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G2630 · Greek · New Testament
κατακρημνίζω
Katakremnizo
Verb
To throw down a cliff / Cast headlong

Definition

The Greek verb katakremnizo means to throw someone down from a cliff or precipice — to cast headlong from a height. It is a vivid word for execution by throwing from a height, a method used in both Jewish and Roman contexts.

Usage & Theological Significance

This word appears once in the New Testament (Luke 4:29), when the people of Nazareth, enraged by Jesus' sermon, drove him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built in order to throw him off. But Jesus passed through the crowd. This dramatic moment foreshadows the rejection Jesus would face — and shows his sovereign control over his own destiny.

Theologically, the attempted katakremnizo shows that Jesus' hour had not yet come. No mob could take his life before he freely laid it down. His death would be on his terms, in his time, for his purposes.

Key Bible Verses

Luke 4:29 They got up, drove him out of the town, and took him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw him off the cliff.
Luke 4:30 But he walked right through the crowd and went on his way.
Luke 4:28 All the people in the synagogue were furious when they heard this.
John 10:18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again.
Luke 4:24 Truly I tell you, he continued, no prophet is accepted in his hometown.

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External Resources

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