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ἐπικαθίζω

epikathízō

G1940 verb

SILEX Entry

Definition

To set, place, or seat (someone or something) upon or on top of another explicitly; to install or position in a stationary manner above or atop another object or location. In extended usage, can also refer to causing someone or something to take a position or seat upon a place, often with a sense of deliberate arrangement or installation.

Semantic Range

to seat upon, to set on top of, to place or install (someone/something) on, to cause to sit upon, to position atop

Root / Etymology

Compound of ἐπί (upon, on) and καθίζω (to seat, to cause to sit); formed by prefixing ἐπί to καθίζω to indicate the act of causing to sit or be on top of something else.

Historical & Contextual Notes

ἐπικαθίζω appears rarely, almost exclusively in Koine Greek documents, including the New Testament (e.g., in Gospel narratives describing the placing of an individual or object upon a surface, such as the seating of Jesus upon a donkey, or an item set on an object). The verb is intensive compared with καθίζω, specifying the direction or location ('upon'). In Hellenistic and Judaean literature, the term is literal and physical rather than idiomatic or metaphorical, lacking the extended senses found in some uses of καθίζω (such as establishing authority). Standard English translations often simply render it as 'set upon' or 'cause to sit on,' which reasonably captures the literal Greek but may obscure the deliberate, dynamic aspect involved in the Greek verb. The usage is confined to spatial, physical placement; abstract or figurative uses are not attested in major Koine sources.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from ἐπί and καθίζω; to seat upon:--set on.

Root Family

ἐπικαθίζω (epikathizō) — to sit, to seat, to place upon, to set atop

Root καθιζ- to sit, to seat (cause to sit), to place upon

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
G1940-01 ἐπεκάθισεν epekathisen V AOR ACT IND 3P SG he sat was seating upon he sat upon 1

Occurrences in Scripture

1 occurrence

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
G1940-01 Matthew 21:7 ἐπεκάθισεν epekathisen V AOR ACT IND 3P SG he sat was seating upon he sat upon
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