Lexical Summary kathizó: To sit, to set, to appoint, to settle Original Word: καθίζω Strong's Exhaustive Concordance set, sit down, tarry. Another (active) form for kathezomai; to seat down, i.e. Set (figuratively, appoint); intransitively, to sit (down); figuratively, to settle (hover, dwell) -- continue, set, sit (down), tarry. see GREEK kathezomai NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originanother form of kathezomai Definition to make to sit down, to sit down NASB Translation appoint (1), rested (1), sat (5), sat down (15), seat (1), seated (1), seated themselves (1), settled (1), sit (9), sit down (4), sitting down (1), stay (1), taken...seat (1), takes...seat (1), took...seat (3). Thayer's Greek Lexicon STRONGS NT 2523: καθίζωκαθίζω; future καθίσω (Buttmann, 37 (32)); 1 aorist ἐκάθισα (impv. 2 singular κάθισον once, Mark 12:36 Tr text WH marginal reading); perfect κεκαθικα (Mark 11:2 (not WH Tr marginal reading; Hebrews 12:2 L T Tr WH; a late form, see Veitch, under the word)); 1 aorist middle subjunctive 2 person plural καθίσησθε (Luke 22:30 Rec.); future middle καθίσομαι; from Homer down; (cf. Buttmann, 60 (52)); 1. transitive, to make to sit down (κατά; which see III. 1), to set, appoint; the Sept. for הושִׁיב: τινα ἐπί θρόνου (L T Tr WH τόν θρόνον), to confer the kingdom upon one, Acts 2:30; τινα ἐν δεξιά αὐτοῦ, Ephesians 1:20; τινα, to appoint one to act as judge, 1 Corinthians 6:4 (δικαστήν, Plato, legg. 9, p. 873 e.; Polybius 40, 5, 3; συνέδριον κριτῶν, Josephus, Antiquities 20, 9, 1). 2. intransitive; the Sept. for יָשַׁב; a. to sit down; universally, Matthew 5:1; Matthew 13:48; Mark 9:35; Luke 4:20; Luke 5:3; Luke 14:28, 31; Luke 16:6; John 8:2; Acts 13:14; Acts 16:13; with a telic infinitive 1 Corinthians 10:7; with specification of the place or seat: ἐν δεξιά τίνος, Hebrews 1:3; Hebrews 8:1; Hebrews 10:12; Hebrews 12:2; ἐπί τίνι, Mark 11:7 (Rec.); εἰς τόν ναόν, 2 Thessalonians 2:4 (Buttmann, § 147, 16; Winer's Grammar, 415 (386)); ἐπί with the accusative (cf. Buttmann, 338 (290)), Revelation 20:4; John 12:14; Mark 11:2 (7 L T Tr WH); Luke 19:30; (add Acts 2:3, see Buttmann, § 129, 17; Winer's Grammar, 516 (481)); ἐπί τοῦ βήματος, of a judge, John 19:13; Acts 12:21; Acts 25:6, 17; κατέναντι (or ἀπέναντι Tr etc.) τίνος, Mark 12:41; with adverbs of place, Mark 14:32; Matthew 26:36. b. to sit: (absolutely (of a dead man restored to life) ἐκάθισεν sat, sat up, Luke 7:15 L marginal reading WH marginal reading); ἐν τῷ θρόνῳ, Revelation 3:21; ἐπί with the genitive of the seat, Matthew 23:2; Matthew 25:31; ἐκ δεξιῶν σου καί εἷς ἐξ εὐωνύμων σου, Matthew 20:21, 23; Mark 10:37, 40. equivalent to to have fixed one's abode, i. e. to sojourn (cf. our settle, settle down), Acts 18:11; followed by ἐν with the dative of place, Luke 24:49 (here A. V. tarry) (Exodus 16:29; Jeremiah 30:11 In the first-century Mediterranean world, to sit was more than a bodily posture. Whether on a simple bench in the synagogue or on a lofty throne, sitting signified settled authority, judicial deliberation, completed labor, or attentive learning. Rabbis sat to teach; judges sat to render verdicts; monarchs sat to reign; disciples sat to receive instruction. Every New Testament use of καθίζω or its cognates flows out of this shared cultural grammar. A Rabbi’s Posture: Sitting to Teach Matthew 5:1 opens the Sermon on the Mount with Jesus seated: “His disciples came to Him, and He began to teach them”. Mark 9:35; Luke 5:3; John 8:2, and Acts 18:11 repeat the pattern. By taking the seat, Jesus signals settled authority; His words are not tentative suggestions but binding revelation. The apostles mirror their Master: on the Sabbath in Pisidian Antioch, Paul and Barnabas “went into the synagogue and sat down” (Acts 13:14), ready to expound the Scriptures when invited. The church’s teaching ministry thus follows a posture first modeled by Christ Himself. Session at God’s Right Hand: The Completed Work of Christ Four strategic texts employ καθίζω to proclaim that the crucified and risen Jesus now occupies the place of cosmic authority: • Mark 16:19: “He was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God.” In each case the verb’s perfective force underscores finality. Christ’s sacrificial work is finished; nothing remains to be added. His seated position guarantees the sufficiency of His atonement and the certainty of His intercession. Thrones, Judgment, and Eschatological Authority Sitting connotes judicial sovereignty throughout Scripture. Matthew 19:28 promises that the twelve will “sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.” Matthew 25:31 depicts the Son of Man seated as Judge of the nations. Revelation 20:4 beholds thrones on which “they sat, and authority to judge was given to them.” Even the man of lawlessness usurps the imagery, “setting himself up in God’s temple” (2 Thessalonians 2:4). The motif clarifies that final judgment issues from a throne already occupied. Believers therefore rest secure; enemies of God remain accountable. Household Tables, City Gates, Riverbanks: Everyday Scenes of Seating Several occurrences present the ordinary rhythm of life: • Disciples “sat down” on the Mount of Olives to receive teaching (Mark 13:3, implicit in context). These mundane uses remind readers that the gospel penetrates fields, villages, courtrooms, and kitchens. Whether enthroned in heaven or sharing bread on earth, Christ’s people live all of life under His seated reign. Rest and Invitation After a night of futile labor, Jesus instructs the crowd in Luke 4:20; upon finishing, He “sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fixed on Him.” The moment captures attentive expectation met by divine revelation. Likewise, Luke 24:49 urges the disciples to “stay [literally, sit] in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.” Sitting thus becomes a picture of waiting in confident trust, anticipating Spirit-given enablement. Ministry and Mission Implications 1. Completed Redemption: Because Christ is seated, ministry proceeds from assurance, not anxiety. Selected References Grouped by Theme Teaching: Matthew 5:1; Mark 9:35; Luke 5:3; John 8:2; Acts 13:14. Enthronement of Christ: Mark 16:19; Hebrews 1:3; Hebrews 8:1; Hebrews 10:12; Revelation 3:21. Judgment: Matthew 19:28; Matthew 25:31; 1 Corinthians 6:4; Revelation 20:4. Daily Life: Luke 14:28-31; Luke 16:6; Acts 16:13. Waiting/Rest: Luke 24:49; Acts 8:31. Conclusion Every appearance of καθίζω in the New Testament reinforces a single truth: the One whose word created, whose cross redeemed, and whose resurrection vindicated now sits enthroned, inviting His people to sit under His teaching, rest in His sufficiency, and anticipate seats beside Him in the age to come. Englishman's Concordance Matthew 5:1 V-APA-GMSGRK: ὄρος καὶ καθίσαντος αὐτοῦ προσῆλθαν NAS: up on the mountain; and after He sat down, His disciples KJV: and when he was set, his disciples INT: mountain and having sat down him came Matthew 13:48 V-APA-NMP Matthew 19:28 V-ASA-3S Matthew 20:21 V-ASA-3P Matthew 20:23 V-ANA Matthew 23:2 V-AIA-3P Matthew 25:31 V-FIA-3S Matthew 26:36 V-AMA-2P Mark 9:35 V-APA-NMS Mark 10:37 V-ASA-1P Mark 10:40 V-ANA Mark 11:2 V-AIA-3S Mark 11:7 V-AIA-3S Mark 12:41 V-APA-NMS Mark 14:32 V-AMA-2P Mark 16:19 V-AIA-3S Luke 4:20 V-AIA-3S Luke 5:3 V-APA-NMS Luke 14:28 V-APA-NMS Luke 14:31 V-APA-NMS Luke 16:6 V-APA-NMS Luke 19:30 V-AIA-3S Luke 24:49 V-AMA-2P John 8:2 V-APA-NMS John 12:14 V-AIA-3S Strong's Greek 2523 |
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