2696. katasphragizó
Lexical Summary
katasphragizó: To seal completely, to seal up

Original Word: κατασφραγίζω
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: katasphragizó
Pronunciation: kat-as-frag-ID-zo
Phonetic Spelling: (kat-as-frag-id'-zo)
KJV: seal
NASB: sealed
Word Origin: [from G2596 (κατά - according) and G4972 (σφραγίζω - sealed)]

1. to seal closely

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
seal.

From kata and sphragizo; to seal closely -- seal.

see GREEK kata

see GREEK sphragizo

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
from kata and sphragizó
Definition
to seal up
NASB Translation
sealed (1).

Thayer's Greek Lexicon
STRONGS NT 2696: κατασφραγίζω

κατασφραγίζω: perfect passive participle κατεσφραγισμενος; "to cover with a seal (see κατά, III. 3), to seal up, close with a seal": βιβλίον σφραγῖσιν, Revelation 5:1. (Job 9:7; Wis. 2:5; Aeschylus, Euripides, Plato, Plutarch, Lucian, others.)

Topical Lexicon
Biblical Setting and Narrative Focus

The sole appearance of κατασφραγίζω occurs in Revelation 5:1: “Then I saw in the right hand of Him who was seated on the throne a scroll written inside and on the back, sealed with seven seals.”. John’s vision centers on a divinely authored scroll whose contents remain inaccessible until the Lamb breaks each seal. The intensive prefix kata- (“down, thoroughly”) stresses an absolute fastening, underscoring that no created being can open or even look inside (Revelation 5:3).

Old Testament Background of Sealed Scrolls

Sealing authoritative documents is deeply rooted in Scripture. Jeremiah deposits the title-deed of Anathoth in an earthen vessel “so that it will last a long time” (Jeremiah 32:14). Daniel is instructed: “Seal the book until the time of the end” (Daniel 12:4). Isaiah speaks of revelation becoming “like the words of a sealed scroll” (Isaiah 29:11). These passages anticipate a climactic disclosure reserved for God’s appointed moment, preparing the theological backdrop for the sealed scroll in Revelation.

Historical and Cultural Insights

In the first-century Roman world, legal wills were secured by multiple witnesses, each affixing a separate seal. Only the designated executor possessing all requisite authority could break them. Revelation employs that cultural reality to communicate Christ’s exclusive worthiness; He alone satisfies every legal, covenantal, and moral requirement to open God’s redemptive plan.

Christological Significance

The seven-fold sealing magnifies both the completeness of God’s decree and the unparalleled authority of the slain yet risen Lamb (Revelation 5:6-10). The impounded scroll symbolizes inheritance, judgment, and consummation. By taking and opening it, Jesus Christ asserts His messianic kingship, executes divine justice, and secures the promised inheritance for His people (compare Hebrews 9:15).

Eschatological Implications

Each broken seal inaugurates events that propel history toward the new heaven and new earth (Revelation chapters 6–8). Until the Lamb intervenes, the contents remain irreversibly locked, reflecting the truth that history unfolds only at God’s initiative and timing.

Relation to the Seal of the Holy Spirit

While κατασφραγίζω appears only in Revelation 5:1, the broader New Testament theme of sealing (ἐσφραγίσθη, etc.) comforts believers with assurance. “When you believed, you were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit” (Ephesians 1:13). The unbreakable seal on the scroll mirrors the unbreakable seal on the redeemed, both guaranteed by divine authority.

Ministry Application and Pastoral Use

1. Assurance of Sovereignty: God’s plans are not subject to human tampering. This undergirds pastoral exhortations to trust His timing amid uncertainty.
2. Worship and Awe: The heavenly scene invites congregations into doxology that extols the Lamb’s worthiness (Revelation 5:9-14).
3. Evangelistic Urgency: The compressed judgment sequence that follows the breaking of the seals motivates the proclamation of the gospel “while it is still day” (John 9:4).
4. Perseverance: Believers suffering persecution can rest in the certainty that Christ holds the scroll and will bring history to its righteous climax.

Related Concepts and Cross-References

• Divine Decrees: Psalm 2:7-9; Isaiah 46:10.
• Covenant Documentation: Exodus 24:7; Hebrews 8:6-13.
• Messianic Authority: Matthew 28:18; Colossians 1:17-20.
• Eschatological Unveiling: 2 Peter 3:10-13; Revelation 22:10.

Summary

Strong’s Greek 2696 captures an intensified act of sealing that both conceals and secures God’s ultimate redemptive blueprint until the Lamb alone reveals it. The concept unites Old Testament precedent, Roman legal custom, and New Testament fulfillment, reinforcing believers’ confidence that the same sovereign Lord who guards history’s scroll also guards their eternal inheritance.

Forms and Transliterations
κατασφραγίζει κατεσφραγισμενον κατεσφραγισμένον katesphragismenon katesphragisménon
Links
Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
Revelation 5:1 V-RPM/P-ANS
GRK: καὶ ὄπισθεν κατεσφραγισμένον σφραγῖσιν ἑπτά
NAS: and on the back, sealed up with seven
KJV: on the backside, sealed with seven
INT: and on [the] back having been sealed with seals seven

Strong's Greek 2696
1 Occurrence


κατεσφραγισμένον — 1 Occ.

2695
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