Lexical Summary katalithazó: To stone, to stone to death Original Word: καταλιθάζω Strong's Exhaustive Concordance stone. From kata and lithazo; to stone down, i.e. To death -- stone. see GREEK kata see GREEK lithazo HELPS Word-studies 2642 katalitházō (an intensified form of 3034 /litházō, "to stone") – properly, stone a person (down) to death; to mutilate or kill by stoning (note the force of the prefix, 2596 /katá, "down"). NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom kata and lithazó Definition to cast stones at NASB Translation stone...to death (1). Thayer's Greek Lexicon STRONGS NT 2642: καταλιθάζωκαταλιθάζω: future καταλιθάσω; (see κατά, III. 3 (cf. Winers Grammar, 102 (97))); to overwhelm with stones, to stone: Luke 20:6. (Ecclesiastical writings.) Topical Lexicon Concept and Emphasis The verb behind Strong’s Greek 2642 portrays a communal act of hurling stones with the intention of putting someone to death. The prepositional prefix intensifies the picture, highlighting the certainty and completeness of the judgment expected by the crowd. Biblical Background of Stoning Stoning was the standard legal penalty in the Mosaic Law for offenses that attacked covenant holiness—blasphemy (Leviticus 24:16), idolatry (Deuteronomy 17:2-5), adultery (Deuteronomy 22:24), and Sabbath violation (Numbers 15:35-36). Because stones were plentiful and every member of the community could participate, the punishment dramatically underscored corporate responsibility for preserving purity before God (Deuteronomy 13:9-10). By the first century this practice still represented the people’s ultimate sanction against perceived sacrilege, even when Roman law officially reserved capital punishment for the prefect. Context in Luke 20:6 Standing in the temple courts, the religious leaders debate how to answer Jesus’ question about John’s baptism. “But if we say, ‘From men,’ all the people will stone us, for they are convinced that John was a prophet.” (Luke 20:6). Here Strong’s 2642 communicates more than a theoretical danger; the leaders know the crowd is ready to mete out swift and lethal retribution if they diminish John’s divine commission. This threat demonstrates (1) the profound respect that common people still held for genuine prophetic ministry and (2) the political vulnerability of leaders who cared more for public approval than for truth. Theology of Corporate Judgment The single New Testament occurrence preserves the Old Testament understanding that stoning is not an impulsive mob action but a covenantal response to ungodliness. In Luke 20:6 the crowd sees denial of John’s authority as tantamount to rejecting God Himself. Thus Strong’s 2642 calls attention to the tension between divine authority and human fear throughout Scripture (Proverbs 29:25; Acts 5:29). Historical and Cultural Insight Jewish tradition required witnesses to cast the first stones (Deuteronomy 17:7), ensuring that accusations carried personal accountability. Rabbinic sources agree that a council could pronounce the sentence, yet the populace often executed it spontaneously when passions were inflamed, as in the threatened lynching of Jesus (John 10:31) or the attempted stoning of Stephen (Acts 7:57-58). Luke 20:6 reflects this volatility: the leaders anticipate a popular tribunal needing no formal verdict. Relationship to Other New Testament Passages Although Strong’s 2642 appears only once, other verbs for stoning (for example, λιθάζω) recur in John 8:59; Acts 14:19; Hebrews 11:37. Together they reveal a persistent pattern: God’s messengers face the same punishment Israel once reserved for covenant violators. Jesus forewarns, “For this reason also the wisdom of God said, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they will kill and persecute.’” (Luke 11:49). The threatened action in Luke 20:6 foreshadows the martyrdom that meets Stephen and, ultimately, the rejection of the Messiah Himself. Pastoral and Missional Applications 1. Fear of man can silence testimony. Leaders in Luke 20:6 would rather evade truth than risk violent backlash. Faithful ministry today must resist that temptation (2 Timothy 1:7-8). Summary Strong’s Greek 2642 captures the gravity of communal execution by stoning, serving as a vivid warning in Luke 20:6. It ties the Gospel narrative to the covenant justice of the Old Testament and exposes the moral crossroads where leaders must choose between appeasing men and honoring God. Forms and Transliterations καταλιθασει καταλιθάσει καταλιθοβολήσαι καταλιθοβολήσουσί καταλίθον καταλιμπάνει καταλιμπανείν καταλιμπάνουσιν katalithasei katalitháseiLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts |
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