G2647 — καταλύω (katalyō)¶

Core Data¶

Strong's: G2647
Original: καταλύω
Transliteration: katalyō
Pronunciation: kat-al-oo'-o
Part of Speech: Verb
Root: κατά (down, against) + λύω (to loose, release) — "to loosen down"
Unique Verses: 16 (token count: 20)
Books: 7 (Matthew, Mark, Luke, Acts, Romans, 2 Corinthians, Galatians)
First Occurrence: Matt 5:17 — "Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets"
Hapax Legomenon: No

Lexicon Definition¶

From the compound κατά + λύω: to loosen down (disintegrate). The tool definition: "to loosen down (disintegrate), i.e. (by [implication]...)" — the DB entry is truncated. Verb form analysis and verse contexts confirm two primary senses: (1) to demolish / dissolve / bring to nothing; (2) to halt/lodge for the night (as in "to unhitch" — unyoking animals at a stopping place).

Louw-Nida Semantic Domains¶

G2647 appears in multiple domains, reflecting its semantic range:

Domain 020.003 — Destroy (primary NT usage)
Domain 034.008 — Show Hospitality (lodging sense)
Domain 013.003 — Exist / Cease to Exist

Domain neighbors (020.003 — Destroy): ἀπόλλυμι (G622), ἀφανίζω (G853), ἐρημόω (G2049), διαφθείρω (G1311), ἐδαφίζω (G1474)

Domain neighbors (034.008 — Show Hospitality): ξενίζω (G3579), ξενοδοχέω (G3580), φιλοξενία (G5381), ξένος (G3581)

UBS Semantic Domains¶

[020] Violence, Harm, Destroy, Kill
[013] Be, Become, Exist, Happen
[076] Power, Force
[034] Association

UBS captures both major NT senses of καταλύω: demolishing/nullifying and lodging/association.

Translation Distribution (KJV)¶

Translation	Verses	%
destroy / destroyest / will destroy	~9	~56%
be thrown down / overthrow	4	25%
lodge / be guest	2	12%
were dissolved	1	6%
come to nought	1	6%

Note: "shall" (3v) in raw data reflects KJV passive constructions ("there shall not be left..."), not a distinct translation.

Distribution by Book¶

Book	Count	Per 100 Verses
Matthew	4	0.4
Mark	3	0.4
Luke	3	0.3
Acts	3	0.3
Galatians	1	0.7
2 Corinthians	1	0.4
Romans	1	0.2

The word concentrates in the Synoptic Gospels (10/16 verses), driven almost entirely by the temple-destruction controversy surrounding Jesus. Galatians has the highest density (0.7 per 100) with one theologically charged use.

Semantic Categories¶

1. Demolish / Throw Down Physical Structures¶

The dominant NT usage — buildings, particularly the Temple.

Matt 24:2 — "there shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down"
Mark 13:2 — "there shall not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down"
Luke 21:6 — "the days will come, in the which there shall not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down"

2. Destroy the Temple (Accusation Against Jesus)¶

A distinct sub-cluster: the charge at Jesus's trial and at the cross, citing his statement about rebuilding in three days.

Matt 26:61 — "This fellow said, I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to build it in three days"
Matt 27:40 — "Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, save thyself"
Mark 14:58 — "I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and within three days I will build another made without hands"
Mark 15:29 — "Ah, thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days"
Acts 6:14 — "Jesus of Nazareth shall destroy this place, and shall change the customs"

3. Abolish / Nullify (Law, Covenant, God's Work)¶

Metaphorical destruction of institutions, principles, or God's purposes.

Matt 5:17 — "Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil"
Rom 14:20 — "For meat destroy not the work of God"
Gal 2:18 — "if I build again the things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor"

4. Overthrow / Come to Nothing (Human Plans)¶

Gamaliel's argument about the fate of movements not from God.

Acts 5:38 — "if this counsel or this work be of men, it will come to nought"
Acts 5:39 — "if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it"

5. Lodge / Stay as a Guest¶

The hospitality sense — stopping for the night, "unhitching" at a resting place.

Luke 9:12 — "Send the multitude away, that they may go into the towns and country round about, and lodge, and get victuals"
Luke 19:7 — "That he was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner" (Zacchaeus)

6. Dissolve (Body / Earthly Dwelling)¶

Extended metaphor: the mortal body as a tent being struck/dissolved.

2 Cor 5:1 — "if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God"

Common Collocations¶

Word	Strong's	Co-occurrences	Typical Pattern
οἰκοδομέω (oikodomeō)	G3618	5x (31%)	"destroy and build" — demolition/reconstruction contrast
ναός (naos)	G3485	4x (25%)	"destroy this temple" — the trial accusation cluster
τρεῖς (treis)	G5140	4x (25%)	"three days" — tied to temple + resurrection context
λίθος (lithos)	G3037	3x (19%)	"not one stone upon another"
ἀχειροποίητος (acheiropoiētos)	G886	2x (12%)	"not made with hands" — contrasts earthly/heavenly structures (Mark 14:58; 2 Cor 5:1)
ἔργον (ergon)	G2041	2x (12%)	"destroy the work of God" / "this work be of men"

The οἰκοδομέω pairing (destroy ↔ build) is the dominant structural pattern.

Word Family / Cognates¶

G3089 λύω (lyō) — to loose, release; root of katalyō
G2646 κατάλυμα (katalyma) — lodging place, inn (from same compound); Luke 2:7; 22:11; Mark 14:14

Synonyms¶

No direct curated synonyms returned by search_relationships.py.

Antonyms¶

οἰκοδομεῖν — verbal opposite in the recurring destroy/build pairings
G179 ἀκατάλυτος (akatálytos) — alpha-privative opposite: indissoluble, not to be dissolved

Easily Confused Words¶

Word	Strong's	Shared Translation	Key Difference
ἀπόλλυμι (apollymi)	G622	"to destroy"	apollymi = destroy utterly / cause to perish; katalyō = loosen/dissolve/demolish (structural)
ἀφανίζω (aphanizō)	G853	"destroy" (occasionally)	aphanizō = cause to vanish; katalyō = physical demolition or institutional nullification
βάλλω (ballō)	G906	"be thrown down" (passive)	ballō = throw/cast (active force); katalyō passive = be demolished (loosening)

Hebrew Source (LXX)¶

Hebrew Source	Strong's	Co-occ	PMI	Notes
לוּן / לִין (lûn/lîn)	H3885	12	6.54	to lodge, spend the night — the hospitality sense
שָׁבַת (shābat)	H7673	7	5.92	to cease, desist — "come to nought" sense
שָׁכַן (shākan)	H7931	3	3.87	to dwell, settle — also lodging context

The strongest LXX link is H3885 (lodge/stay overnight), explaining Luke 9:12 and 19:7. The "destroy" sense in NT usage emerges more from Greek compound semantics (κατά + λύω = loosen down) than from a single Hebrew equivalent.