The Greek verb tithemi (τίθημι) means to put, place, set, lay, or appoint. It is one of the most common verbs in the NT, appearing about 100 times. It carries the sense of purposeful placement or appointment.
Tithemi is used in some of the NT's most important theological statements. John 10:17–18: 'I lay down (tithemi) my life — only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord.' The cross was not an accident but a deliberate, sovereign act of self-giving. First John 3:16: 'Jesus Christ laid down his life for us.' This becomes the model for Christian love. In Acts 13:47, God appointed (tetheka) Paul and Barnabas as a light to the Gentiles. Every divine tithemi is an act of sovereign purposefulness.