Lexical Summary
katergazomai: To work out, to accomplish, to produce, to bring about
Original Word: κατεργάζομαι
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: katergazomai
Pronunciation: kat-er-GAD-zom-ahee
Phonetic Spelling: (kat-er-gad'-zom-ahee)
KJV: cause, to (deed), perform, work (out)
NASB: doing, brings about, produced, produces, producing, accomplished, carried
Word Origin: [from G2596 (κατά - according) and G2038 (ἐργάζομαι - To work)]
1. to work fully, i.e. accomplish
2. (by implication) to finish, fashion
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
produce, perform, work out.
From kata and ergazomai; to work fully, i.e. Accomplish; by implication, to finish, fashion -- cause, to (deed), perform, work (out).
see GREEK kata
see GREEK ergazomai
HELPS Word-studies
2716 katergázomai (from 2596 /katá, "down, exactly according to," intensifying 2038 /ergázomai, "work, accomplish") – literally, "work down to the end-point," i.e. to an exact, definite conclusion (note the prefix, 2596 /katá); bring to decisive finality (end-conclusion).
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originfrom
kata and
ergazomaiDefinitionto work out
NASB Translationaccomplished (1), brings about (2), carried (1), committed (1), committing (1), does (1), doing (4), done (1), effecting (1), performed (1), prepared (1), produced (2), produces (2), producing (2), work (1).
Thayer's Greek Lexicon
STRONGS NT 2716: κατεργάζομαικατεργάζομαι; perfect infinitive
κατειργάσθαι (
1 Peter 4:3 L T Tr WH); 1 aorist middle
κατειργασαμην, and
κατηργασαμην (
Romans 7:8 T Tr.; (
2 Corinthians 7:11 T)); 1 aorist passive
κατειργασθην, and
κατηργασθην (
2 Corinthians 12:12 Tdf.); see
ἐργάζομαι, at the beginning; a deponent middle verb; (according to Fritzsche, Romans, i., p. 107 the
κατά is either intensive (Latin
perficere) or descensive (Latin
perpetrare));
a. to perform, accomplish, achieve (R. V. often work): Romans 7:15, 17f, 20; τί διά τίνος (the genitive of person), Romans 15:18; ἅπαντα κατεργασάμενοι having gone through every struggle of the fight, Ephesians 6:13 (cf. Meyer, in the place cited); σημεῖα, passive 2 Corinthians 12:12; of disgraceful actions, equivalent to to perpetrate, Romans 1:27; Romans 2:9; 1 Corinthians 5:3; 1 Peter 4:3.
b. to work out (Latinefficere), i. e. to do that from which something results; of man: τήν σωτηραν, make every effort to obtain salvation, Philippians 2:12; of things: bring about, result in, Romans 4:15; Romans 5:3; Romans 7:8; 2 Corinthians 7:10 (where L T Tr WH ἐργάζομαι); James 1:3, and R G in 20; τί τίνι, Romans 7:13; 2 Corinthians 4:17; 2 Corinthians 7:11; 2 Corinthians 9:11.
c. κατεργάζεσθαι τινα εἰς τί, to fashion, i. e. render one fit for a thing: 2 Corinthians 5:5. (Often in Greek writings from Sophocles and Herodotus down; several times in the Sept..)
Topical Lexicon
Overview of New Testament UsageThe verb group built on καταργάζομαι occurs twenty-two times in the Greek New Testament, spanning Paul’s major epistles, James, and 1 Peter. Whether referring to God, sin, believers, or circumstances, the word family consistently stresses an active process that brings something to its intended result. Context decides whether the outcome is life-giving or destructive.
Theological Themes
1. Sin and the Law
• Romans 7:8, 13, 15, 17, 18, 20 portray indwelling sin as the agent “producing” death. “But sin, seizing its opportunity through the commandment, produced in me every kind of covetous desire” (Romans 7:8).
• Romans 4:15 echoes the pattern: “For the Law brings wrath,” showing how the Law, though holy, exposes rebellion and so “works” wrath in the unregenerate heart.
2. Salvation and Sanctification
• Philippians 2:12 exhorts believers, “continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling.” Here the verb describes the believer’s responsible cooperation with God’s grace (verse 13 immediately grounds the effort in God’s prior working).
• 2 Corinthians 5:5 speaks of God “who has prepared us for this very purpose and has given us the Spirit as a pledge,” highlighting the divine side of the saving process.
• In Ephesians 6:13 believers are to have “done everything, to stand firm,” picturing spiritual warfare as strenuous, goal-oriented labor.
3. Suffering and Character Formation
• Romans 5:3: “suffering produces perseverance.”
• James 1:3: “the testing of your faith produces perseverance.”
• 2 Corinthians 4:17: “For our light and momentary affliction is producing for us an eternal glory that is far beyond comparison.” Trials are the forge through which God shapes enduring hope.
4. Godly Sorrow and Repentance
• “Godly sorrow produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret” (2 Corinthians 7:10). By contrast, worldly grief “produces death,” underscoring two opposite outcomes of the heart’s response to conviction.
5. Generosity and Ministry Impact
• “You will be enriched in every way to be generous on every occasion, and your generosity is producing thanksgiving to God” (2 Corinthians 9:11).
• Apostolic credentials were “produced” among the Corinthians “through signs, wonders, and mighty works” (2 Corinthians 12:12), confirming the Spirit’s power behind authentic ministry.
6. Vice Lists and Final Judgment
• Romans 1:27 and 1 Peter 4:3 employ the verb for shameful and idolatrous practices that “work out” impurity, illustrating how habitual sin culminates in judicial wrath (Romans 2:9).
Historical Context
Greco-Roman rhetoric prized verbs of achievement to describe both human accomplishments and the fated outcomes decreed by the gods. The New Testament writers appropriate this vocabulary to declare that the living God actively brings His redemptive plan to completion and that human beings, whether regenerate or rebellious, likewise “work out” the fruit of their core allegiance.
Pastoral and Ministry Implications
• Preaching on Philippians 2:12–13 balances personal responsibility and divine sovereignty.
• Discipleship draws on Romans 5:3–5 and James 1:2–4 to reframe trials as tools God uses to “produce” maturity.
• Counseling addresses worldly grief versus godly sorrow (2 Corinthians 7:10) to shepherd repentant hearts.
• Stewardship teaching leans on 2 Corinthians 9:11 to show how generosity “produces thanksgiving to God.”
• Evangelism clarifies that unchecked sin is already “working” wrath (Romans 1:27; 2:9), urging sinners to flee to Christ.
Key Passages for Study
Romans 4:15; Romans 5:3; Romans 7:8–20; 2 Corinthians 4:17; 2 Corinthians 7:10–11; 2 Corinthians 9:11; 2 Corinthians 12:12; Philippians 2:12; Ephesians 6:13; James 1:3; 1 Peter 4:3.
Forms and Transliterations
κατειργάσασθε κατειργασατο κατειργάσατο κατειργασθαι κατειργάσθαι κατειργασθη κατειργάσθη κατείργασθη κατειργασμένης κατειργάσω κατεργά κάτεργα κατεργαζεσθαι κατεργάζεσθαι κατεργαζεσθε κατεργάζεσθε κατεργαζεται κατεργάζεται κατεργαζομαι κατεργάζομαι κατεργαζομενη κατεργαζομένη κατεργαζομενοι κατεργαζόμενοι κατεργαζομενου κατεργαζομένου κατεργασαμενοι κατεργασάμενοι κατεργασαμενον κατεργασάμενον κατεργασαμενος κατεργασάμενος κατεργάσασθαι κατεργασθήσεσθε κατεργασίας κάτεργον kateirgasato kateirgásato kateirgasthai kateirgásthai kateirgasthe kateirgasthē kateirgásthe kateirgásthē katergasamenoi katergasámenoi katergasamenon katergasámenon katergasamenos katergasámenos katergazesthai katergázesthai katergazesthe katergázesthe katergazetai katergázetai katergazomai katergázomai katergazomene katergazomenē katergazoméne katergazoménē katergazomenoi katergazómenoi katergazomenou katergazoménou
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