verb
katargomō
Strong’sG2673
I bring to naught, sever, abolish
stem katarg-27 times in the New Testamentin 9 of 27 books19 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
Καταργέω
The word means to make something idle, inactive, or useless, so that it no longer functions or produces anything — used, for instance, of ground occupied by an unfruitful tree that is left unproductive 13. Strong's likewise gives the basic sense of being or rendering entirely idle or useless 2.
From this comes a broader, figurative sense: to make of no effect, render invalid, abolish, or bring to nothing something that had force or standing — a law, a promise, a power, a relationship, or the like 134. In the passive, it describes something being abolished, ceasing, done away with, or vanishing 132. It can also describe a person being separated, discharged, or set free from something, such as a former obligation 13.
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
κατ-αργέω, -ῶ
(< κατά, causative, ἀργός = ἀ-εργός), [in LXX: II Es 4.21, 23 5.5 6.8 (בְּטֵל)*;]
G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament, 1922 — public domain. References open in the reader.
Strong’s G2673 — the 1890 definition, and where the word comes from
Saidkat-arg-eh'-o
to be (render) entirely idle (useless), literally or figuratively
King Jamesabolish, cease, cumber, deliver, destroy, do away, become (make) of no (none, without) effect, fail, loose, bring (come) to nought, put away (down), vanish away, make void.
James Strong, Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, 1890 — public domain. The numbers in it link to the entries here.
Liddell-Scott-Jones — the classical dictionary this word appears in
leave unemployed or idle, Refs 5th c.BC+; κατηργηκέναι τοὺς καιρούς to have missed the opportunities, Refs 2nd c.BC+ make the ground useless, cumber it, NT
2 cause to be idle, hinder in one's work, LXX+1st c.AD+passive, LXX; to be rendered or lie idle, Refs 3rd c.AD+
II make of no effect, NT.Rom.3.3,31, +others:—passive, to be abolished, cease, NT to be set free from.., NT; to be parted, Refs.
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.
6 rarer renderings are not shown; every occurrence below carries the English it was given there.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| katargatōκαταργεῖ | happening now · he/she/itpresent active indicative 3rd person singular | use up | 1× |
| katarganōκαταργοῦμεν | happening now · wepresent active indicative 1st person plural | nullify | 1× |
| katargotōκαταργεῖται | happening now · he/she/itpresent middle or passive indicative 3rd person singular | destroyed | 2× |
| katargatiκαταργήσει | will happen · he/she/itfuture active indicative 3rd person singular | destroy | 3× |
| katargitiκαταργηθήσεται | will happen · he/she/itfuture passive indicative 3rd person singular | pass away | 2× |
| katargiliκαταργηθήσονται | will happen · theyfuture passive indicative 3rd person plural | come to an end | 1× |
| katarginaκατηργήθημεν | happened · weaorist passive indicative 1st person plural | released | 1× |
| katargivaκατηργήθητε | happened · yeaorist passive indicative 2nd person plural | alienated | 1× |
| katargamēκατήργηκα | has happened · Iperfect active indicative 1st person singular | put an end to | 1× |
| katargotēκατήργηται | has happened · he/she/itperfect middle or passive indicative 3rd person singular | released | 3× |
| katargateiaκαταργήσῃ | happened · he/she/itaorist active subjunctive 3rd person singular | destroy | 3× |
| katargiteiaκαταργηθῇ | happened · he/she/itaorist passive subjunctive 3rd person singular | done away with | 1× |
| katargaraκαταργῆσαι | happened · the “to …” formaorist active infinitive | nullify | 1× |
| katargorōntemκαταργούμενον | happening now · subjectpresent middle or passive participle direct singular neuter | set aside came | 1× |
| katargorōntanκαταργουμένην | happening now · objectpresent middle or passive participle accusative singular feminine | set aside | 1× |
| katargorōnteuκαταργουμένου | happening now · of, belonging topresent middle or passive participle genitive singular neuter | set aside | 1× |
| katargorōntoiuκαταργουμένων | happening now · of, belonging topresent middle or passive participle genitive plural masculine | coming to nothing | 1× |
| katargarantosκαταργήσας | happened · subjectaorist active participle nominative singular masculine | abolishing | 1× |
| katargarantouκαταργήσαντος | happened · of, belonging toaorist active participle genitive singular masculine | abolished | 1× |
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 172, by mood, including the ones the New Testament never uses
Statements — indicative mood, 16 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 | katargamō | katargame | katargami | katargama | katargamē1×κατήργηκα | katargamelē |
| you 2nd person singular | katargasō | katargase | katargasi | katargasa | katargasē | katargaselē |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | katargatō1×καταργεῖ | katargate | katargati3×καταργήσει | katargata | katargatē | katargatelē |
| we 1st person plural | katarganō1×καταργοῦμεν | katargane | katargani | katargana | katarganē | katarganelē |
| ye 2nd person plural | katargavō | katargave | katargavi | katargava | katargavē | katargavelē |
| they 3rd person plural | katargalō | katargale | katargali | katargala | katargalē | katargalelē |
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 | katargomō | katargome | katargomē | katargomelē |
| you 2nd person singular | katargosō | katargose | katargosē | katargoselē |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | katargotō2×καταργεῖται | katargote | katargotē3×κατήργηται | katargotelē |
| we 1st person plural | katargonō | katargone | katargonē | katargonelē |
| ye 2nd person plural | katargovō | katargove | katargovē | katargovelē |
| they 3rd person plural | katargolō | katargole | katargolē | katargolelē |
acted on passive voice
| Who person | will happen future | happened aorist |
|---|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | katargimi | katargima |
| you 2nd person singular | katargisi | katargisa |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | katargiti2×καταργηθήσεται | katargita |
| we 1st person plural | katargini | katargina1×κατηργήθημεν |
| ye 2nd person plural | katargivi | katargiva1×κατηργήθητε |
| they 3rd person plural | katargili1×καταργηθήσονται | katargila |
May, might — subjunctive mood, 4 occurrences
the subject acts active voice
| Who person | happening now present | happened aorist | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | katargameiō | katargameia | katargameiē |
| you 2nd person singular | katargaseiō | katargaseia | katargaseiē |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | katargateiō | katargateia3×καταργήσῃ | katargateiē |
| we 1st person plural | katarganeiō | katarganeia | katarganeiē |
| ye 2nd person plural | katargaveiō | katargaveia | katargaveiē |
| they 3rd person plural | katargaleiō | katargaleia | katargaleiē |
acts on itself, or is acted on middle or passive voice
| Who person | happening now present | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | katargomeiō | katargomeiē |
| you 2nd person singular | katargoseiō | katargoseiē |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | katargoteiō | katargoteiē |
| we 1st person plural | katargoneiō | katargoneiē |
| ye 2nd person plural | katargoveiō | katargoveiē |
| they 3rd person plural | katargoleiō | katargoleiē |
acted on passive voice
| Who person | happened aorist |
|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | katargimeia |
| you 2nd person singular | katargiseia |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | katargiteia1×καταργηθῇ |
| we 1st person plural | katargineia |
| ye 2nd person plural | katargiveia |
| they 3rd person plural | katargileia |
Commands — imperative mood, no occurrences
the subject acts active voice
| Who person | happening now present | happened aorist | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|---|
| you 2nd person singular | katargasōr | katargasar | katargasēr |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | katargatōr | katargatar | katargatēr |
| ye 2nd person plural | katargavōr | katargavar | katargavēr |
| they 3rd person plural | katargalōr | katargalar | katargalēr |
acts on itself, or is acted on middle or passive voice
| Who person | happening now present | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|
| you 2nd person singular | katargosōr | katargosēr |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | katargotōr | katargotēr |
| ye 2nd person plural | katargovōr | katargovēr |
| they 3rd person plural | katargolōr | katargolēr |
acted on passive voice
| Who person | happened aorist |
|---|---|
| you 2nd person singular | katargisar |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | katargitar |
| ye 2nd person plural | katargivar |
| they 3rd person plural | katargilar |
Wishes — optative mood, no occurrences
the subject acts active voice
| Who person | happening now present | happened aorist |
|---|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | katargamoiō | katargamoia |
| you 2nd person singular | katargasoiō | katargasoia |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | katargatoiō | katargatoia |
| we 1st person plural | katarganoiō | katarganoia |
| ye 2nd person plural | katargavoiō | katargavoia |
| they 3rd person plural | katargaloiō | katargaloia |
acts on itself, or is acted on middle or passive voice
| Who person | happening now present |
|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | katargomoiō |
| you 2nd person singular | katargosoiō |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | katargotoiō |
| we 1st person plural | katargonoiō |
| ye 2nd person plural | katargovoiō |
| they 3rd person plural | katargoloiō |
acted on passive voice
| Who person | happened aorist |
|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | katargimoia |
| you 2nd person singular | katargisoia |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | katargitoia |
| we 1st person plural | katarginoia |
| ye 2nd person plural | katargivoia |
| they 3rd person plural | katargiloia |
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 | katargarō | katargari | katargara1×καταργῆσαι | katargarē |
| acts on itself, or is acted on middle or passive voice | katargorō | katargorē | ||
| acted on passive voice | katargiri | katargira |
Used as an adjective — participle, 6 occurrences
| Who is acting voice | happening now present | will happen future | happened aorist | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| the subject acts active voice | katargarōntos | katargarintos | katargarantos2×καταργήσας | katargarēntos |
| acts on itself, or is acted on middle or passive voice | katargorōntos4× | katargorēntos | ||
| acted on passive voice | katargirintos | katargirantos |
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
katarg 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.
27 occurrences, every one of them listed
katargatō“use up”happening now · he/she/itpresent active indicative 3rd person singular1×
Luke 13:7… ekkoptasar autan; hinati kai tan gēan katargatō?… cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?’
katarganō“nullify”happening now · wepresent active indicative 1st person plural1×
Romans 3:31nomon oun katarganō dia tau pistiau? mē genetoia, alla …Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Certainly …
katargotō“destroyed”happening now · he/she/itpresent middle or passive indicative 3rd person singular2×
1 Corinthians 15:26eschatos echthros katargotō tos thanatos,The last enemy to be destroyed is death.
2 Corinthians 3:14“taken away”… menatō mē anakaluptorōntem, hoti en Christo katargotō,… same veil remains at the reading of the old covenant. It has not been lifted, because only in Christ can it …
katargati“destroy”will happen · he/she/itfuture active indicative 3rd person singular3×
Romans 3:3… apistias autoiu tan pistian tou theou katargati?… faith? Will their lack of faith nullify God’s faithfulness?
1 Corinthians 6:13… de theos kai houtan kai houteim katargati. tem de sōmem ouk ta porneia …… stomach for food,” but God will destroy them both. The body is not …
2 Thessalonians 2:8“destroy”… te pneume teu stomeu autou kai katargati ta epifaneia tau parousiau autou,… slay with the breath of His mouth and annihilate by the majesty of His arrival.
katargiti“pass away”will happen · he/she/itfuture passive indicative 3rd person singular2×
1 Corinthians 13:8“pass away”… katargili; eite glōssais, paueli; eite gnōsias, katargiti.… they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be restrained; where there is knowledge, it will …
1 Corinthians 13:10“come to an end”… erchateia tem teleiem, tem ek mereu katargiti.but when the perfect comes, the partial passes …
katargili“come to an end”will happen · theyfuture passive indicative 3rd person plural1×
1 Corinthians 13:8“come to an end”… agapas oudepote piptatō. eite de profēteiais, katargili; eite glōssais, paueli; eite gnōsias, katargiti.Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be restrained; where there is knowledge, it will …
katargina“released”happened · weaorist passive indicative 1st person plural1×
Romans 7:6nuni de katargina apo tou nomou, apothnēskarantois en ho …… what bound us, we have been released from the law, so that we …
katargiva“alienated”happened · yeaorist passive indicative 2nd person plural1×
Galatians 5:4“alienated”katargiva apo Christou hotinois en nomo dikaiovō, …You who are trying to be justified by the law have been severed from Christ; you have …
katargamē“put an end to”has happened · Iperfect active indicative 1st person singular1×
1 Corinthians 13:11“put an end to”… logizome hōs nēpios; hote genamē andros, katargamē teim tou nēpiou.… child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I set aside childish ways.
katargotē“released”has happened · he/she/itperfect middle or passive indicative 3rd person singular3×
Romans 4:14“nullified”… nomou klēronomois, kenotē tas pistias kai katargotē tas epangelias;… by the law are heirs, faith is useless and the promise is worthless,
Romans 7:2… nomo; ean de apothnēskateia tos andros, katargotē apo tou nomou tou androu.… if her husband dies, she is released from the law of marriage.
Galatians 5:11… ēti kērussamō, tinem ēti diōkomō? ara katargotē tem skandalem tou staurou.… offense of the cross has been abolished.
katargateia“destroy”happened · he/she/itaorist active subjunctive 3rd person singular3×
1 Corinthians 1:28“bring to nothing”… teim mē arōnteim, hina teim arōnteim katargateia,… things that are not, to nullify the things that are,
1 Corinthians 15:24… basileian to theo kai patro, hotan katargateia pantan archan kai pantan exousian kai …… God the Father after He has destroyed all dominion, authority, and power.
Hebrews 2:14… teiu auteiu, hina dia tou thanatou katargateia ton tem kratem echarōnton tou thanatou, …… that by His death He might destroy him who holds the power of …
katargiteia“done away with”happened · he/she/itaorist passive subjunctive 3rd person singular1×
Romans 6:6“done away with”… tos palaios nu anthrōpos sustaurita, hina katargiteia tem sōmem tau hamartau, teu mēketi …… know that our old self was crucified with Him so that the body of sin might be rendered powerless, that we should no longer be slaves …
katargara“nullify”happened · the “to …” formaorist active infinitive1×
Galatians 3:17… genarēntos nomos ouk akuratō, eis tem katargara tan epangelian.… established by God, so as to nullify the promise.
katargorōntem“set aside came”happening now · subjectpresent middle or passive participle direct singular neuter1×
2 Corinthians 3:11“set aside came”ei gar tem katargorōntem dia doxau, polle mallon tem menarōntem …For if what was fading away came with glory, how much greater is the glory of that which endures!
katargorōntan“set aside”happening now · objectpresent middle or passive participle accusative singular feminine1×
2 Corinthians 3:7“set aside”… tan doxan teu prosōpeu autou tan katargorōntan,… its fleeting glory,
katargorōnteu“set aside”happening now · of, belonging topresent middle or passive participle genitive singular neuter1×
2 Corinthians 3:13“set aside”… huioin Israēl eis tem telem teu katargorōnteu.… from gazing at the end of what …
katargorōntoiu“coming to nothing”happening now · of, belonging topresent middle or passive participle genitive plural masculine1×
1 Corinthians 2:6… toiu archontoiu tou aiōnou houtou toiu katargorōntoiu;… rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing.
katargarantos“abolishing”happened · subjectaorist active participle nominative singular masculine1×
Ephesians 2:15ton nomon taiu entolaiu en dogmei katargarantos, hina toin duo ktizateia en heauto …by abolishing in His flesh the law of …
katargarantou“abolished”happened · of, belonging toaorist active participle genitive singular masculine1×
2 Timothy 1:10… epifaneiau tou sōtērou nu Iēsu Christou, katargarantou men ton thanaton fōtizarantou de zōan …… our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has abolished death and illuminated the way to …