Lexical Summary katechó: To hold fast, to restrain, to possess, to keep Original Word: κατέχω Strong's Exhaustive Concordance hold back, hold fast, retainFrom kata and echo; to hold down (fast), in various applications (literally or figuratively) -- have, hold (fast), keep (in memory), let, X make toward, possess, retain, seize on, stay, take, withhold. see GREEK kata see GREEK echo NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom kata and echó Definition to hold fast, hold back NASB Translation afflicted (1), bound (1), heading (1), hold...fast (1), hold fast (5), hold firmly (1), keep (2), occupy (1), possess (1), possessing (1), restrains (2), suppress (1). Thayer's Greek Lexicon STRONGS NT 2722: κατέχωκατέχω; imperfect κατεῖχον; 2 aorist subjunctive κατάσχω; imperfect passive κατειχομην; 1. to hold back, detain, retain; a. τινα, from going away, followed by τοῦ μή with an infinitive, Luke 4:42 (Buttmann, § 140, 16 β.; cf. Winer's Grammar, 604 (561)); τινα πρός ἐμαυτόν, Philemon 1:13. Passive (as often in Greek writings from Homer down; cf. Passow, under the word, p. 1677a; (Liddell and Scott, under the word, II. 6)), of some troublesome condition or circumstance by which one is held as it were bound: νοσήματι, John 5:4 (G T Tr WH omit the passage); ἐν τίνι, Romans 7:6. b. to restrain, hinder (the course or progress of): τήν ἀλήθειαν ἐν ἀδικία, Romans 1:18; absolutely, τό κατέχον, that which hinders, namely, Antichrist from making his appearance (see ἀντίχριστος); the power of the Roman empire is meant; ὁ κατέχων, he that hinders, cheeks, namely, the advent of Antichrist, denotes the one in whom that power is lodged, the Roman emperor: 2 Thessalonians 2:6f (cf., besides DeWette and Lünemann at the passage (Lightfoot in B. D. under Thessalonians, Second Epistle to the), especially Schneckenburger in the Jahrbücher f. deutsche Theol. for 1859, p. 421f). κατέχω (namely, τήν ναῦν) εἰς τήν αἰγιαλόν, to check the ship's headway (better (cf. the preceding context) "to hold or head the ship, cf. Herodotus 7, 59.188 etc.; Bos, Ellips. (edited by Schaefer), p. 318; see, too, Odyssey 11, 455f (cf. Eustathius 1629, 18; Thomas Magister, Ritschl edition, p. 310, 7ff); but Passow (as below), et al., take the verb as intransitive in such a connection, viz. to make for; cf. Kypke, Observations, 2:144) in order to land, Acts 27:40 (Xenophon, Hell. 2, 1, 29 κατασχων ἐπί τήν Ἀβερνιδα; many other examples are given in Passow, under the word, II. 3; (Liddell and Scott, under the word, B. 2)). c. to hold fast, keep secure, keep from possession of: with the accusative of the thing, τόν λόγον, Luke 8:15; followed by the orat. obliq., 1 Corinthians 15:2 (Buttmann, §§ 139,58; 150, 20; Winer's Grammar, 561 (522)); τάς παραδόσεις, 1 Corinthians 11:2; τό καλόν, 1 Thessalonians 5:21; τήν παρρησίαν (τήν ἀρχήν etc.) μέχρι τέλους βεβαίαν κατασχεῖν, Hebrews 3:6, 14; τήν ὁμολογίαν τῆς ἐλπίδος ἀκλινῆ, Hebrews 10:23. 2. equivalent to Latinobtinere, i. e. a. to get possession of, take: Matthew 21:38 R G; Luke 14:9. b. to possess: 1 Corinthians 7:30; 2 Corinthians 6:10. The verb encompasses two chief actions: positive retention of what is good and active restraint of what is harmful. In the Gospels it may describe a crowd “trying to keep Him from leaving them” (Luke 4:42), while in Romans it depicts the ungodly “suppressing the truth” (Romans 1:18). Context therefore determines whether the holding is commendable or culpable. Holding Fast to the Gospel and Apostolic Tradition Paul repeatedly urges believers to grip the message that saved them. “By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you” (1 Corinthians 15:2). Similarly, “Now I commend you because you remember me in everything and maintain the traditions, just as I delivered them to you” (1 Corinthians 11:2). In both passages the verb underscores that salvation’s ongoing experience is inseparable from steadfast adherence to apostolic doctrine. Testing and Retaining What is Excellent “Test all things. Hold fast to what is good” (1 Thessalonians 5:21). Here the term frames discernment as an active embrace: believers scrutinize every teaching or practice, retain what aligns with Scripture, and discard the rest. The command stands as a perennial safeguard against error. Perseverance and Assurance in Hebrews Twice Hebrews marries the verb to the believer’s confidence: “We are His house if indeed we hold firmly to our confidence and the hope of which we boast” (Hebrews 3:6); “For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold firmly to the end the assurance we had at first” (Hebrews 3:14). The writer anchors perseverance in Christ’s sufficiency, presenting steadfastness not as meritorious work but as evidence of genuine faith. Later, Hebrews exhorts, “Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful” (Hebrews 10:23). The community’s grip on hope rests on God’s grip on them. Restraint of Evil and the Unfolding of Prophecy The Thessalonian correspondence introduces a restraining function. “And you know what now restrains him, so that he will be revealed at the proper time” (2 Thessalonians 2:6). Until the appointed hour, a present force or figure holds back the “man of lawlessness.” The passage affirms God’s sovereignty over eschatological events: evil’s outbreak is fenced until divine purposes ripen. Personal Possession and Emotional Tenor Luke 8:15 describes good soil hearers who “having heard the word, hold it fast in a noble and good heart, and bear fruit with perseverance.” Conversely, Luke 14:9 pictures social humiliation when a guest is told, “Give this man your seat,” and he proceeds in shame, the seat having been seized. In Acts 27:40 sailors “held fast the foresail to the wind,” showing the term’s vivid maritime use. Such instances bring color to the verb, portraying everything from passionate clinging to forced detention. Practical Implications for Christian Conduct 1. Doctrine: Churches must continually evaluate teaching, refusing novelty that subverts Scriptural foundations and gripping the “faith that was once for all delivered” (Jude 3). Historical Reception and Patristic Witness The early Fathers read these texts as a summons to orthodoxy and ethical vigilance. Irenaeus urged the churches to “retain the rule of faith entire,” echoing 1 Thessalonians 5:21. Tertullian appealed to 2 Thessalonians 2 when defending the church’s public order, teaching that God curbs lawlessness through appointed means until the last times. Summary for Ministry Today The eighteen New Testament occurrences reveal a verb that binds doctrine, ethics, perseverance, and eschatology. Whether commanding believers to cling to the gospel, depicting crowds restraining Jesus, or describing God’s sovereign hindrance of evil, the word portrays a decisive grip—either ours upon truth or God’s upon history. Faithful ministry therefore calls the church to a double resolve: hold fast to Christ, and trust that He is holding all things firmly in His hand. Englishman's Concordance Luke 4:42 V-IIA-3PGRK: αὐτοῦ καὶ κατεῖχον αὐτὸν τοῦ NAS: for Him, and came to Him and tried to keep Him from going away KJV: and stayed him, INT: him and were detaining him of the Luke 8:15 V-PIA-3P Luke 14:9 V-PNA John 5:4 V-IIP-3S Acts 27:40 V-IIA-3P Romans 1:18 V-PPA-GMP Romans 7:6 V-IIM/P-1P 1 Corinthians 7:30 V-PPA-NMP 1 Corinthians 11:2 V-PIA-2P 1 Corinthians 15:2 V-PIA-2P 2 Corinthians 6:10 V-PPA-NMP 1 Thessalonians 5:21 V-PMA-2P 2 Thessalonians 2:6 V-PPA-ANS 2 Thessalonians 2:7 V-PPA-NMS Philemon 1:13 V-PNA Hebrews 3:6 V-ASA-1P Hebrews 3:14 V-ASA-1P Hebrews 10:23 V-PSA-1P Strong's Greek 2722 |
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