G2673 — καταργέω (katargéō)¶

Core Data¶

Strong's: G2673
Original: καταργέω
Transliteration: katargéō
Pronunciation: kat-arg-eh'-o
Part of Speech: Verb
Root: κατά (G2596, down/thoroughly) + ἀργέω (G0691, to be idle/inactive)
Occurrences: 27 tokens across 26 unique verses, 9 books
Distribution: Predominantly Pauline — 25 of 27 NT occurrences in Paul's letters
First Occurrence: Luke 13:7 — "these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and find none: cut it down; why cumbereth it the ground?"
Hapax Legomenon: No

Lexicon Definition¶

Strong's: To be (render) entirely idle (useless), literally or figuratively.

Thayer's: Two main senses: (1) Render idle/ineffective — to deprive of force, influence, or power; make of none effect (Rom 3:3; 1 Cor 1:28; 2 Thess 2:8). (2) Cause to cease, abolish, annul — to put an end to, do away with (Rom 3:31; 1 Cor 13:8–11; Eph 2:15). Passive: "to cease, pass away, be done away" (2 Cor 3:7–14); also "to be severed/separated from" with ἀπό (Rom 7:2, 6; Gal 5:4). In LXX: translates Aramaic בַּטֵּל (cease, restrain) in Ezra 4–6 (4x). In secular Greek: rarely, "to leave the hand idle" (Euripides).

Semantic Domains¶

Louw-Nida: - Primary Domain: 013003 — Exist (cease to exist, be abolished) - Secondary Domains: 037 (Control/Rule), 037010 (Release/Set Free), 076 (Power/Force) - Domain 013003 neighbors: ἀπόλλυμι (G622, perish/destroy), ἀφανίζω (G853, corrupt/perish), ἀφανισμός (G854, vanish away), ἀπολείπω (G620, remain/be left)

UBS Semantic Domains: - [013] Be, Become, Exist, Happen - [076] Power, Force - [037] Control, Rule

Translation Distribution (KJV)¶

The KJV uses 29 different renderings across 26 verses — reflecting the breadth of the word's semantic range.

Cluster	Representative KJV Renderings	Verses
Abolish / done away	"abolished," "done away," "was to be done away"	6
Destroy / bring to nought	"shall destroy," "might be destroyed," "bring to nought"	5
Void / without effect	"make void," "of none effect," "without effect," "made of none effect"	5
Cease / fail / vanish	"they shall fail," "shall vanish away," "ceased"	3
Deliver / loose / freed	"we are delivered," "she is loosed," "fallen from"	3
Other (1 each)	"put away," "cumbereth," "come to nought," etc.	4

Distribution by Book¶

Book	Count	Per 100 Verses
1 Corinthians	8	1.8
2 Corinthians	4	1.6
Romans	6	1.4
Galatians	3	2.0
2 Thessalonians	1	2.1
2 Timothy	1	1.2
Ephesians	1	0.6
Hebrews	1	0.3
Luke	1	0.1

Overwhelmingly Pauline. The three Corinthian clusters (2 Cor 3, 1 Cor 13, 1 Cor 15) account for nearly half the occurrences. Luke's single use (13:7) is the only synoptic instance and the only literal agricultural use.

Semantic Categories¶

1. Literal: Render Useless / Idle (making something ineffective)¶

Luke 13:7 — "cut it down; why cumbereth it the ground?" (fig tree rendered useless to the soil)
1 Cor 1:28 — "things which are not, to bring to nought things that are" (God nullifies worldly wisdom/power)
1 Cor 2:6 — "the princes of this world, that come to nought" (passing world rulers rendered powerless)

2. Nullify / Make Void (law, faith, promise)¶

Rom 3:3 — "shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect?"
Rom 3:31 — "Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law."
Rom 4:14 — "For if they which are of the law [be] heirs, faith is made void, and the promise made of none effect"
Gal 3:17 — "the law...cannot disannul [the covenant], that it should make the promise of none effect"

3. Abolish Powers / Enemies of Christ¶

1 Cor 15:24 — "he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power"
1 Cor 15:26 — "The last enemy [that] shall be destroyed [is] death"
2 Tim 1:10 — "our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light"
Heb 2:14 — "that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil"
2 Thess 2:8 — "the Lord shall consume [Antichrist]...with the brightness of his coming"

4. Old Covenant Glory Passing Away (2 Corinthians 3)¶

2 Cor 3:7 — "the glory of his countenance; which [glory] was to be done away"
2 Cor 3:11 — "if that which is done away [was] glorious, much more that which remaineth [is] glorious"
2 Cor 3:13 — "that the children of Israel could not stedfastly look to the end of that which is abolished"
2 Cor 3:14 — "the same vail untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which [vail] is done away in Christ"

5. Cease / Pass Away (partial gifts superseded by the perfect)¶

1 Cor 13:8 — "whether [there be] prophecies, they shall fail; whether [there be] tongues, they shall cease; whether [there be] knowledge, it shall vanish away"
1 Cor 13:10 — "when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away"
1 Cor 13:11 — "when I became a man, I put away childish things"

6. Delivered / Separated From (passive + ἀπό)¶

Rom 6:6 — "the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin"
Rom 7:2 — "if the husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of her husband"
Rom 7:6 — "now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held"
Gal 5:4 — "Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace"

Common Collocations¶

Word	Strong's	Co-occurrences	Typical Pattern
νόμος (nómos)	G3551	7x (27%)	law is made void, abolished, or established through Christ
θάνατος (thánatos)	G2288	4x (15%)	Christ abolishes death (2 Tim 1:10; Heb 2:14; 1 Cor 15:26)
Χριστός (Christós)	G5547	4x (15%)	Christ as the agent of abolishing (Eph 2:15; Gal 5:4)
γίνομαι (gínomai)	G1096	4x (15%)	becoming of no effect (Gal 5:4; Rom 4:14)
πίστις (pístis)	G4102	3x (12%)	faith and law in tension — does faith nullify law?
διαθήκη (diathḗkē)	G1242	2x (8%)	covenant cannot be annulled by later law (Gal 3:17)
δόξα (dóxa)	G1391	2x (8%)	the glory that was to be done away (2 Cor 3:7, 11)
ἐπαγγελία (epangelía)	G1860	2x (8%)	promise made void if law-keeping is required (Rom 4:14; Gal 3:17)

Word Family / Cognates¶

G0691 ἀργέω (argéō) — root verb: to be idle, to linger (2 Pet 2:3 only)
G0692 ἀργός (argós) — adjective: idle, barren, useless; κατά intensifies this to "render thoroughly useless"

Synonyms¶

No direct synonyms were returned by search_relationships.py for G2673.

Antonyms¶

No antonyms were returned by search_relationships.py for G2673.

Easily Confused Words¶

Word	Strong's	Shared Translation	Key Difference
καταλύω (katalýō)	G2647	both: "destroy"	katalyō = physically loosen/dissolve (tear down a building, dissolve a meeting); katargéō = render powerless/ineffective (doesn't imply physical dismantling)
λύω (lýō)	G3089	both: "loose," "destroy"	lýō = release a bond, loose what is bound; katargéō = nullify what holds authority or power
ἀναιρέω (anaireō)	G0337	both: "destroy"	anaireō = take away life, kill physically; katargéō = abolish power/authority, rarely physical killing

Hebrew Source¶

G2673 translates Aramaic בַּטֵּל (H989, bettel) in the LXX — 3 occurrences, all in Ezra 4–6 (work on the temple forcibly stopped/hindered). Very low count; no LXX bridge trace warranted.

Aramaic Source	Strong's	Frequency	Notes
בְּטֵל (bettel)	H989	3x	PMI 12.15 — "cause to cease, hinder" (Ezra 4:21, 23; 5:5)