G2507 — καθαιρέω (kathairéō)¶

Core Data¶

Strong's: G2507
Original: καθαιρέω
Transliteration: kathairéō
Pronunciation: kath-ahee-reh-eh'-o
Part of Speech: Verb
Root: Compound of κατά (G2596, "down") + αἱρέω (G138, "to take, choose")
Occurrences: 9 unique verses, 11 tokens, 4 books (NT only)
First Occurrence: Mar 15:36 — "Let alone; let us see whether Elias will come to take him down (kathairéō)."
Hapax Legomenon: No

Lexicon Definition¶

From κατά (down) + αἱρέω (take): to take down, lower, pull down, cast down. Used literally of taking a body down from a cross/tree, pulling down structures (barns, walls), and figuratively of deposing rulers from seats of power, demolishing strongholds/imaginations, or destroying nations in conquest. Covers both physical descent/removal and violent demolition.

Louw-Nida Semantic Domain¶

Primary Domain: 15 — Linear Movement
Subdomain 15.24 — Carry, Bear (neighbors: αἴρω G142, ἄγω G71, ἀναλαμβάνω G353, ἀναφέρω G399, βαστάζω G941)
Subdomain 15.011 — Come/Go Down, Descend (neighbors: καταβαίνω G2597, καταβιβάζω, καθίημι G2524, καταποντίζω G2670)
Secondary Domain: 20 — Violence, Harm, Destroy, Kill
Subdomain 20.003 — Destroy (neighbors: ἀπόλλυμι G622, διαφθείρω G1311, ἐξολεθρεύω G1842, ἐρημόω G2049, ἀφανίζω G853)
Tertiary Domain: 13 — Be, Become, Exist, Happen (13.001 State)

The two-domain placement reflects the word's dual sense: literal taking down (domain 15) and figurative destroying (domain 20).

UBS Semantic Domains¶

[015] Linear Movement — literal taking down, lowering, or bringing down.
[020] Violence, Harm, Destroy, Kill — demolition, overthrow, and destructive force.
[013] Be, Become, Exist, Happen — secondary overlap where structures or powers cease to stand.

search_relationships.py keeps καθαιρέω split between downward movement and destructive overthrow, matching the word's literal and figurative NT usage.

Translation Distribution (KJV)¶

Translation	Verses	%
down (took/taking down)	3	33.3%
Casting down	1	11.1%
He hath put down	1	11.1%
I will pull down	1	11.1%
be destroyed	1	11.1%
he took (down)	1	11.1%
took him down	1	11.1%
when he had destroyed	1	11.1%

All nine KJV renderings carry a "down / pull down / destroy" sense. Four of nine uses (44%) cluster around the literal act of taking a body down from a cross (Mark 15:36, Mark 15:46, Luke 23:53, Acts 13:29).

Distribution by Book¶

Book	Count	Per 100 Verses
2 Corinthians	1	0.4
Mark	2	0.3
Luke	3	0.3
Acts	3	0.3

Exclusively NT, with densest relative use in 2 Corinthians (a single highly metaphorical occurrence at 2Co 10:5). Concentration in Luke–Acts (six of nine) reflects Luke's interest in both the crucifixion detail and reversal-of-power themes (Luk 1:52). Absent from Paul outside 2 Corinthians, absent from John, absent from General Epistles and Revelation.

Semantic Categories¶

1. Taking Down from the Cross / Tree (Burial)¶

Mar 15:46 — "he bought fine linen, and took him down (kathairéō), and wrapped him in the linen"
Luk 23:53 — "And he took it down (kathairéō), and wrapped it in linen, and laid it in a sepulchre"
Act 13:29 — "they took him down (kathairéō) from the tree, and laid him in a sepulchre"
Mar 15:36 — "whether Elias will come to take him down (kathairéō)" (spoken of Jesus still on the cross)

2. Pulling Down / Demolishing Structures¶

Luk 12:18 — "I will pull down (kathairéō) my barns, and build greater" (rich fool parable)

3. Deposing Rulers from Power¶

Luk 1:52 — "He hath put down (kathairéō) the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree" (Magnificat)

4. Destroying Nations / Conquest¶

Act 13:19 — "And when he had destroyed (kathairéō) seven nations in the land of Chanaan, he divided their land to them by lot" (Paul's summary of the conquest under Joshua)

5. Overthrowing False Worship / Reputation¶

Act 19:27 — "the temple of the great goddess Diana should be despised, and her magnificence should be destroyed (kathairéō)" (Demetrius's complaint at Ephesus)

6. Figurative Demolition of Thought-Fortresses¶

2Co 10:5 — "Casting down (kathairéō) imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God" (spiritual warfare imagery; paired with Paul's "strongholds" — ὀχύρωμα)

Common Collocations¶

Because G2507 occurs in only 9 verses, co-occurrence counts are necessarily small. The meaningful content-word patterns:

Word	Strong's	Co-vv	Typical Pattern
σινδών (sindṓn, linen)	G4616	2x	"took down + wrapped in linen" (burial)
μνημεῖον (mnēmeîon, sepulchre)	G3419	2x	"took down + laid in sepulchre" (burial)
τίθημι (títhēmi, lay)	G5087	2x	"took down + laid" (burial action chain)
ἔρχομαι (érchomai, come)	G2064	2x	motion verb in narrative
μέγας (mégas, great)	G3173	2x	"great" power/glory being brought low
πᾶς (pâs, all)	G3956	2x	"all" + totalizing destruction

The burial-narrative cluster (sindōn + mnēmeion + tithēmi) accounts for most of kathairéō's verbal companionship in the NT.

Word Family / Cognates¶

G2506 καθαίρεσις (kathaíresis) — noun form: "pulling down, demolition" (2Co 10:4, 8; 13:10 — always in Paul's "destroy strongholds / not for destruction but edification" contexts)
G138 αἱρέω (hairéō) — base verb: to take, choose
G2596 κατά (katá) — prefix: "down, against"
G2508 καθαίρω (kathaírō) — near-homograph but distinct root (from καθαρός, "clean"): to prune, cleanse (Jn 15:2; Heb 10:2). Do NOT confuse with G2507.

Synonyms¶

G2679 κατασκάπτω (kataskáptō) — undermine, destroy; the closest demolition verb returned by search_relationships.py

Antonyms¶

οἰκοδομεῖν — "to build up"; the clear opposite action to taking down or demolishing

Easily Confused Words¶

Other Strong's numbers sharing "down" as a KJV translation:

Word	Strong's	Shared Translation	Key Difference
τίθημι (títhēmi)	G5087	"down" (lay down)	Places/sets down; no destructive force
κάτω (kátō)	G2736	"down, beneath"	Adverb of location, not action
κατάγω (katágō)	G2609	"bring down, lead down"	Conveying someone down; no demolition sense
ἐκκόπτω (ekkóptō)	G1581	"cut down"	Specifically cutting (trees, branches)
καθαίρω (kathaírō)	G2508	—	Orthographically close but semantically opposite: purify/prune, not destroy

Primary disambiguation: G2507 always carries the "take down with removal/destruction in view" vector — whether gentle (burial) or violent (conquest, demolition).

Hebrew Source¶

LXX alignments (Greek ← Hebrew, ranked by PMI score):

Hebrew Source	Strong's	Co-occ	PMI	Gloss
הָרַס (hâras)	H2040	18	7.29	to pull down, break down, destroy
נָתַץ (nâthats)	H5422	16	7.19	to tear down, beat down
פָּרַץ (pârats)	H6555	10	6.25	to break out/through, break down
נָתַשׁ (nâthash)	H5428	6	6.93	to tear away, pluck up
יָרַד (yârad)	H3381	14	3.91	to descend, go down
חוֹמָה (chômâh)	H2346	8	4.67	wall (object of demolition)
מַצֵּבָה (matstsêbâh)	H4676	4	5.61	standing pillar (object of demolition)
נָטַע (nâta‛)	H5193	5	5.06	to plant (antithesis in Jer 1:10 formula)

The strongest bridge is הָרַס (hâras, H2040) — the classic "break down/tear down" verb used in Jeremiah's commission formula ("to pluck up, to break down, to destroy, to overthrow, to build, and to plant," Jer 1:10). The cluster harás / nāthats / pārats / nāthash maps the Hebrew vocabulary of demolition into a single Greek term.