"down from, Mt. 8:32; down upon, upon, Mk. 14:3; Acts 27:14; down into; κατὰ βάθους, profound, deepest, 2 Cor. 8:2; down over, throughout a space, Lk. 4:14; 23:5; concerning, in cases of pointed allegation, 1 Cor. 15:15; against, Mt. 12:30; by, in oaths, Mt. 26:63; with an acc. of..."
Definition and meaning
down from, Mt. 8:32; down upon, upon, Mk. 14:3; Acts 27:14; down into; κατὰ βάθους, profound, deepest, 2 Cor. 8:2; down over, throughout a space, Lk. 4:14; 23:5; concerning, in cases of pointed allegation, 1 Cor. 15:15; against, Mt. 12:30; by, in oaths, Mt. 26:63; with an acc. of place, in the quarter of, about, near, at, Lk. 10;32; Acts 2:10; throughout, Lk. 8:39; in, Rom. 16:5; among, Acts 21:21; in the presence of, Lk. 2:31; in the direction of, towards, Acts 8:26; Phil. 3:14; of time, within the range of; during, in the course of, at, about, Acts 12:1; 27:27; distributively, κατ’ οἶκον, by houses, from house to house, Acts 2:46; kata; duvo, two and two, 1 Cor. 14:27; καθ’ ἡμέραν, daily, Mt. 26:55; trop., according to, conformable to, in proportion to, Mt. 9:29; 25:15; after the fashion or likeness of. Heb. 5:6; in virtue of, Mt. 19:3; as respects, Rom. 11:3; Acts 25;14; Heb. 9:9
In the original Greek the word is written: κατά
Historical context
Rome had controlled Judea since 63 BC. Herod the Great rebuilt the Temple into one of the most magnificent structures in the ancient world — and simultaneously murdered members of his own family. The common people paid multiple layers of taxation and were politically powerless. Into that world a carpenter from Galilee began teaching that the kingdom of God had arrived.
The people who first heard this word were not reading a book — they were living through empires, oppression, exile, and covenant. Every word carried the weight of that reality. Understanding it changes how you read Scripture.
Scripture references
These are the most notable occurrences of kata (G2596) across the King James Bible.
But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.
And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way.
And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him.
Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently enquired of the wise men.
But when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeareth in a dream to Joseph in Egypt,
But when he heard that Archelaus did reign in Judaea in the room of his father Herod, he was afraid to go thither: notwithstanding, being warned of God in a dream, he turned aside into the parts of Galilee:
Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee;
And he said unto them, Go. And when they were come out, they went into the herd of swine: and, behold, the whole herd of swine ran violently down a steep place into the sea, and perished in the waters.
Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you.
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Common questions
Strong's G2596 (kata) is a Greek word that means: down from, Mt. 8:32; down upon, upon, Mk. 14:3; Acts 27:14; down into; κατὰ βάθους, profound, deepest, 2 Cor. 8:2; down over, throughout a space, Lk. 4:14; 23:5; concerning, in cases of pointed allega... It appears 415 times in the King James Bible.
The word kata (G2596) appears 415 times in the original Greek text.
Strong's G2596 is kata, a Greek word defined as: down from, Mt. 8:32; down upon, upon, Mk. 14:3; Acts 27:14; down into; κατὰ βάθους, profound, deepest, 2 Cor. 8:2; down over, throughout a space, Lk. . James Strong catalogued this in his 1890 concordance to help English readers study the original languages of the Bible.
kata is a Greek word found in the New Testament.