2688. katastéma
Lexical Summary
katastéma: Condition, demeanor, state

Original Word: κατάστημα
Part of Speech: Noun, Neuter
Transliteration: katastéma
Pronunciation: kah-tahs'-tay-mah
Phonetic Spelling: (kat-as'-tay-mah)
KJV: behaviour
NASB: behavior
Word Origin: [from G2525 (καθίστημι - made)]

1. (properly) a position or condition
2. (subjectively) demeanor

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
behavior.

From kathistemi; properly, a position or condition, i.e. (subjectively) demeanor -- behaviour.

see GREEK kathistemi

HELPS Word-studies

2688 katástēma (from 2596 /katá, "down, exactly according to," intensifying 2476 /hístēmi, "stand") – properly, stand down, referring to what is established, i.e. settled according to a fixed, exact design (used only in Tit 2:3).

2688 /katástēma ("settled-lifestyle") refers to a believer exemplifying enduring qualities that specifically (exactly) glorify the Lord.

[2688 (katástēma) primarily refers to a "condition, state, of the body, etc., hence demeanor" (A-S).]

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
from kathistémi
Definition
demeanor
NASB Translation
behavior (1).

Thayer's Greek Lexicon
STRONGS NT 2688: κατάστημα

κατάστημα, καταστηματος, τό (καθίστημι) (Latinstatus, habitus) (demeanor, deportment, bearing): Titus 2:3. (3Macc. 5:45; Josephus, b. j. 1, 1, 4 (of a city; cf. ἀτρεμαιω τῷ καταστήματι πρός τόν θάνατον ἀπεηι, Josephus, Antiquities 15, 7, 5; Plutarch, Marcell. 23, 6; cf. Tib. Gracch. 2, 2. See Wetstein (1752) on Titus, the passage cited; cf. Ignatius ad Trall. 3, 2 [ET] (and Jacobson or Zahn, in the place cited)).)

Topical Lexicon
Word and Concept

Derived from a verb that means to set in place or establish, the noun expresses an outward manner that has become settled through inward formation. It is not a momentary attitude but the steady “bearing” that reveals what has been long cultivated in the heart.

Biblical Occurrence

The term appears once, in Titus 2:3, where Paul instructs, “Older women likewise are to be reverent in demeanor…”. The single usage gives it a specialized focus, yet its semantic field is illumined by parallel ideas of “conduct” (anastrophē) and “walk” (peripateō) found elsewhere in the New Testament.

Literary Context in Titus 2

Titus 2 is a manual for inter-generational discipleship on the island of Crete. After exposing false teachers (1:10-16), Paul turns to the positive formation of a sound church. He opens with “You, however, must teach what accords with sound doctrine” (2:1), then assigns age- and gender-specific virtues. The demeanor of older women is the pivot: by example and instruction they are to “train the young women” (2:4) so that doctrine is embodied, homes are ordered, and “the word of God will not be discredited” (2:5). The single noun thus anchors the entire flow of practical theology in the chapter.

Historical and Cultural Background

In classical Greek the word could describe the settled posture of a person or even the constitutional condition of a state. Philosophers used it for the equilibrium of the soul. Paul taps that cultural nuance to emphasize an enduring quality rather than a passing mood. In a first-century Mediterranean setting, older women held unofficial but powerful influence in households and community rituals. Paul affirms that influence, redirecting it toward holiness rather than gossip or wine (Titus 2:3).

Relation to Other New Testament Terms

• anastrophē (“conduct,” 1 Peter 3:1-2) – stresses observable life-pattern.
• sōphrosynē (“self-control,” Titus 2:5) – inner discipline that feeds outward bearing.
• kosmios (“respectable,” 1 Timothy 3:2) – orderliness that adorns ministry.

Together these words frame the same moral architecture: inward formation leading to outward stability.

Theological Themes

1. Sanctification as Visible: True doctrine must translate into observable character.
2. Teaching through Embodiment: Mature believers are living curricula, the gospel in motion.
3. Protection of the Word’s Reputation: Credible demeanor guards against slander of Scripture.

Implications for Ministry

• Discipleship Strategy: Invest deliberately in seasoned saints whose consistent bearing will mentor the next generation.
• Leadership Qualifications: Whether or not one holds official office, a settled demeanor is a prerequisite for influence.
• Counter-Cultural Witness: In societies that prize novelty and impulse, stable godliness stands out as a quiet apologetic.

Practical Application

Examine long-formed habits rather than isolated actions. Cultivate patterns—speech, dress, hospitality, conflict response—that over time establish a testimony of reverence. Congregations can encourage this by pairing younger believers with older exemplars and by honoring consistent faithfulness as much as dramatic gifting.

Related Passages for Meditation

Proverbs 31:25; Matthew 5:16; Ephesians 4:1; Philippians 1:27; 1 Timothy 5:9-10; Hebrews 13:7.

The singular yet strategic appearance of Strong’s Greek 2688 thus calls the church to a deportment so firmly rooted in grace that entire households—and ultimately whole cultures—are quietly but unmistakably shaped toward Christ.

Forms and Transliterations
καταστηματι καταστήματι κατεστηρίχθαι katastemati katastēmati katastḗmati
Links
Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
Titus 2:3 N-DNS
GRK: ὡσαύτως ἐν καταστήματι ἱεροπρεπεῖς μὴ
NAS: are to be reverent in their behavior, not malicious gossips
KJV: that [they be] in behaviour as becometh holiness,
INT: in like manner in deportment reverent not

Strong's Greek 2688
1 Occurrence


καταστήματι — 1 Occ.

2687
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