κατηχ-έω G2727
To instruct orally, catechize; to inform or report — the root behind English 'catechism'
The verb κατηχέω originally meant to sound from above or resound, but by the first century it had settled into two distinct uses: systematic oral instruction and the passing along of information. In Luke 1:4, Luke writes so that Theophilus may know the certainty of the things in which he was 'catechized,' and in Gal 6:6 the one being 'taught' shares with the one teaching. The word gave English 'catechism,' 'catechesis,' and 'catechize,' preserving the sense of methodical religious instruction. A narrower use in Acts 21 means simply to be informed or told about something.
2. inform, report to (passive: be told about) — To inform, report to, or pass along information — in the passive, to be told about something. This sense appears exclusively in Acts 21:21 and 21:24, where Jewish believers in Jerusalem 'have been informed' that Paul teaches Jews among the Gentiles to forsake Moses. The multilingual evidence is telling: Spanish shifts from 'instruido' (sense 1) to 'han sido informados,' and English from 'instructed' to 'they have been informed,' marking a clear boundary between structured teaching and the relay of secondhand reports. The passive voice is characteristic of this sense, emphasizing the recipients of news rather than a teacher-student relationship. 2×
AR["أُخْبِرُوا","وَأُخْبِرُوا"]·ben["তাঁদের-শেখানো-হয়েছে","তাদের-শেখানো-হয়েছে"]·DE["κατήχηνται","κατηχήθησαν"]·EN["they-have-been-informed","they-were-informed"]·FR["instruire"]·heb["שָׁמְעוּ-עָלֶיךָ"]·HI["सिखाए-गए-हैं"]·ID["diberitahu","diberitahukan"]·IT["istruire"]·jav["sampun-dipun-wartosi","sampun-dipun-wartosi,"]·KO["들었다","들은-것이"]·PT["foram-informados","foram-informados,"]·RU["услышали,","услышали-же"]·ES["Han-sido-informados","han-sido-informados"]·SW["wameambiwa"]·TR["haber-verildi","haber-verilen"]·urd["سُنایا-گیا-ہے"]
▼ 1 more sense below
Senses
1. instruct, teach (in the faith) — To give oral, systematic instruction in religious truth or doctrine — the classic catechetical sense. This is the dominant NT use (6 of 8 occurrences), visible in Luke 1:4 where Theophilus was 'instructed' in the faith, Acts 18:25 where Apollos had been 'taught' the way of the Lord, and Gal 6:6 where the 'one being taught' shares with the instructor. Multilingual glosses confirm the pedagogical meaning: Spanish 'instruido/instruya,' German 'unterweisen,' and French 'instruire' all point to formal teaching rather than casual communication. Paul's statement in 1 Cor 14:19 — preferring five words of instruction to ten thousand in tongues — underscores the deliberate, comprehensible character of this teaching. 6×
AR["أُعَلِّمَ","المُتَعَلِّمُ","المُعَلِّمَ","تَعَلَّمْتَهَا","مُتَعَلِّمًا","مُعَلَّماً"]·ben["তুমি-শিক্ষা-পেয়েছ","শিক্ষকের,","শিক্ষা-দিই,","শিক্ষাপ্রাপ্ত","শিক্ষার্থী"]·DE["unterweisen","κατηχήθης","κατηχημένος"]·EN["I-may-instruct","being-instructed","being-taught","having-been-instructed","teaching","you-were-instructed"]·FR["instruire"]·heb["אוֹרֶה","לֻמַּדְתָּ","מְלַמֵּד,","מְלֻמָּד"]·HI["सिखअने-वले,","सिखने-वल","सिखाऊँ","सिखाया-गया","सिखाया-हुआ"]·ID["aku-mengajar,","diajar","engkau-telah-diajarkan","yang-diajar","yang-mengajar"]·IT["istruire","katechethes","katēchoumenos","katēchounti"]·jav["dipunwulang","kawèdanan","kula-wuruki","mulang,","sampun-dipun-wucalaken,"]·KO["가르치기","가르치는-자와,","가르침-받은","가르침을-받는-자가","배우는-자라","배운-자로서"]·PT["foste-instruído","instrua,","sendo-instruído"]·RU["был-наставлен","наставить","наставлен","наставляемый","наставляющим","наученный"]·ES["fuiste-instruido","instruido","instruya","instruyendo","siendo-instruido"]·SW["amefundishwa","anayefundishwa","anayemfundisha","niwafundishe","ukifundishwa","umefundishwa"]·TR["eğiteyim","oegretilen","öğretenle","öğretildin","öğretilen","öğretilmiş"]·urd["سکھاؤں","سکھائی-گئیں","سکھانے-والے","سکھایا-جانے-والا","سکھایا-ہوا"]
BDB / Lexicon Reference
κατηχ-έω, sound over or through, ἁρμονία κ. τῆς θαλάττης Refs 2nd c.AD+ __2 sound amiss, opposed to συνηχέω, Refs 1st c.BC+ __II teach by word of mouth: hence generally, instruct, κ. τινὰ πολλὰ τῶν ἀγνοουμένων Agrippa 11 cited in Refs 1st c.AD+:—passive, to be informed or instructed, περί τινος NT; κ. ὅτι.. Refs 1st c.AD+ __II.2 in NT, instruct in the elements of religion, NT:—passive, περὶ ὧν κατηχήθης λόγων NT+3rd c.AD+