verb
diatassomō
Strong’sG1299
I give orders to, prescribe
stem diatass-16 times in the New Testamentin 6 of 27 books13 forms occur
What it means
A plain-English reading of the word, with the lexicons it draws on — Abbott-Smith, Strong's, and Liddell-Scott-Jones — right below it, in full.
AI Summary
διατάσσω means to give orders, command, or instruct someone, and by extension to arrange, appoint, ordain, or prescribe something 124. It is used with a person in the dative case to show who receives the order 1, with an infinitive to state what is to be done 1, and also appears in the middle voice (e.g. "appoint," "charge") and passive voice (e.g. "what was appointed," "what had been arranged") 1. Classical Greek shows the same underlying sense of appointing or disposing things in an orderly way, whether appointing people to roles or making arrangements generally 3.
Sources: 1 Abbott-Smith 2 Strong's 3 LSJ 4 Dodson. Condensed by anthropic/claude-sonnet-5 on 2026-09-23 — it may still misstate what these say; check them yourself if it matters to you.
The lexicons it was drawn from, in full:
Abbott-Smith — the 1922 lexicon entry, in full
δια-τάσσω
[in LXX for שׂים, שׁמר, etc.;]
G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament, 1922 — public domain. References open in the reader.
Strong’s G1299 — the 1890 definition, and where the word comes from
Liddell-Scott-Jones — the classical dictionary this word appears in
Attic dialect διατάττω, perfect διατέτᾰχα Refs 1st c.BC+:—appoint or ordain severally, dispose, εὖ δὲ ἕκαστα ἀθανάτοις διέταξε Refs 8th c.BC+; appoint to separate offices, δ. τοὺς μὲν οἰκίας οἰκοδομέειν, τοὺς δὲ δορυφόρους εἶναι Refs 5th c.BC+: absolutely, make arrangements, πρὸς τὸ συμπῖπτον ἀεὶ δ. Refs 5th c.BC+:—middle, arrange for oneself, classify, Refs 5th c.BC+; undertake, pledge oneself, πρός τινα with future infinitive, Refs; also in active sense, περὶ θυσιῶν Refs:—passive, to be appointed, constituted, Refs 5th c.BC+; παρὰ τὰ -τεταγμένα contrary to orders, Refs 2nd c.AD+: with infinitive, variant in Refs 5th c.BC+to be appointed to cultivate, Refs 4th c.BC+
2 especially draw up an army, set in array, Refs 5th c.BC+:—middle, διαταξάμενοι posting themselves in battle-order, Refs 5th c.BC+:—perfect passive, διατετάχθαι to be in battleorder, Refs 5th c.BC+
II middle, make teslamentary dispositions, περί τινος Refs 1st c.AD+; order by will, with infinitive, Refs 1st c.AD+; bequeath, Refs 1st c.BC+:—passive, to be bequeathed, Refs 1st c.AD+
H. G. Liddell, R. Scott, H. S. Jones, A Greek-English Lexicon (9th ed., 1925–1940) — digitised by the Perseus Digital Library and corrected and expanded by Tyndale House, Cambridge, via STEPBible-Data's TFLSJ table, CC BY 4.0. Covers all of Greek literature, not just the Bible.
Translated as
Every occurrence, sorted by the English it was actually given — the evidence for what the word means, not a gloss of it.
Berean Standard Bible (BSB), dedicated to the public domain — berean.bible.
Biblang forms
What the New Testament actually uses, first — the whole system this verb is built from is one click further down.
| Form and the Greek behind it | What it is | Usually | Times |
|---|---|---|---|
| diatassomōδιατάσσομαι | happening now · Ipresent middle or passive indicative 1st person singular | rule | 1× |
| diatassemiδιατάξομαι | will happen · Ifuture middle indicative 1st person singular | give instructions | 1× |
| diatassamaδιέταξα | happened · Iaorist active indicative 1st person singular | directed | 1× |
| diatassataδιέταξεν | happened · he/she/itaorist active indicative 3rd person singular | commanded | 2× |
| diatassemaδιεταξάμην | happened · Iaorist middle indicative 1st person singular | directed | 1× |
| diatassetaδιετάξατο | happened · he/she/itaorist middle indicative 3rd person singular | directed | 1× |
| diatassarēδιατεταχέναι | has happened · the “to …” formperfect active infinitive | ordered | 1× |
| diatassarōntosδιατάσσων | happening now · subjectpresent active participle nominative singular masculine | instructing | 1× |
| diatasserantosδιαταξάμενος | happened · subjectaorist middle participle nominative singular masculine | ordered | 1× |
| diatassirantosδιαταγεὶς | happened · subjectaorist passive participle nominative singular masculine | put into effect | 1× |
| diatassiranteimδιαταχθέντα | happened · objectaorist passive participle direct plural neuter | commanded | 2× |
| diatassorēntosδιατεταγμένος | has happened · subjectperfect middle or passive participle nominative singular masculine | arranged | 1× |
| diatassorēntemδιατεταγμένον | has happened · objectperfect middle or passive participle direct singular neuter | orders | 2× |
Every form the New Testament uses, in paradigm order. What the system can build beyond them — the whole of this verb, whether the text happens to use it or not — is in the tables below.
Every form the system can build — all 204, by mood, including the ones the New Testament never uses
Statements — indicative mood, 7 occurrences
the subject acts active voice
| Who person | happening now present | was happening imperfect | will happen future | happened aorist | has happened perfect | had happened pluperfect |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | diatassamō | diatassame | diatassami | diatassama1×διέταξα | diatassamē | diatassamelē |
| you 2nd person singular | diatassasō | diatassase | diatassasi | diatassasa | diatassasē | diatassaselē |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | diatassatō | diatassate | diatassati | diatassata2×διέταξεν | diatassatē | diatassatelē |
| we 1st person plural | diatassanō | diatassane | diatassani | diatassana | diatassanē | diatassanelē |
| ye 2nd person plural | diatassavō | diatassave | diatassavi | diatassava | diatassavē | diatassavelē |
| they 3rd person plural | diatassalō | diatassale | diatassali | diatassala | diatassalē | diatassalelē |
acts on itself, or is acted on middle or passive voice
| Who person | happening now present | was happening imperfect | has happened perfect | had happened pluperfect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | diatassomō1×διατάσσομαι | diatassome | diatassomē | diatassomelē |
| you 2nd person singular | diatassosō | diatassose | diatassosē | diatassoselē |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | diatassotō | diatassote | diatassotē | diatassotelē |
| we 1st person plural | diatassonō | diatassone | diatassonē | diatassonelē |
| ye 2nd person plural | diatassovō | diatassove | diatassovē | diatassovelē |
| they 3rd person plural | diatassolō | diatassole | diatassolē | diatassolelē |
acts on or for itself middle voice
| Who person | will happen future | happened aorist |
|---|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | diatassemi1×διατάξομαι | diatassema1×διεταξάμην |
| you 2nd person singular | diatassesi | diatassesa |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | diatasseti | diatasseta1×διετάξατο |
| we 1st person plural | diatasseni | diatassena |
| ye 2nd person plural | diatassevi | diatasseva |
| they 3rd person plural | diatasseli | diatassela |
acted on passive voice
| Who person | will happen future | happened aorist |
|---|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | diatassimi | diatassima |
| you 2nd person singular | diatassisi | diatassisa |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | diatassiti | diatassita |
| we 1st person plural | diatassini | diatassina |
| ye 2nd person plural | diatassivi | diatassiva |
| they 3rd person plural | diatassili | diatassila |
May, might — subjunctive mood, no occurrences
the subject acts active voice
| Who person | happening now present | happened aorist | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | diatassameiō | diatassameia | diatassameiē |
| you 2nd person singular | diatassaseiō | diatassaseia | diatassaseiē |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | diatassateiō | diatassateia | diatassateiē |
| we 1st person plural | diatassaneiō | diatassaneia | diatassaneiē |
| ye 2nd person plural | diatassaveiō | diatassaveia | diatassaveiē |
| they 3rd person plural | diatassaleiō | diatassaleia | diatassaleiē |
acts on itself, or is acted on middle or passive voice
| Who person | happening now present | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | diatassomeiō | diatassomeiē |
| you 2nd person singular | diatassoseiō | diatassoseiē |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | diatassoteiō | diatassoteiē |
| we 1st person plural | diatassoneiō | diatassoneiē |
| ye 2nd person plural | diatassoveiō | diatassoveiē |
| they 3rd person plural | diatassoleiō | diatassoleiē |
acts on or for itself middle voice
| Who person | happened aorist |
|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | diatassemeia |
| you 2nd person singular | diatasseseia |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | diatasseteia |
| we 1st person plural | diatasseneia |
| ye 2nd person plural | diatasseveia |
| they 3rd person plural | diatasseleia |
acted on passive voice
| Who person | happened aorist |
|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | diatassimeia |
| you 2nd person singular | diatassiseia |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | diatassiteia |
| we 1st person plural | diatassineia |
| ye 2nd person plural | diatassiveia |
| they 3rd person plural | diatassileia |
Commands — imperative mood, no occurrences
the subject acts active voice
| Who person | happening now present | happened aorist | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|---|
| you 2nd person singular | diatassasōr | diatassasar | diatassasēr |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | diatassatōr | diatassatar | diatassatēr |
| ye 2nd person plural | diatassavōr | diatassavar | diatassavēr |
| they 3rd person plural | diatassalōr | diatassalar | diatassalēr |
acts on itself, or is acted on middle or passive voice
| Who person | happening now present | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|
| you 2nd person singular | diatassosōr | diatassosēr |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | diatassotōr | diatassotēr |
| ye 2nd person plural | diatassovōr | diatassovēr |
| they 3rd person plural | diatassolōr | diatassolēr |
acts on or for itself middle voice
| Who person | happened aorist |
|---|---|
| you 2nd person singular | diatassesar |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | diatassetar |
| ye 2nd person plural | diatassevar |
| they 3rd person plural | diatasselar |
acted on passive voice
| Who person | happened aorist |
|---|---|
| you 2nd person singular | diatassisar |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | diatassitar |
| ye 2nd person plural | diatassivar |
| they 3rd person plural | diatassilar |
Wishes — optative mood, no occurrences
the subject acts active voice
| Who person | happening now present | happened aorist |
|---|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | diatassamoiō | diatassamoia |
| you 2nd person singular | diatassasoiō | diatassasoia |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | diatassatoiō | diatassatoia |
| we 1st person plural | diatassanoiō | diatassanoia |
| ye 2nd person plural | diatassavoiō | diatassavoia |
| they 3rd person plural | diatassaloiō | diatassaloia |
acts on itself, or is acted on middle or passive voice
| Who person | happening now present |
|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | diatassomoiō |
| you 2nd person singular | diatassosoiō |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | diatassotoiō |
| we 1st person plural | diatassonoiō |
| ye 2nd person plural | diatassovoiō |
| they 3rd person plural | diatassoloiō |
acts on or for itself middle voice
| Who person | happened aorist |
|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | diatassemoia |
| you 2nd person singular | diatassesoia |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | diatassetoia |
| we 1st person plural | diatassenoia |
| ye 2nd person plural | diatassevoia |
| they 3rd person plural | diatasseloia |
acted on passive voice
| Who person | happened aorist |
|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | diatassimoia |
| you 2nd person singular | diatassisoia |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | diatassitoia |
| we 1st person plural | diatassinoia |
| ye 2nd person plural | diatassivoia |
| they 3rd person plural | diatassiloia |
The “to …” form — infinitive, 1 occurrence
| Who is acting voice | happening now present | will happen future | happened aorist | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| the subject acts active voice | diatassarō | diatassari | diatassara | diatassarē1×διατεταχέναι |
| acts on itself, or is acted on middle or passive voice | diatassorō | diatassorē | ||
| acts on or for itself middle voice | diatasseri | diatassera | ||
| acted on passive voice | diatassiri | diatassira |
Used as an adjective — participle, 8 occurrences
| Who is acting voice | happening now present | will happen future | happened aorist | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| the subject acts active voice | diatassarōntos1×διατάσσων | diatassarintos | diatassarantos | diatassarēntos |
| acts on itself, or is acted on middle or passive voice | diatassorōntos | diatassorēntos3×διατεταγμένος | ||
| acts on or for itself middle voice | diatasserintos | diatasserantos1×διαταξάμενος | ||
| acted on passive voice | diatassirintos | diatassirantos3×διαταγεὶς |
Each is given in the form it takes as a subject. From there a participle carries the ordinary noun endings, in every case, number and gender — so these four columns are the whole of what the verb contributes.
How every form is built — the slots that make them
diatass is this word in every one of its forms. The slots after it make all the rest.
same in every form varies — every value shown
Where it appears
Every verse the word appears in, filed under the form it takes there.
16 occurrences, every one of them listed
diatassomō“rule”happening now · Ipresent middle or passive indicative 1st person singular1×
1 Corinthians 7:17“rule”… kai houtōs en tai ekklēsai pantai diatassomō.… should lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him and to which God has called him. This is what I prescribe in all the churches.
diatassemi“give instructions”will happen · Ifuture middle indicative 1st person singular1×
1 Corinthians 11:34… Teim de loipeim hōs an erchameia diatassemi.… And when I come, I will give instructions about the remaining matters.
diatassama“directed”happened · Iaorist active indicative 1st person singular1×
1 Corinthians 16:1… logeiau tau eis toin hagioin, hōsper diatassama tai ekklēsai tau Galatiau, houtōs kai …… you are to do as I directed the churches of Galatia:
diatassata“commanded”happened · he/she/itaorist active indicative 3rd person singular2×
Luke 8:55“gave orders”… pneumem autau, kai anastēata parachrēma, kai diatassata auta dōira esthiara.Her spirit returned, and at once she got up. And He directed that she be given something to eat.
1 Corinthians 9:14“commanded”houtōs kai tos kurios diatassata toi tem euangeliem katangelarōntoi ek teu …In the same way, the Lord has prescribed that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel.
diatassema“directed”happened · Iaorist middle indicative 1st person singular1×
Titus 1:5… kata polan presbuteroin, hōs mis si diatassema,… elders in every town, as I directed you.
diatasseta“directed”happened · he/she/itaorist middle indicative 3rd person singular1×
Acts 7:44… patroi nu en ta erēma, kathōs diatasseta tos lalarōntos to Mōuso poiara autan …… was constructed exactly as God had directed Moses, according to the pattern he …
diatassarē“ordered”has happened · the “to …” formperfect active infinitive1×
Acts 18:2… kai Priskillan gunaikan autou dia tem diatassarē Klaudion chōrizorō pantoin toin Ioudaioin apo …… his wife Priscilla because Claudius had ordered all the Jews to leave Rome …
diatassarōntos“instructing”happening now · subjectpresent active participle nominative singular masculine1×
Matthew 11:1Kai geneta hote telata tos Iēsus diatassarōntos toi dōdeka mathētoi autou, metabainata ekeithen …After Jesus had finished instructing His twelve disciples, He went on …
diatasserantos“ordered”happened · subjectaorist middle participle nominative singular masculine1×
Acts 24:23diatasserantos to hekatontarchēo tērorō auton echarō tē …He ordered the centurion to keep Paul under …
diatassirantos“put into effect”happened · subjectaorist passive participle nominative singular masculine1×
Galatians 3:19“put into effect”… hou erchateia tem spermem he epangelotē, diatassirantos dia angeloiu en cheira mesitou;… arrival of the seed to whom the promise referred. It was administered through angels by a mediator.
diatassiranteim“commanded”happened · objectaorist passive participle direct plural neuter2×
Luke 17:9“commanded”… charitan to doulo hoti poiata teim diatassiranteim?… he thank the servant because he did what he …
Luke 17:10… kai vis, hotan poiaveia panteim teim diatassiranteim vi, legavōr hoti Doulois achreiois anō, …… also, when you have done everything commanded of you, should say, ‘We are …
diatassorēntos“arranged”has happened · subjectperfect middle or passive participle nominative singular masculine1×
Acts 20:13… mellarōntois analabarō ton Paulon, houtōs gar diatassorēntos ate mellarōntos autos pezeuarō.… to take Paul aboard. He had arranged this because he was going there …
diatassorēntem“orders”has happened · objectperfect middle or passive participle direct singular neuter2×
Luke 3:13… pros autoin; Mēdenem polloterem para tem diatassorēntem vi prassavōr.“Collect no more than you are authorized,” he answered.
Acts 23:31Tois men oun stratiōtois kata tem diatassorēntem autoi analabarantois ton Paulon agala dia …So the soldiers followed their orders and brought Paul by night to …