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κατάκειμαι

katákeimai

G2621 verb

SILEX Entry

Definition

To lie down, to be in a recumbent position, either literally (as in resting or being ill) or figuratively (as in reclining at a meal). In Greco-Roman dining custom, to recline on couches at a meal; to be bedridden (from illness). The core meaning is physical lying down, but in Hellenistic and New Testament contexts, it often specifically refers to the posture of reclining during formal meals, or to being prostrate due to sickness.

Semantic Range

to lie down, to recline (especially at a meal), to be laid up (with illness), to lie prostrate, to be at rest, to be situated

Root / Etymology

Compound of the preposition κατά ('down, according to') and κεῖμαι ('to lie, to be situated'). The prefix intensifies or specifies the directionality of lying down. Ultimately related to the Proto-Indo-European root *kei- ('to lie, rest').

Historical & Contextual Notes

In classical Greek, κατάκειμαι denotes a literal lying down—on a bed, couch, or the ground. In the Hellenistic and Roman periods, it acquires the specialized sense of reclining at banquets, reflecting the dining customs of the time, where guests would lie on couches positioned around low tables (the triclinium). This posture was a mark of social status and leisure. In the New Testament, the predominant use is for reclining at meals (e.g., Mark 2:15; John 12:2), though occasionally it is used for being laid up due to illness (e.g., Mark 1:30). Standard translations sometimes obscure this nuance by rendering it as 'sit at table' or 'be at table,' but the original sense is specifically 'reclining.' The word thus differentiates from other verbs of sitting (καθῆμαι); modern readers may miss the cultural context of ancient dining if translations only say 'sit.' Its use in medical contexts also appears in literary Greek, where being κατάκειμαι connotes bedridden illness, distinct from active or ambulatory states.

Translation Consistency

primary "lie" 7 occurrences

Covers the central, physical sense of being in a recumbent position (lying down, prostrate, or bedridden) while remaining natural English. It also maps easily to contexts of reclining at meals. Although 'lie' can mean to tell falsehoods, the bodily sense is the dominant, contextually clear meaning in these NT/Hellenistic usages and matches the most common English renderings ('lying', 'reclining').

Alternatives (5 occurrences):
"reclining" (5x)

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from κατά and κεῖμαι; to lie down, i.e. (by implication) be sick; specially, to recline at a meal:--keep, lie, sit at meat (down).

Root Family

κατάκειμαι (katakeimai) — to lie down, to recline, to be laid up, to be situated

Root κειμ- to lie, to be situated

Word Forms

6 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
G2621-06 κατέκειτο katekeito V IMPF MID IND 3P SG was lying was lying down was lying down 4
G2621-02 κατακείμενον katakeimenon V PRS MID PTCP ACC M SG bedridden lying down lying down 3
G2621-04 κατακεῖσθαι katakeisthai V PRS MID INF to-recline to be lying down to be reclining 2
G2621-05 κατάκειται katakeitai V PRS MID IND 3P SG he was reclining he is lying down he was reclining 1
G2621-01 κατακείμενοι katakeimenoi V PRS MID PTCP NOM M PL reclining lying down reclining 1
G2621-03 κατακειμένου katakeimenou V PRS MID PTCP GEN M SG as he reclined of one lying down reclining 1

Occurrences in Scripture

12 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
G2621-06 Mark 1:30 κατέκειτο katekeito V IMPF MID IND 3P SG was lying was lying down was lying down
G2621-06 Mark 2:4 κατέκειτο katekeito V IMPF MID IND 3P SG was lying was lying down was lying down
G2621-04 Mark 2:15 κατακεῖσθαι katakeisthai V PRS MID INF to-recline to be lying down to be reclining
G2621-03 Mark 14:3 κατακειμένου katakeimenou V PRS MID PTCP GEN M SG as he reclined of one lying down reclining
G2621-06 Luke 5:25 κατέκειτο katekeito V IMPF MID IND 3P SG he lay was lying down was lying down
G2621-01 Luke 5:29 κατακείμενοι katakeimenoi V PRS MID PTCP NOM M PL reclining lying down reclining
G2621-05 Luke 7:37 κατάκειται katakeitai V PRS MID IND 3P SG he was reclining he is lying down he was reclining
G2621-06 John 5:3 κατέκειτο katekeito V IMPF MID IND 3P SG lay was lying down was lying down
G2621-02 John 5:6 κατακείμενον katakeimenon V PRS MID PTCP ACC M SG lying lying down lying down
G2621-02 Acts 9:33 κατακείμενον katakeimenon V PRS MID PTCP ACC M SG bedridden lying down lying down
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