G1459 — ἐγκαταλείπω (enkataleipō)¶

Core Data¶

Strong's: G1459
Original: ἐγκαταλείπω
Transliteration: enkataleipō
Pronunciation: eng-kat-al-i'-po
Part of Speech: Verb
Root: Compound — ἐν (en, G1722 "in") + κατά (kata, G2596 "down") + λείπω (leipō, G3007 "to leave"). Intensified form: "to leave down in [a place]."
Occurrences: 9 unique verses (10 tokens) in NT
First Occurrence: Matt 27:46 — "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken (enkataleipō) me?"
Hapax Legomenon: No

Lexicon Definition¶

To leave behind in some place; (in a good sense) to leave surviving, reserve; (in a bad sense) to desert, abandon, forsake. Compound of ἐν (in) and καταλείπω (to leave behind).

Louw-Nida Semantic Domains¶

Domain 13.003: Exist — "to remain in existence, continue to exist"
Domain 35.008: Desert, Forsake — "to abandon, to desert, to leave behind" (neighbors: ἀνίημι G447, ἔρημος G2048, σαβαχθάνι G4518)
Domain 68.004: Cease, Stop — "to stop doing something, with implication of leaving uncompleted"

Translation Distribution (KJV)¶

Translation	Count	%
forsaken (hast/hath thou forsaken)	4	40%
forsake	1	10%
forsaking	1	10%
forsook	1	10%
leave	1	10%
left (had left)	1	10%
thou wilt [not leave]	1	10%

All 10 tokens fall within the semantic range "forsake/leave/abandon." KJV never uses this word for "forgive" or "permit" (unlike ἀφίημι G863).

Distribution by Book¶

Book	Count	Per 100 Verses
2 Timothy	2	2.4
Hebrews	2	0.7
2 Corinthians	1	0.4
Romans	1	0.2
Matthew	1	0.1
Mark	1	0.1
Acts	1	0.1

Highest density in 2 Timothy (Paul's final letter). Absent from Luke, John, and all other epistles. Concentrated in Pauline and Hebrews literature (7 of 9 verses). The Synoptic occurrences (Matt 27:46, Mark 15:34) are both OT quotations (Ps 22:1).

Semantic Categories¶

1. Cry of Dereliction — God Forsaking (Ps 22:1 Quotation)¶

Matt 27:46 — "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" (Aorist active indicative, 2nd person)
Mark 15:34 — "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" (Aorist active indicative, 2nd person)

Both are direct quotation of Ps 22:1 (LXX Ps 21:2). The compound prefix ἐγκατα- intensifies the sense: not merely "left" but "left down inside" a situation of distress.

2. Divine Promise Not to Forsake¶

Acts 2:27 — "Thou wilt not leave my soul in hell" (Future active indicative — Peter quoting Ps 16:10 LXX)
Heb 13:5 — "I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee" (Aorist active subjunctive — quoting Deut 31:6/Josh 1:5)

These are divine assurances of non-abandonment. The double negative in Heb 13:5 (οὐ μή + subjunctive) is the strongest possible Greek negation.

3. Human Abandonment / Desertion¶

2 Tim 4:10 — "Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world" (Aorist active indicative)
2 Tim 4:16 — "All men forsook me... I pray God that it may not be laid to their charge" (Aorist active indicative)

Paul's personal experience of being left behind by associates and defenders at his trial.

4. Apostolic Endurance — Not Forsaken¶

2 Cor 4:9 — "Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed" (Present passive participle)

Part of a paradox series. The passive voice indicates being the object of others' potential abandonment, yet negated — God does not forsake.

5. Abandoning the Assembly¶

Heb 10:25 — "Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together" (Present active participle)

The only occurrence where the subject voluntarily leaves a practice or community, rather than being abandoned by someone.

6. Remnant Preservation¶

Rom 9:29 — "Except the Lord of Sabaoth had left us a seed" (Aorist active indicative — Paul quoting Isa 1:9 LXX)

Here the sense is "leave behind" in a positive/neutral way — a remnant preserved from total destruction.

Morphological Distribution¶

Form	Tense/Voice/Mood	Count	Passages
ἐγκατέλιπες	Aorist Active Indicative 2S	2	Matt 27:46; Mark 15:34
ἐγκατέλιπεν	Aorist Active Indicative 3S	2	Rom 9:29; 2 Tim 4:10
ἐγκατέλιπον	Aorist Active Indicative 3P	1	2 Tim 4:16
ἐγκαταλίπω	Aorist Active Subjunctive 1S	1	Heb 13:5
ἐνκαταλείψεις	Future Active Indicative 2S	1	Acts 2:27
ἐγκαταλειπόμενοι	Present Passive Participle NPM	1	2 Cor 4:9
ἐγκαταλείποντες	Present Active Participle NPM	1	Heb 10:25

Aorist dominates (7 of 10 tokens). The word appears overwhelmingly in active voice (9 of 10); only 2 Cor 4:9 uses passive. Note the variant spelling ἐνκατα- (with nu instead of gamma before kappa) in Acts 2:27, 31.

Common Collocations¶

Word	Strong's	Co-occurrences	Typical Pattern
σαβαχθάνι (sabachthani)	G4518	2x	Aramaic transliteration accompanying the Greek: "lama sabachthani — why hast thou forsaken me"
θεός (theos)	G2316	2x	"My God, my God" — divine address in the cry of dereliction
Ἰησοῦς (Iēsous)	G2424	2x	Subject of the cry in the passion narrative
μέγας (megas)	G3173	2x	"Loud voice" (φωνῇ μεγάλῃ) — the manner of the cry
φωνή (phōnē)	G5456	2x	"With a loud voice" — accompanies the dereliction cry
ὥρα (hōra)	G5610	2x	"The ninth hour" — temporal marker of the cry

With only 9 verses, collocations are thin. The strongest cluster is the Synoptic cry of dereliction vocabulary (Matt 27:46 / Mark 15:34).

Word Family / Cognates (λειπ- Root)¶

G2641 καταλείπω (kataleipō) — "leave behind, abandon" (25v). The simple compound without ἐν-. Broader usage: physical departure, leaving a wife, leaving a place.
G620 ἀπολείπω (apoleipō) — "leave behind, remain" (6v). Emphasis on what remains after departure. 2 Tim 4:13, 20 — Paul's cloak and Trophimus "left at" locations.
G3007 λείπω (leipō) — "lack, be wanting" (6v). The bare root verb, shifted to "lacking/deficient."
G1587 ἐκλείπω (ekleipō) — "fail, cease" (4v). Used for failing resources (Luke 16:9, 22:32).

Easily Confused Words¶

Word	Strong's	Shared Translation	Key Difference
ἀφίημι (aphiēmi)	G863	"forsake," "leave," "left"	Broad semantic range: also "forgive, permit, send away." Forsaking is only one sense. G1459 is exclusively abandonment.
καταλείπω (kataleipō)	G2641	"forsake," "leave," "left"	Physical/spatial departure; neutral tone. G1459 adds emotional/relational weight — betrayal, desertion.
ἀπολείπω (apoleipō)	G620	"left"	Focus on what remains behind; no connotation of betrayal or abandonment.

Synonyms (from relationships data)¶

G1590 ἐκλύω (eklyō) — "faint, be weary" — overlaps in the exhaustion-of-support sense
G683 ἀπωθέω (apōtheō) — "push away, reject" — active rejection rather than passive abandonment

Antonyms (from relationships data)¶

G3982 πείθω (peithō) — "persuade, trust, have confidence in"
G4912 συνέχω (synechō) — "hold together, constrain, support"
G5442 φυλάσσω (phylassō) — "guard, keep, protect"

Hebrew Source (via LXX)¶

Hebrew Source	Strong's	Co-occurrence	PMI Score	Notes
עָזַב (ʻazab)	H5800	123x	31.81	Primary Hebrew equivalent — "forsake, leave, abandon." Dominant LXX rendering.
נָטַשׁ (natash)	H5203	6x	9.23	"Scatter, spread, forsake." Used for God abandoning his people.
בָּגַד (bagad)	H898	6x	9.01	"Deal treacherously, betray." Stronger than simple leaving — implies covenant violation.
רָפָה (raphah)	H7503	6x	8.67	"Relax, let go, slacken." Deut 31:6, 8 / Josh 1:5 — "I will not fail thee nor forsake thee."

The overwhelming Hebrew source is H5800 ʻazab (123 co-occurrences, PMI 31.81). This is the word behind Ps 22:1 ("why hast thou forsaken me") and Deut 31:6 ("I will not forsake thee") — both quoted in NT with G1459.

Domain Neighbors (Louw-Nida 13.003 — Exist)¶

Strong's	Lemma	Total Verses	Primary KJV Translation
G622	ἀπόλλυμι (apollymi)	29	perish, destroy
G450	ἀνίστημι (anistēmi)	28	arose
G565	ἀπέρχομαι (aperchomai)	35	went, departed
G1096	γίνομαι (ginomai)	141	came to pass, was
G620	ἀπολείπω (apoleipō)	3	left, remaineth