2652. katanathema

Lexical Summary

katanathema: Accursed, devoted to destruction

Original Word: καταναθεμα
Part of Speech: Noun, Neuter
Transliteration: katanathema
Pronunciation: kat-an-ath'-em-ah
Phonetic Spelling: (kat-an-ath'-em-ah)
KJV: curse
Word Origin: [from G2596 (κατά - according) (intensive) and G331 (ἀνάθεμα - accursed)]

1. a curse

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

curse.

From kata (intensive) and anathema; an imprecation -- curse.

see GREEK kata

see GREEK anathema

HELPS Word-studies

2652 katanáthema (from 2596 /katá, "according to, down," intensifying 331 /anáthema, "a curse") – properly, an anathema; an oath-curse which "devotes something to destruction" (literally, to take it down).

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
variant reading for katathema, q.v.

Thayer's Greek Lexicon

STRONGS NT 2652: κατανάθεμα

κατανάθεμα, καταναθεματος, τό, once in Revelation 22:3 Rec.; see ἀνάθεμα and κατάθεμα. Not found in secular authors.

Topical Lexicon

Meaning and Context

Strong’s Greek 2652, κατάθεμα, denotes something devoted to destruction, an accursed thing. Its single New Testament appearance occurs at the climax of the biblical canon, marking the total eradication of every vestige of the curse in the new creation (Revelation 22:3).

Biblical Usage

Revelation 22:3 declares: “No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and His servants will worship Him.” The verse takes the reader back to Genesis 3, where the entrance of sin ushered in toil, pain, and death. Between these two bookends—Genesis 3 and Revelation 22—the account of Scripture chronicles the curse’s devastating reach and the progressive revelation of God’s plan to reverse it.

Connections with Old Testament Concepts

1. Genesis 3:14-19 sets the stage as the curse falls upon serpent, woman, and man.
2. Deuteronomy 27–28 juxtaposes covenant curses and blessings, illustrating how disobedience invites κατάθεμα-like consequences on a national scale.
3. Joshua 7 records Achan’s concealment of what was “devoted to destruction,” a vivid narrative parallel to the notion behind κατάθεμα.
4. Zechariah 14:11 foretells a day when “there will be no more curse,” anticipating the consummation Revelation depicts.

Related Terms

While κατάθεμα appears only once, the New Testament also employs ἀνάθεμα (Galatians 1:8-9) to describe something accursed. Both stress full separation unto destruction, yet κατάθεμα in Revelation 22:3 underscores that the condition itself—not merely objects or persons—has been forever removed.

Historical Background

Jewish audiences were steeped in the Torah’s categories of holy and accursed. Anything placed under cherem (devoted to destruction) was irredeemable and incompatible with God’s holy presence. John, writing to churches under Roman oppression, evokes this background to affirm that God’s redemptive plan will culminate in a realm where no element of cherem remains.

Theological Significance

1. Total Reversal of the Fall: The disappearance of κατάθεμα signals that redemption is not merely personal forgiveness; it is cosmic renewal (Romans 8:19-21).
2. Throne-Centered Worship: The absence of the curse coincides with unmediated access to the throne of God and of the Lamb, highlighting Jesus Christ as the decisive curse-bearer (Galatians 3:13).
3. Covenant Faithfulness: God’s original intent to bless (Genesis 1:28) is restored, proving the reliability of His promises (2 Corinthians 1:20).

Eschatological Implications

The final removal of κατάθεμα assures believers that:
• Evil will not eternally coexist with God’s kingdom.
• Suffering is temporary, destined to give way to the unhindered reign of righteousness (Revelation 21:4).
• The new heavens and new earth will surpass Eden, for the throne of God and of the Lamb, absent in Eden, will reside permanently among redeemed humanity.

Ministry Application

1. Hope-Filled Preaching: Present trials, whether natural disasters or personal afflictions, are reminders that the curse still lingers, yet Revelation 22:3 guarantees its termination.
2. Holiness and Devotion: Since God will ultimately purge every accursed thing, believers are called to live in moral separation from sin (2 Peter 3:11-14).
3. Mission Motivation: The certainty of a curse-free future compels gospel proclamation so others may share in the coming blessing (Matthew 28:18-20).
4. Pastoral Comfort: For those enduring the fallout of the cursed order—disease, oppression, decay—this verse offers a pastoral anchor: suffering has an expiration date.

Summary

Κατάθεμα appears once yet carries immense theological weight. From the garden’s loss to the city’s glory, Scripture traces a grand arc in which God deals decisively with the curse. Revelation 22:3 celebrates the moment when the Lamb’s atoning work reaches its full cosmic effect, and every remnant of κατάθεμα is gone forever.

Forms and Transliterations

καταθεμα κατάθεμα katathema katáthema

Englishman's Concordance

Revelation 22:3 N-NNS
GRK: καὶ πᾶν κατάθεμα οὐκ ἔσται
KJV: no more curse: but the throne
INT: And any curse not will be

Strong's Greek 2652
1 Occurrence

κατάθεμα — 1 Occ.