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καταγωνίζομαι

katagōnízomai

G2610 verb

SILEX Entry

Definition

To struggle against someone or something, with the intent to overcome or prevail; to defeat or subdue an opponent or adversary. The term reflects both the active engagement in conflict and the result of overcoming that opposition, particularly in contexts of contest, competition, or struggle. Depending on context, it can convey both the effort to subdue and the achievement of having subdued or defeated.

Semantic Range

to struggle against, to contend with an opponent, to strive to overcome, to subdue, to defeat, to prevail over

Root / Etymology

Compound of κατά (kata, 'against, down') and ἀγωνίζομαι (agōnízomai, 'to contend, to struggle, to fight'). The prefix intensifies or directs the action toward overcoming or subduing an opponent.

Historical & Contextual Notes

The verb καταγωνίζομαι is a rare term, predominantly found in later Greek and especially within Koine sources, including the New Testament. It reflects imagery drawn from athletic or martial contests, where opponents strive actively for victory or dominance. The term intensifies the notion of contest present in ἀγωνίζομαι by expressing direct opposition 'against' an adversary, often resulting in that adversary's defeat or subjection. In the New Testament, its use in James 3:13 metaphorically portrays overcoming or subduing another through behavior or argument, rather than physical struggle, in line with the broader Koine tendency to use competitive terms in moral or rhetorical sense. While traditional translations may use 'subdue,' 'overcome,' or 'defeat,' the underlying sense is rooted in the notion of actively struggling or engaging in a contest with a view toward decisive victory. The term does not carry specific connotations of violence but centers on effective opposition. It is uncommon before the Koine period and not widely attested in classical authors, marking it as characteristic of later Greek or Hellenistic Jewish-Greek usage.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from κατά and ἀγωνίζομαι; to struggle against, i.e. (by implication) to overcome:--subdue.

Root Family

καταγωνίζομαι (katagōnizomai) — to struggle, to contend, to fight, to overcome, to subdue

Root ἀγων- to struggle, to contend, to fight

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
G2610-01 κατηγωνίσαντο kategonisanto V AOR MID IND 3P PL subdued they prevailed over they prevailed over 1

Occurrences in Scripture

1 occurrence

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
G2610-01 Hebrews 11:33 κατηγωνίσαντο kategonisanto V AOR MID IND 3P PL subdued they prevailed over they prevailed over
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