The Greek kataleipō (G2641) means to leave behind, forsake, or abandon. It appears in the most comforting promise of the NT: Hebrews 13:5 quotes Deuteronomy 31:6 — 'Never will I leave (kataleipō) you; never will I forsake you.' The double negative in Greek is emphatic: 'I will absolutely never, not ever, abandon you.' In Romans 11:4, Paul quotes God's word to Elijah: 'I have reserved for myself seven thousand who have not bowed the knee to Baal' — God had not kataleipō'd His people.
The promise 'Never will I kataleipō you' (Hebrews 13:5) is the anchor of Christian contentment in all circumstances. Paul grounds his instruction on contentment (Hebrews 13:5: 'Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have') directly in this divine promise. Because God will never abandon us, we never need to grasp for security through material accumulation. The same promise was given to Israel entering the land (Deuteronomy 31:6), to Joshua (Joshua 1:5), and now to every NT believer. The God who will never leave us is enough.