καθίστημι G2525
To appoint or constitute in a role; to conduct or escort; to be set or established in place
The verb καθίστημι combines κατά ('down') and ἵστημι ('to stand'), yielding the core image of setting someone down in a position. In nearly all its New Testament occurrences, it describes appointment — placing a person into an office or role of authority. The faithful steward is 'appointed' over the household (Matt 24:45), and every high priest is 'constituted' to offer sacrifices (Heb 5:1, 8:3). A single occurrence in Acts 17:15 preserves the older physical sense of conducting or escorting someone to a place, while James 3:6 uses it for the tongue being 'set' in its position among the members of the body.
Senses
1. appoint or constitute — The dominant sense of appointing, setting, or constituting someone in a role, office, or position of authority — accounting for 20 of the 22 occurrences. In the parables of Matt 24:45-47 and 25:21-23, the master 'appoints' servants over his possessions. The multilingual glosses uniformly reflect appointment vocabulary: Spanish 'constituye/constituyó,' French 'établir,' German 'einsetzen.' Titus 1:5 uses it for appointing elders, and Heb 5:1 and 8:3 for constituting high priests — showing the word's natural home in institutional and ecclesiastical language. 20×
AR["أَقامَهُ", "أَقَامَ", "أَقَامَكَ", "أَقَامَهُ", "أَقَمْتَهُ", "أُقِيمُكَ", "تَجعَلُكُم", "تُقيمَ", "سَيُجعَلونَ", "سَيُقيمُهُ", "سَيُقِيمُهُ", "صاروا", "نُقِيمُهُمْ", "يُقامُ", "يُقيمُ", "يُقَامُ", "يُقِيمُهُ"]·ben["করে", "গঠিত-হবে", "গঠিত-হল", "নিয়োগ-করব", "নিয়োগ-করবেন", "নিয়োগ-করেছে", "নিযুক্ত-কর", "নিযুক্ত-করব", "নিযুক্ত-করবেন", "নিযুক্ত-করলে", "নিযুক্ত-করলেন", "নিযুক্ত-করে", "নিযুক্ত-করেছে", "নিযুক্ত-করেছেন", "নিযুক্ত-হন", "স্থাপিত-হয়"]·DE["einsetzen", "setzt-ein"]·EN["I-will-appoint", "appointed", "appoints", "he-will-appoint", "he-will-set", "is-appointed", "is-made", "make", "might-appoint", "we-will-appoint", "were-made", "will-be-made", "will-set", "you-appointed"]·FR["établir"]·heb["אֲשִׁימְךָ", "הִצַּבְתָּ", "הֶעֱמִיד", "הֶעֱמִידוֹ", "הוּשַׂמוּ", "יִמְנֶה", "יִמְנֶהוּ", "יַעֲמִידֵהוּ", "יוּשַׂמוּ", "מְעַמְּדִים", "מִנָּה", "מִתְמַנֶּה", "מַעֲמִידָה", "מֻצָּב", "נְמַנֶּה", "תְּמַנֶּה"]·HI["ठहरता-है", "ठहराऊंगा", "ठहराएगा", "ठहराती-है", "ठहराया", "ठहराया-जाता-है;", "ठहराये-गए", "ठहराये-जाएंगे", "नियुक्त-करे", "नियुक्त-करेंगे", "नियुक्त-करेगा", "नियुक्त-किया", "नियुक्त-किया-जाता-है", "बनाते-हैं"]·ID["Aku-akan-tetapkan", "Engkau-menetapkannya", "akan-diangkat", "akan-dijadikan", "dia-akan-mengangkat", "diangkat", "dijadikan", "ditetapkan", "ditetapkan.", "ia-akan-mengangkat", "kami-akan-angkat", "kamu-angkat", "mengangkat", "mengangkat,", "menjadikan,"]·IT["stabilire"]·jav["Aku-bakal-maringi-kalenggahan", "Panjenengan-sampun-netepaken", "badhé-dipundadosaken", "badhé-dipunparingi-kalenggahan", "badhé-dipuntetepaken", "dipundadosaken", "dipunparingi-kalenggahan", "dipunsebat.", "kadadosaken", "mapanaken", "mapanaken,", "mapanaken-kula-sedaya", "ndadosaken,", "netepaken", "panjenengan-ngangkat"]·KO["되리라", "되었으니", "된다.", "세우겠다", "세우느니라,", "세우니", "세우도록", "세우리라", "세우셨으니", "세우지니", "세운", "세울-것이다", "세움-받으니", "세웠느냐", "세웠다"]·PT["colocarei", "constitui", "constituiu", "constituíste", "estabelecesses", "foram-constituídos", "se-constitui", "serão-constituídos", "vos-tornam", "é-constituído"]·RU["делает", "поставил", "поставим", "поставит", "поставлю", "поставляется", "ставит", "становится.", "так"]·ES["constituye", "constituyó", "es-constituido", "establezcas", "fueron-constituidos", "lo-pondrá", "pondremos", "pondrá", "pondré", "pusiste", "puso", "se-constituye", "serán-constituidos"]·SW["-", "akamweka", "alikuweka", "aliniweka", "anakuwa", "anawekwa", "atamweka", "huwaweka", "nitakuweka", "tutawaweka", "ulimweka", "uweke", "walifanywa", "watafanywa", "yanawafanya", "yeye"]·TR["atadı", "atadın", "atandı", "atanır", "atar", "atayabilesin", "atayacak", "atayacağım", "atayacağız", "konuşlandırılır", "kılmaz", "seni", "yapılacak", "yapıldı"]·urd["تمہیں-بناتی-ہیں،", "مقرر-کرتی-ہے", "مقرر-کریں-گے", "مقرر-کرے", "مقرر-کرے-گا", "مقرر-کیا", "مقرر-کیا-جاتا-ہے", "ٹھہراؤں-گا", "ٹھہرائے-گا", "ٹھہرایا", "ٹھہرتا-ہے۔", "ٹھہریں-گے", "ٹھہرے"]
Matt 24:45, Matt 24:47, Matt 25:21, Matt 25:23, Luke 12:14, Luke 12:42, Luke 12:44, Acts 6:3, Acts 7:10, Acts 7:27, Acts 7:35, Rom 5:19 (+8 more)
2. conduct or escort — A single occurrence at Acts 17:15 preserving the physical-spatial sense of conducting or escorting a person to a destination. Those who 'conducted' (καθιστάνοντες) Paul brought him as far as Athens. The Spanish 'que conducían' captures the sense of guided accompaniment along a journey. This concrete spatial usage connects directly to the classical meaning of καθίστημι — to bring someone down to a place — before the metaphorical extension to placing someone in a role. 1×
AR["يوصِلونَ"]·ben["পৌঁছে-দেওয়ারা"]·DE["setzt-ein"]·EN["conducting"]·FR["établir"]·heb["הַמְלַוִּים"]·HI["पहुँचाने-वाले"]·ID["yang-mengantar"]·IT["stabilire"]·jav["kang-ngirid"]·KO["인도하는-자들이"]·RU["провожающие"]·ES["que-conducían"]·SW["wakimwongoza"]·TR["götürenler"]·urd["پہنچانے-والے"]
3. be set or established in place — A rare positional sense at James 3:6, where the tongue 'is set' or 'established' among the members of the body as 'the world of unrighteousness.' Here the verb describes physical placement or establishment in a location rather than appointment to an office. The Spanish 'se constituye' and English 'is set' reflect a spatial establishment rather than an institutional appointment, preserving the root κατά + ἵστημι image of being placed down in a fixed position. 1×
AR["يُوضَعُ"]·ben["স্থাপিত-হয়েছে"]·DE["einsetzen"]·EN["is-set"]·FR["établir"]·heb["מֻצֶּבֶת"]·HI["ठहरी-है"]·ID["ditetapkan"]·IT["stabilire"]·jav["dipunpasang"]·KO["자리-잡고-있다"]·PT["se-constitui"]·RU["помещается"]·ES["se-constituye"]·SW["umewekwa"]·TR["konuşlandırılmıştır"]·urd["ٹھہری-ہے"]
Related Senses
H3808 1. simple negation (not) (4839×)G1722 1. locative: in, within (2442×)H1004b 1. house, dwelling, building (2015×)G3756 1. not (negation particle) (1635×)H4480a 1. source or separation (1198×)H5892b 1. city, town (1093×)G1519 1. direction: into, to, toward (1061×)H3427 1. Qal: to dwell, inhabit (937×)G1537 1. from, out of (source/origin) (886×)H8034 1. Name (designation / identifier) (856×)G3361 1. subjective negation (not) (834×)G1909 1. on, upon (spatial surface) (757×)H0369 1. existential negation: there is not (738×)H5869a 1. in the eyes/sight of (evaluative) (734×)H5650 1. Servant, attendant, subject (723×)H0408 1. prohibitive negation do-not (712×)G2443 1. so that, in order that (purpose/result) (665×)G0575 1. from (649×)G1223 1. through, by means of (582×)H3541 1. thus, so, in this manner (569×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
καθίστημι, __A in causal sense:—active, in present, imperfect, future, and perfect καθέστᾰκα LXX+4th c.BC+: pluperfect -εστάκειRefs 2nd c.AD+:—also in middle, future Refs 2nd c.AD+, aorist 1, more rarely present (below Refs 4th c.BC+:—set down, κρητῆρα καθίστα Refs 8th c.BC+; νῆα κατάστησον bring it to land, Refs 8th c.BC+; κ. δίφρους place, station them, before starting for the race, Refs 5th…