Semantic Analysis of "hypo nomon"¶
Every Pauline use of "hypo nomon" appears in a context addressing either: (a) The law's condemning/cursing function (Rom 3:19 — "guilty"; Gal 3:10 — "under the curse"; Gal 3:23 — "shut up") (b) The law as a system of achieving justification (Gal 4:21 — "desire to be under the law"; Gal 5:4 — "justified by the law") (c) Covenantal status categories (1 Cor 9:20 — Jews vs. Gentiles)
No use of "hypo nomon" appears in a context where it means "subject to the law's moral instruction" or "obligated to obey the law's ethical commands." Every use connects to the law's jurisdictional, penal, or justificatory function.
6. ennomos (G1772) — "under law / lawful"¶
Greek: ἔννομος (ennomos) Transliteration: ennomos Definition: Within law, subject to law, legal NT occurrences: 2
Uses¶
- 1 Cor 9:21 — "under the law (ennomos) to Christ" — Paul describes himself as being within the law of Christ
- Acts 19:39 — "it shall be determined in a lawful (ennomos) assembly"
Key Observation¶
In 1 Cor 9:21, Paul says he is NOT anomos (lawless) toward God but IS ennomos (within law) toward Christ. This means Paul distinguishes between being "hypo nomon" (under the law in its condemning/jurisdictional role) and being "ennomos Christou" (lawfully subject to Christ). He rejects the former while affirming the latter.