κατεσθίω G2719
To devour, consume entirely; used of literal eating, figurative exploitation, and destruction by fire or divine judgment.
A vivid, visceral verb meaning to eat up completely or devour. In the Gospels it describes birds snatching up seed that falls on the path (Matt 13:4; Mark 4:4), but it quickly leaps beyond the literal table. Jesus condemns scribes who 'devour widows' houses' (Mark 12:40), where Spanish 'devoran' and French 'devorer' mirror the predatory image. In the Apocalypse, fire devours enemies of God (Rev 20:9), and zeal for God's house is said to consume Jesus himself (John 2:17). Across all three senses the root picture is the same: something is utterly, irreversibly consumed.
3. consume by fire or destroy — Consumption by fire or divine judgment. Zeal consumes Jesus (John 2:17), fire devours the enemies before the two witnesses (Rev 11:5), and at the final battle fire from heaven devours Gog's armies (Rev 20:9). Spanish 'devorara' and German 'verschlingen' retain the eating metaphor even for flame, showing that the image of total annihilation is culturally stable across languages. 4×
AR["التَهَمَتْهُمْ","تَأْكُلُنِي","تَلتَهِمُ","يَأْكُلُكُمْ"]·ben["গ্রাস-করবে","গ্রাস-করল","গ্রাস-করে"]·DE["verschlingen"]·EN["devoured","devours","will-consume"]·FR["dévorer","κατεσθίει"]·heb["אֲכָלַתְנִי","אָכְלָה","אוֹכֵל","אוֹכֶלֶת"]·HI["खा-जाएगा","खा-जाता-है","खा-जाती-है","भस्म-किया"]·ID["akan-memakan","memakan"]·IT["divorare"]·jav["badhé-nglelès","nguntal"]·KO["먹어-치우니","먹어치우면","삼켰다","삼킬-것이다"]·PT["devora","devorará","os-devorou"]·RU["поедает","пожрал","пожрёт"]·ES["devora","devorará","los-devoró"]·SW["anawala,","huwaangamiza","ukawateketeza","utanila"]·TR["tüketecektir","yerse","yuttu","yutuyor"]·urd["نگلتا-ہے","کھا-جائےگی","کھا-جاتی-ہے","کھا-گئی"]
▼ 2 more senses below
Senses
1. devour or eat up literally — Physical devouring: birds eating seed (Matt 13:4), a prodigal's fortune consumed with harlots (Luke 15:30), and John eating a scroll (Rev 10:9). Multilingual glosses cluster tightly around literal consumption: Spanish 'devoraron', French 'devorer', German 'verschlingen'. The emphasis is on total, often rapid, eating up. 6×
AR["أَكَلَ","أَكَلَتهَا","أَكَلَتهُ","أَكَلَتْهُ","الْتَهَمتُهُ","الْتَهِمْهُ"]·ben["আমি-খেয়ে-ফেললাম","খেয়ে-ফেল","খেয়ে-ফেলল","গ্রাসকারী"]·DE["verschlingen","κατέφαγεν","καταφαγών"]·EN["ate-it-up","devoured","devouring","eat-it-up"]·FR["dévorer"]·heb["אָכְלֵהוּ","אָכְלוּ","אָכַל","אוֹכֵל","אוֹתוֹ"]·HI["उसे","खअ-लियअ","खा-गया-है-जिसने","खा-जा","खा-लिया","मैंने-खा-लिया"]·ID["aku-memakannya","makanlah","memakan","memakannya","memakannya.","yang-memakan-habis"]·IT["divorare"]·jav["kula-nedha-sadaya","mangan","nedha","nedha-sadaya","sampun-nedha"]·KO["먹어-버렸다","먹어라","먹어버렸다","먹어치웠다","먹었으니","집어삼킨"]·PT["a-devoraram","devora","devoraram","devorei","que-devorou"]·RU["поклевали","проевший","склевали","съел-я","съешь"]·ES["devoraron","devóralo","la-devoraron","las-devoraron","lo-devoré","que-devoró"]·SW["aliyekula","nikakila","ukile","wakaila","walikula","waliyala"]·TR["yedi","yediler","yiye-bitir","yiye-bitirdim","yiyip-bitiren"]·urd["کھا-جا","کھا-لیا","کھا-گئے","کھا-گیا"]
2. devour figuratively or exploit — Figurative exploitation and mutual destruction. Scribes who devour widows' houses (Mark 12:40; Luke 20:47) and Galatian believers who 'bite and devour one another' (Gal 5:15) illustrate this predatory metaphor. Spanish 'devoran' and Hindi equivalents consistently select predation vocabulary, confirming that audiences perceive exploitation rather than mere eating. The dragon waiting to devour the child (Rev 12:4) bridges this sense toward apocalyptic menace. 5×
AR["تَأكُلونَ","يَأكُلونَ","يَأْكُلونَ","يَلتَهِمَهُ"]·ben["গ্রাস-কর,","গ্রাস-করছে","গ্রাস-করে","তোমরা-গ্রাস-করো"]·DE["verschlingen","κατεσθίετε","κατεσθίουσιν"]·EN["devour","devouring","he-might-devour","you-devour"]·FR["dévorer"]·heb["אוֹכְלִים","יִבְלַע"]·HI["खा-जाते-हैं","खा-जाते-हो","खा-जाने-वाले","तुम-खअते-हो,","वह-खा-जाए।"]·ID["ia-menelan.","kamu-memakan","memakan","menelan","yang-memakan"]·IT["divorare"]·jav["nguntal","panjenengan-sami-nguntal,","piyambakipun-nguntal","sami-nedha"]·KO["삼켜-버리려고","삼키는-자들이","삼키면,","삼킨다"]·PT["devorais","devoram","devorasse","que-devoram"]·RU["поедаете","поедают","поедающие","пожираете","пожрать."]·ES["devoran","devore","devoráis"]·SW["-","amle.","mnalana","wanakula","wanaokula"]·TR["yiye-bitirsin","yiyip-bitirenler","yiyorlar","yiyorsanız","yiyorsunuz"]·urd["نگل-جائے","نگلتے-ہو","کھا-جاتے-ہو","کھا-جاتے-ہیں","کھانے-والے"]
BDB / Lexicon Reference
κατεσθίω, poetry and later κατερῡκ-έσθω NT+5th c.BC+ (passive, 1.5, Refs 4th c.AD+: future κατέδομαι Refs 8th c.BC+aorist κατέφαγον (see. καταφαγεῖν): perfect κατεδήδοκα Refs; participle κατὰ.. ἐδηδώς Refs 8th c.BC+:—passive, perfect κατεδήδεσμαι Refs 5th c.BC+: aorist κατηδέσθην Refs 5th c.BC+:—eat up, devour, in Refs 8th c.BC+ frequently of animals of prey, λέων κατὰ ταῦρον ἐδηδώς Refs 8th…