Tithemi word study results

“Tithemi” has three basic meanings, to set something somewhere; (2) to change the status of someone for a purpose; and (3) to present or set forth an idea or account, such as set forth the gospel.

The first basic meaning is to put, place, set, or lay something somewhere. This meaning is by far the most common meaning found in scripture.

The second basic meaning, to change the status of someone for a purpose, either by designating a person for a task or office, or by establishing needed characteristics of a person such that they can complete a task or fulfill the requirements of the office.

The third basic meaning is to present or set forth something, such as to set forth the gospel.

The second and third basic meaning can be translated into English using designate or assign, establish, and set forth.

Lets look at the verses where the second or third basic meaning appears to be the intended meaning:

Matthew 24:51, and will cut him in pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Mark 4:30, "And He said, "How shall we picture the kingdom of God, or by what parable shall we present it?"

Luke 1:66 "All who heard them took it to heard, saying, "What then will this child turn out to be?" For the hand of the Lord was certainly with him."

Luke 9:44, "Take these words to heart; for the Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men."

Luke 12:46, the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know, and will cut him in pieces, and assign him a place with the unbelievers.

Luke 20:43, Acts 2:35, Hebrews 10:13, "UNTIL I place your enemies under your feet "

Luke 21:14, "So take it to heart not to prepare beforehand to defend yourselves;"

John 2:10, "and said to him, "Every man sets out the good wine first, and when the people have drunk freely, then he serves the poorer wine; but you have kept the good wine until now."

John 15:16, You did not choose Me but I chose you, and equipped you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you.

Acts 1:7, He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has designated by His own authority;

Acts 5:4, While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not under your control? Why is it that you have set forth this deed in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God.”

Acts 13:47, For so the Lord has commanded us, ‘I HAVE ESTABLISHED YOU AS A LIGHT FOR THE GENTILES, THAT YOU MAY BRING SALVATION TO THE END OF THE EARTH.’

Acts 19:21, "Now after these things were finished, Paul resolved with the Spirit to go to Jerusalem after he had passed through Macedonia and Achaia, saying, "After I have been there, I must also see Rome."

Acts 20:28, Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has established you overseers, to shepherd the church of God, which He purchased with His own blood.

Acts 27:12, Because the harbor was not suitable for wintering, the majority set forth a decision to put out to sea from there, if somehow they could reach Phoenix, a harbor of Crete, facing southwest and northwest, and spend the winter there.

Romans 4:17, (as it is written, “A FATHER OF MANY NATIONS HAVE I ESTABLISHED YOU”) in the presence of Him whom he believed, even God, who gives life to the dead and calls into being that which does not exist.

1 Corinthians 9:18, “What then is my reward? That, when I preach the gospel, I may set forth the gospel without charge, so as not to make full use of my right in the gospel.

1 Corinthians 12:18 But now God has established the members, each one of them, in the body, just as He desired.

1 Corinthians 12:28, And God has established in the church, first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, various kinds of tongues.

2 Corinthians 5:19, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has set forth to us the word of reconciliation.

1 Thessalonians 5:9, For God has not designated us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,

1 Timothy 2:7, For this I was established as a preacher and an apostle (I am telling the truth, I am not lying) as a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.

2 Timothy 1:11, for which I was established as a preacher and an apostle and a teacher.

Hebrews 1:2, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He established as heir of all things, through whom also He made the world.

1 Peter 2:8, and, “A STONE OF STUMBLING AND A ROCK OF OFFENSE”; for they stumble because they are disobedient to the word, and to this doom they were also assigned.

2 Peter 2:6, and if He condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to destruction by reducing them to ashes, having set them forth as an example to those who would live ungodly lives thereafter;

In summary, G5087, tithemi, is used about 19 times where the meaning is designate or assign(5 times), establish (9 times), and set forth (5 times.)

One of the key insights arising from this word study is that God did not just assign a person to an office or task, many times He equipped the person,i.e. gifts of the Holy Spirit, so as to establish the person for that task or office.

Tithemi is one of the words that means "appoint unilaterally" and thus can be translated as designate, assign, or establish. This avoids overlap with another Greek word that is translated "appointed" and refers to an appointment made by mutual consent.

 

Luke 20:43 NASB
UNTIL I MAKE YOUR ENEMIES A FOOTSTOOL FOR YOUR FEET.”’

Here Tithemi has been translated as "I make" but "until I have established your enemies a footstool for your feet" better conveys the intended message. This choice presents the action as His intention consistent with the inspired word meaning.

Ditto for Acts of the Apostles 2:35.

Hebrews 10:13 presents the same idea using different words and slightly different grammatical forms of the same words. Thus, until His enemies are established a footstool for His feet.

 

Luke 21:14 NASB
“So [fn]make up your minds not to prepare beforehand to defend yourselves;
_________________
footnote Lit "put in your hearts"

Here "establish in your hearts" provides a more accurate translation choice.

 

Luke 9:44 NASB
“As for you, let these words sink into your ears: for the Son of Man is going to be handed over to men.”

Here are rather different idea is presented in the inspired text,
"Establish these teachings in your understanding, for the Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men."

 

Acts 19:21 NASB
Now after these things were finished, Paul resolved in the spirit to go to Jerusalem after he had passed through Macedonia and Achaia, saying, “After I have been there, I must also see Rome.”

Here "spirit" is being used to refer to the "seat of action" i.e. his disposition. Thus "Paul established in his disposition to go...."

 

Luke 1:66 NET
All who heard these things kept them in their hearts, saying, "What then will this child be?" For the Lord's hand was indeed with him.

Here "All who heard these affirmations established them in their heart, saying "What then will this Child be?" For the Lord's had was indeed with Him.

 

Here are the results (interpretive translations) of my G5087, Tithemi word study:

Matthew 24:51, and will cut him in pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Mark 4:30, "And He said, "How shall we picture the kingdom of God, or by what parable shall we set it forth?

Luke 1:66, "All who heard these affirmations established them in their heart, saying "What then will this Child be?" For the Lord's had was indeed with Him.

Luke 9:44, ""Establish these teachings in your understanding, for the Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men."

Luke 12:46, "the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know, and will cut him in pieces, and assign him a place with the unbelievers."

Luke 20:43, ""until I have established your enemies a footstool for your feet"

Luke 21:14, " So establish in your hearts not to prepare beforehand to defend yourselves.

John 2:10, "and said to him, "Everyone sets forth the good wine first and then when the guests are intoxicated, the worse, but you have kept the good wine until now.

John 15:16, “You did not choose Me but I chose you, and equipped you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you.

Acts of the Apostles 1:7, He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has designated by His own authority;

Acts of the Apostles 5:4, "While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not under your control? Why is it that you have set forth this deed in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God.”

Acts of the Apostles 13:47, "For so the Lord has commanded us, ‘I HAVE ESTABLISHED YOU AS A LIGHT FOR THE GENTILES, THAT YOU MAY BRING SALVATION TO THE END OF THE EARTH."

Acts of the Apostles 19:21, "Now after these things were finished, Paul established in his disposition to go to Jerusalem after he had passed through Macedonia and Achaia, saying, “After I have been there, I must also see Rome.”

Acts of the Apostles 20:28, Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has established you overseers, to shepherd the church of God, which He purchased with His own blood.

Acts of the Apostles 27:12, "Because the harbor was not suitable for wintering, the majority set forth a decision to put out to sea from there, if somehow they could reach Phoenix, a harbor of Crete, facing southwest and northwest, and spend the winter there."

Romans 4:17, (as it is written, “A FATHER OF MANY NATIONS HAVE I ESTABLISHED YOU”) in the presence of Him whom he believed, even God, who gives life to the dead and calls into being that which does not exist.

1 Corinthians 9:18, “What then is my reward? That, when I preach the gospel, I may set forth the gospel without charge, so as not to make full use of my right in the gospel.

1 Corinthians 12:18 But now God has established the members, each one of them, in the body, just as He desired.

1 Corinthians 12:28, And God has established in the church, first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, various kinds of tongues.

2 Corinthians 5:19, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has set forth to us the word of reconciliation.

1 Thessalonians 5:9, For God has not designated us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,

1 Timothy 2:7, For this I was established as a preacher and an apostle (I am telling the truth, I am not lying) as a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.

2 Timothy 1:11, for which I was established as a preacher and an apostle and a teacher.

Hebrews 1:2, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He established as heir of all things, through whom also He made the world.

1 Peter 2:8, and, “A STONE OF STUMBLING AND A ROCK OF OFFENSE”; for they stumble because they are disobedient to the word, and to this doom they were also assigned.

2 Peter 2:6, and if He condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to destruction by reducing them to ashes, having established the example to those who would live ungodly lives thereafter;

In summary, Tithemi is rendered "established" about 14 times, assigned 3 times, designated 2 times, equipped 1 time and set forth 6 times.

 

Luke 1:66 NET
All who heard these things kept them in their hearts, saying, "What then will this child be?" For the Lord's hand was indeed with him.

Here "All who heard these affirmations established them in their heart, saying "What then will this Child be?" For the Lord's hand was indeed with Him.

[Reposted to correct a typo]