verb
katechamō
Strong’sG2722
I hold fast, bind, restrain
stem katech-17 times in the New Testamentin 9 of 27 books12 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
κατέχω means to hold fast or possess something, keeping firm hold of it 124. It covers holding on to a message, a tradition, hope, or another possession without letting go, as well as gaining or taking possession of something 123.
It also means to hold back or restrain, keeping a person or thing from moving or acting freely, including detaining someone 124. Used on its own, it can describe a restraining person or power that keeps something in check 1.
As a nautical term used intransitively, it means to put in to land, that is, for a ship to make for shore 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-έχω,
[in LXX for אחז, חזק hi., etc.;]
G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament, 1922 — public domain. References open in the reader.
Strong’s G2722 — the 1890 definition, and where the word comes from
Saidkat-ekh'-o
to hold down (fast), in various applications (literally or figuratively)
King Jameshave, hold (fast), keep (in memory), let, X make toward, possess, retain, seize on, stay, take, withhold.
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
future καθέξω (of duration) Refs 8th c.BC+aorist κατέσχον, poetry
A κατέσχεθον Refs 8th c.BC+; Epic dialect 3rd.pers. singular κάσχεθε Refs 8th c.BC+, Aeolic dialect κατέσκ [εθε] Refs 7th c.BC+; late aorist κατέσχα Refs 4th c.AD+
A.I transitive, hold fast, καλύπτρην χείρεσσι Refs 8th c.BC+
A.I.b hold back, withhold, εἴ με βίῃ ἀέκοντα καθέξει Refs 8th c.BC+: check, restrain, bridle, ἑωυτόν Refs 5th c.BC+; [γυναῖκε] Refs 5th c.BC+; ὀργήν, θυμόν, ὕβριν, etc., Refs 5th c.BC+; κ. τὴν ἀγωγήν put it off, Refs; κ. τὸ πλῆθος ἐλευθέρως, ἰσχύϊ, Refs 5th c.BC+; οὖρον hold in, Refs 5th c.BC+; ἑαυτὸν κατέχει μὴ ἐπιπηδᾶν restrains himself from.., Refs 5th c.BC+:—passive, to be held down, γλῶσσα κατείχετο Refs 5th c.BC+; to be bound, ὁρκίοισι μεγάλοισι Refs 5th c.BC+; τοῖς τινων ὀφειλήμασιν Refs 3rd c.AD+; of a nation, to be kept under (by tyrants), Refs 5th c.BC+
A.I.c detain, κ. [αὐτοὺς] ἐνιαυτόν Refs 5th c.BC+:—passive, to be detained, stay, Refs 5th c.BC+
A.I.d in imprecations, inhibit (compare καταδέωRefs 4th c.BC+
A.I.e place under arrest, Refs 1st c.AD+
A.I.f keep an oath, ὅρκον Refs 3rd c.BC+
A.I.2 c.genitive, gain possession of, be master of, τῶν ἐπιστημῶν μὴ πάνυ κ. Refs 4th c.BC+; control, τινων LXX; ἑαυτῶν Erot.see entry προπετή; μηκέτι κατέχων ἑαυτοῦ Refs 2nd c.AD+; cling to, τῶν κεράτων τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου LXX
A.II possess, occupy, especiallyof rulers, Refs 5th c.BC+; σῴζειν ἅπερ ἃν ἅπαξ κατάσχωσι whatever they have got, Refs 5th c.BC+; especially of property. enjoy possession of, Refs 2nd c.BC+, etc. (but also, sequestrate, Refs 3rd c.BC+; ὡς μηδὲν ἔχοντες καὶ πάντα κατέχοντες NT
A.II.b dwell in, occupy, Ὀλύμπου αἴγλαν Refs 5th c.BC+; especially of tutelary gods, Παρνασίαν ὃς κ. πέτραν, of Dionysus, Refs 5th c.BC+; of a place, μέσον ὀμφαλὸν γᾶς Φοίβου κ. δόμος Refs 5th c.BC+; of the dead. θήκας Ἰλιάδος γᾶς.. κατέχουσι occupy, Refs 5th c.BC+
A.II.2 of sound, fill, οἱ δ᾽ ἀλαλητῷ πᾶν πεδίον κατέχουσι Refs 8th c.BC+; κ. στρατόπεδον δυσφημίαις fill it with his grievous cries, Refs 5th c.BC+:—passive, οἶκος κλαυθμῷ κατείχετο Refs 5th c.BC+
A.II.3 πανδάκρυτον βιοτὰν κ. continue to live a life.., Refs 5th c.BC+
A.II.4 to be spread over, cover, νὺξ.. δνοφερὴ κάτεχ᾽ οὐρανόν Refs 8th c.BC+; τίνες αὖ πόντον κατέχουσ᾽ αὖρα; Refs 5th c.BC+:—passive, σελήνη.. κατείχετο.. νεφέεσσιν Refs 8th c.BC+:—middle, Epic dialect aorist, κατέσχετο χερσὶ πρόσωπα Refs 8th c.BC+; κατασχομένη ἑανῷ having covered her face, Refs 8th c.BC+
A.II.5 of the grave, confine, cover, τοὺς δ᾽ ἤδη κάτεχεν φυσίζοος αἶα Refs 8th c.BC+; as a threat, πάρος τινὰ γαῖα καθέξει sooner shall earth cover many a one, Refs 8th c.BC+
A.II.6 of circumstances, etc., hold fast, have one in their power, μιν κατὰ γῆρας ἔχει χεῖράς τε πόδας τε Refs 8th c.BC+; ὃν θάνατος δακρυόεις καθέχει (sic) Refs 5th c.BC+; τύχη, πόλεμος κ. τινά, Refs 5th c.BC+; κ. κίνδυνος ΣικελίανRefs 2nd c.AD+:—passive, ὑπὸ μεγάλης ἀνάγκης κατεχόμενοι Refs 5th c.BC+: rarely in good sense, ὁ δ᾽ ὄλβιος, ὃν φᾶμαι κατέχοντ᾽ ἀγαθαί Refs 5th c.BC+
A.II.6.b of circumstances, etc., prevail, prevail among, engage, ἄλλα τῶν κατεχόντων πρηγμάτων χαλεπώτερα Refs 5th c.BC+; μεγάλοι θόρυβοι κατέχουσ᾽ ἡμᾶς murmurs are rife among us, Refs 5th c.BC+; φήμης ἀθρόας -σχούσης τὸ Ἑλληνικόν a sudden rumour having overspread Greece, Refs 2nd c.AD+
A.II.7 seize, occupy, in right of conquest, τὸ Καδμείων πέδον uncertain in Refs 5th c.BC+; especially in historical writers, -σχήσειν [τὴν ἀκρόπολιν] Refs 5th c.BC+
A.II.8 achieve, effect an object, Refs 5th c.BC+
A.II.9 master, understand, οὐ κατέχω τί βούλει φράζειν Refs 5th c.BC+; κ. νοῦν στίχων grasp the sense of.., Refs
A.II.9.b keep in mind, remember, χρήσιμον καὶ τοῦτο κατασχεῖν τὸ στοιχεῖον Refs 4th c.BC+; κ. τινὰ ὀψοφάγον Chrysipp.Tyan. cited in Refs 2nd c.AD+; κ. ὅτι, διότι, Refs 3rd c.BC+:—passive, Refs 4th c.BC+
A.II.10 possess, of a god, εἰ θεός ἐστιν ὁ σὰς κατέχων φρένας Refs; τοιοῦτος ἔρως κατεῖχε τὴν ἄνθρωπον she was so infatuated, Refs 1st c.AD+; of an actor, κ. τὸ θέατρον held the audience spellbound, Refs 1st c.AD+ (but, kept the audience waiting, Phoc.Refs; of poets, μύθοις [τοὺς ἀκούοντας] κ. Refs 2nd c.AD+:—mostly in passive, of persons, to be possessed, inspired, Refs 5th c.BC+; ἐξ ὉμήρουRefs 5th c.BC+; τὸ θέατρον κατείχετο the audience was spellbound, Refs 4th c.BC+; of hydrophobia patients, Refs 3rd c.AD+; of a lover, τῷ αὐτῷ θεῷ (i.e. Ἔρωτι) κατέσχημαι Refs 2nd c.AD+:—also in aorist middle, Refs 5th c.BC+
A.III follow close upon, press hard, Refs 5th c.BC+ —passive Refs
A.IV bring a ship to land, Refs 5th c.BC+
B intransitive,
B.1 (i.e. ἑαυτόν) control oneself, Refs 5th c.BC+: with infinitive, κ. τὸ μὴ δακρύειν Refs 5th c.BC+
B.1.b stop, cease, of the wind, Refs 5th c.BC+
B.2 come from the high sea to shore, put in (see. supr. IV), νηΐ Θορικόνδε Refs 5th c.BC+; τίνες ποτ᾽ ἐς γῆν τήνδε.. κατέσχετ; Refs 5th c.BC+; of a journey by land, rest, προξένων δ᾽ ἔν του κατέσχε; Refs 2nd c.BC+ shall come safe to land, Refs 5th c.BC+
B.3 prevail, ὁ λόγος κ. the report prevails, Refs 5th c.BC+
B.4 gain the upper hand, παρά τινι Refs 6th c.BC+; gain one's purpose, Refs 5th c.BC+
C middle, keep back for oneself, embezzle, [τὰ χρήματα] Refs 5th c.BC+
C.2 cover oneself, see above Refs 4th c.BC+
C.3 hold, contain, Refs 2nd c.BC+
C.II aorist middle, ={κατέχω} Refs 8th c.BC+
C.II.2 in passive sense, τεαῖς ῥιπαῖσι κατασχόμενος subdued, Refs 5th c.BC+; καρδίαν κατέσχετο ἔρωτι was seized with, possessed by, Refs 5th c.BC+; see aboveRefs 4th c.BC+
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.
1 rarer rendering 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| katechavōκατέχετε | happening now · yepresent active indicative 2nd person plural | hold fast | 2× |
| katechalōκατέχουσιν | happening now · theypresent active indicative 3rd person plural | hold … fast | 1× |
| katechaleκατεῖχον | was happening · theyimperfect active indicative 3rd person plural | keep | 2× |
| katechoneκατειχόμεθα | was happening · weimperfect middle or passive indicative 1st person plural | bound | 1× |
| katechaneiōκατέχωμεν | happening now · wepresent active subjunctive 1st person plural | hold fast | 1× |
| katechaneiaκατάσχωμεν | happened · weaorist active subjunctive 1st person plural | hold | 2× |
| katechavōrκατέχετε | happening now · yepresent active imperative 2nd person plural | hold fast | 1× |
| katecharōκατέχειν | happening now · the “to …” formpresent active infinitive | take | 2× |
| katecharōntosκατέχων | happening now · subjectpresent active participle nominative singular masculine | restrains | 1× |
| katecharōntemκατέχον | happening now · objectpresent active participle direct singular neuter | restraining | 1× |
| katecharōntoisκατέχοντες | happening now · subjectpresent active participle nominative plural masculine | possess | 2× |
| katecharōntoiuκατεχόντων | happening now · of, belonging topresent active participle genitive plural masculine | suppress | 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 140, by mood, including the ones the New Testament never uses
Statements — indicative mood, 6 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 | katechamō | katechame | katechami | katechama | katechamē | katechamelē |
| you 2nd person singular | katechasō | katechase | katechasi | katechasa | katechasē | katechaselē |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | katechatō | katechate | katechati | katechata | katechatē | katechatelē |
| we 1st person plural | katechanō | katechane | katechani | katechana | katechanē | katechanelē |
| ye 2nd person plural | katechavō2×κατέχετε | katechave | katechavi | katechava | katechavē | katechavelē |
| they 3rd person plural | katechalō1×κατέχουσιν | katechale2×κατεῖχον | katechali | katechala | katechalē | katechalelē |
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 | katechomō | katechome | katechomē | katechomelē |
| you 2nd person singular | katechosō | katechose | katechosē | katechoselē |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | katechotō | katechote | katechotē | katechotelē |
| we 1st person plural | katechonō | katechone1×κατειχόμεθα | katechonē | katechonelē |
| ye 2nd person plural | katechovō | katechove | katechovē | katechovelē |
| they 3rd person plural | katecholō | katechole | katecholē | katecholelē |
May, might — subjunctive mood, 3 occurrences
the subject acts active voice
| Who person | happening now present | happened aorist | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | katechameiō | katechameia | katechameiē |
| you 2nd person singular | katechaseiō | katechaseia | katechaseiē |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | katechateiō | katechateia | katechateiē |
| we 1st person plural | katechaneiō1×κατέχωμεν | katechaneia2×κατάσχωμεν | katechaneiē |
| ye 2nd person plural | katechaveiō | katechaveia | katechaveiē |
| they 3rd person plural | katechaleiō | katechaleia | katechaleiē |
acts on itself, or is acted on middle or passive voice
| Who person | happening now present | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | katechomeiō | katechomeiē |
| you 2nd person singular | katechoseiō | katechoseiē |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | katechoteiō | katechoteiē |
| we 1st person plural | katechoneiō | katechoneiē |
| ye 2nd person plural | katechoveiō | katechoveiē |
| they 3rd person plural | katecholeiō | katecholeiē |
Commands — imperative mood, 1 occurrence
the subject acts active voice
| Who person | happening now present | happened aorist | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|---|
| you 2nd person singular | katechasōr | katechasar | katechasēr |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | katechatōr | katechatar | katechatēr |
| ye 2nd person plural | katechavōr1×κατέχετε | katechavar | katechavēr |
| they 3rd person plural | katechalōr | katechalar | katechalēr |
acts on itself, or is acted on middle or passive voice
| Who person | happening now present | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|
| you 2nd person singular | katechosōr | katechosēr |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | katechotōr | katechotēr |
| ye 2nd person plural | katechovōr | katechovēr |
| they 3rd person plural | katecholōr | katecholēr |
Wishes — optative mood, no occurrences
the subject acts active voice
| Who person | happening now present | happened aorist |
|---|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | katechamoiō | katechamoia |
| you 2nd person singular | katechasoiō | katechasoia |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | katechatoiō | katechatoia |
| we 1st person plural | katechanoiō | katechanoia |
| ye 2nd person plural | katechavoiō | katechavoia |
| they 3rd person plural | katechaloiō | katechaloia |
acts on itself, or is acted on middle or passive voice
| Who person | happening now present |
|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | katechomoiō |
| you 2nd person singular | katechosoiō |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | katechotoiō |
| we 1st person plural | katechonoiō |
| ye 2nd person plural | katechovoiō |
| they 3rd person plural | katecholoiō |
The “to …” form — infinitive, 2 occurrences
| Who is acting voice | happening now present | will happen future | happened aorist | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| the subject acts active voice | katecharō2×κατέχειν | katechari | katechara | katecharē |
| acts on itself, or is acted on middle or passive voice | katechorō | katechorē |
Used as an adjective — participle, 5 occurrences
| Who is acting voice | happening now present | will happen future | happened aorist | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| the subject acts active voice | katecharōntos5×κατέχων | katecharintos | katecharantos | katecharēntos |
| acts on itself, or is acted on middle or passive voice | katechorōntos | katechorēntos |
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
katech 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.
17 occurrences, every one of them listed
katechavō“hold fast”happening now · yepresent active indicative 2nd person plural2×
1 Corinthians 11:2“hold fast to”… kai kathōs paradōama vi tain paradosiain katechavō.… in everything and for maintaining the traditions, just as I passed them on to you.
1 Corinthians 15:2“hold fast”… sōzovō, tino logo euangelizema vi, ei katechavō, ektos ei mē eikē pisteuava.… you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.
katechalō“hold … fast”happening now · theypresent active indicative 3rd person plural1×
Luke 8:15“hold … fast”… kala kai agatha akouarantois ton logon katechalō kai karpoforalō en hupomona.… seeds on good soil are those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, cling to it, and by persevering …
katechale“keep”was happening · theyimperfect active indicative 3rd person plural2×
Luke 4:42… auton, kai erchala heōs autou, kai katechale auton teu mē poreuorō apo autoiu.… came to Him and tried to keep Him from leaving.
Acts 27:40… kai epararantois ton artemōnon ta pnarōnta katechale eis ton aigialon.… the foresail to the wind and made for the beach.
katechone“bound”was happening · weimperfect middle or passive indicative 1st person plural1×
Romans 7:6… apo tou nomou, apothnēskarantois en ho katechone, hōste douleuarō nin en kainota pneumeu …But now, having died to what bound us, we have been released from …
katechaneiō“hold fast”happening now · wepresent active subjunctive 1st person plural1×
Hebrews 10:23“hold fast”katechaneiō tan homologian tau elpidau aklinan, pistos …… resolutely to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful.
katechaneia“hold”happened · weaorist active subjunctive 1st person plural2×
Hebrews 3:6“hold fast”… parrēsian kai tem kauchēmem tau elpidau katechaneia.… to our confidence and the hope of which we boast.
Hebrews 3:14… archan tau hupostasiau mechris teleu bebaian katechaneia.… to share in Christ if we hold firmly to the end the assurance …
katechavōr“hold fast”happening now · yepresent active imperative 2nd person plural1×
1 Thessalonians 5:21panteim de dokimazavōr, tem kalem katechavōr,but test all things. Hold fast to what is good.
katecharō“take”happening now · the “to …” formpresent active infinitive2×
Luke 14:9… archesi meta aischunau ton eschaton topon katecharō.… in humiliation, you will have to take the last place.
Philemon 1:13hon mis boulome pros miauton katecharō, hina huper su mi diakonateiō en …I would have liked to keep him with me, so that on …
katecharōntos“restrains”happening now · subjectpresent active participle nominative singular masculine1×
2 Thessalonians 2:7… ēdē energotō tau anomiau; monem tos katecharōntos arti heōs ek meseu geneteia.… work, but the one who now restrains it will continue until he is …
katecharōntem“restraining”happening now · objectpresent active participle direct singular neuter1×
2 Thessalonians 2:6kai nun tem katecharōntem oidavē, eis tem apokaluptira auton en …And you know what is now restraining him, so that he may be …
katecharōntois“possess”happening now · subjectpresent active participle nominative plural masculine2×
1 Corinthians 7:30“possess”… chairarōntois, kai tois agorazarōntois hōs mē katecharōntois,… were not; those who make …
2 Corinthians 6:10… ploutizarōntois, hōs mēdenem echarōntois kai panteim katecharōntois.… many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything.
katecharōntoiu“suppress”happening now · of, belonging topresent active participle genitive plural masculine1×
Romans 1:18… anthrōpoiu toiu tan alētheian en adikia katecharōntoiu,… godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness.