Original Word: ἀθετέω
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: atheteó
Pronunciation: ath-et-eh'-o
Phonetic Spelling: (ath-et-eh'-o)
KJV: cast off, despise, disannul, frustrate, bring to nought, reject
NASB: rejects, set aside, nullify, refuse, reject, rejected, rejecting
Word Origin: [from a compound of G1 (α - Alpha) (as a negative particle) and a derivative of G5087 (τίθημι - laid)]

1. to set aside
2. (by implication) to disesteem, neutralize or violate

cast off, despise, bring to nought, reject.

From a compound of a (as a negative particle) and a derivative of tithemi; to set aside, i.e. (by implication) to disesteem, neutralize or violate -- cast off, despise, disannul, frustrate, bring to nought, reject.

see GREEK a

see GREEK tithemi

114 athetéō (literally, a-thetos, "un-place") – properly, do away with; reject what is already laid down; to set aside (disregard as spurious); nullify, make void; to break faith (Abbott-Smith); remove out of an appointed (proper) place, i.e. reject as invalid; refuse to respect (even "despise"); to cancel, disannul, abrogate (passive, "be set aside" because perceived to lack value); to disregard, pass over (refuse to acknowledge).

Word Origin
from athetos (without position or place); from alpha (as a neg. prefix) and tithémi
Definition
to do away with what has been laid down, set aside
NASB Translation
nullify (1), refuse (1), reject (1), rejected (1), rejects (6), rejecting (1), set aside (3), sets...aside (1), setting aside (1).

STRONGS NT 114: ἀθετέω

ἀθετέω, (ῶ; future ἀθετήσω; 1 aorist ἠθέτησα; a word met with first (yet very often) in the Sept. and Polybius;

a. properly, to render ἄθετον; do away with θετόν τί, i. e. something laid down, prescribed, established: διαθήκην, Galatians 3:15 (1 Macc. 11:36; 2 Macc. 13:25, etc.); according to the context, 'to act toward anything as though it were annulled'; hence, to deprive a law of force by opinions or acts opposed to it, to transgress it, Mark 7:9; Hebrews 10:28 (Ezekiel 22:26); πίστιν, to break one's promise or engagement, 1 Timothy 5:12; (Polybius 8, 2, 5; 11, 29, 3, others; Diodorus excerpt. (i. e.de virt. et vit.), p. 562, 67). Hence,

b. to thwart the efficacy of anything, nullify, make void?, frustrate: τήν βουλήν τοῦ Θεοῦ, Luke 7:30 (they rendered inefficacious the saving purpose of God); τήν συνέσω to render prudent plans of no effect, 1 Corinthians 1:19 (Isaiah 29:14 (where κρύψω, yet cf. Bos's note)).

c. to reject, refuse, slight; τήν χάριν τοῦ Θεοῦ, Galatians 2:21 (others refer this to b.); of persons: Mark 6:26 (by breaking the promise given her); Luke 10:16; John 12:48; 1 Thessalonians 4:8; Jude 1:8 (for which καταφρόνειν is used in the parallel passage 2 Peter 2:10). (For examples of the use of this word see Sophocles' Lexicon, under the word.)

Scope of New Testament Usage

The verb appears sixteen times across eight New Testament books. In every setting it portrays a conscious action of setting something aside, annulling it, or treating it as having no binding force. The object that is “nullified” varies—God’s command (Mark 7:9), prophetic purpose (Luke 7:30), apostolic teaching (1 Thessalonians 4:8), divine grace (Galatians 2:21), or even one’s own pledge (Mark 6:26). A consistent thread unites them all: to invalidate what God has instituted brings solemn consequences.

Occurrences in the Public Ministry of Jesus

• Mark 6:26 presents Herod’s dilemma; his rash oaths meant he did “not want to refuse her.” Breaking his oath would be a form of self–nullification before his guests.
• Mark 7:9 exposes religious formalism: “You neatly set aside the command of God to maintain your own tradition.” Christ warns that human regulations can supplant divine authority when hearts grow distant.
• Luke 7:30 reports that “the Pharisees and experts in the law rejected God’s purpose for themselves,” showing how unbelief cancels the saving intent of God for the willfully resistant.
• Luke 10:16 repeats the verb twice: “Whoever rejects you rejects Me; and whoever rejects Me rejects the One who sent Me.” To despise gospel messengers is to invalidate the Sender Himself.
• John 12:48 foretells judgment: “There is a judge for the one who rejects Me and does not receive My words: the word that I have spoken will judge him on the last day.” The very message spurned becomes the standard in final reckoning.

Pauline Emphasis on Covenant and Grace

• 1 Corinthians 1:19 cites Isaiah: God will “destroy the wisdom of the wise,” overturning human pride that discounts divine revelation.
• Galatians 2:21 states, “I do not set aside the grace of God. For if righteousness comes through the law, Christ died for nothing.” The apostle links any attempt to earn righteousness to a nullification of Calvary’s sufficiency.
• Galatians 3:15 observes that even “a human covenant, once it is ratified, cannot be set aside or amended.” If imperfect human contracts are secure, the Abrahamic promise stands unassailable.
• 1 Thessalonians 4:8 warns believers that to dismiss apostolic instruction on holiness “does not reject man, but God, who gives you His Holy Spirit.” To invalidate inspired exhortation is to resist the indwelling Spirit Himself.
• 1 Timothy 5:12 speaks of younger widows who, by abandoning earlier commitments, “incur judgment, because they have cast off their first faith.” Personal vows carry weight before God.

Law, Judgment, and Eschatology

• Hebrews 10:28 recalls Sinai severity: “Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses.” The writer argues from lesser to greater—if repudiating Mosaic legislation was fatal, how much sterner the penalty for scorning the Son’s once-for-all sacrifice.
• Jude 1:8 depicts end-time apostates who “reject authority,” illustrating the moral trajectory of those who invalidate all restraint.

Key Theological Themes

1. Divine Authority versus Human Autonomy. Wherever the verb appears, a line is drawn between God’s established order and mankind’s attempt to substitute its own. Spiritual vitality is measured by submission rather than innovation.
2. The Integrity of Covenants. Both human and divine covenants are portrayed as binding; to annul them brings guilt before God (Galatians 3:15; 1 Timothy 5:12).
3. The Peril of Neglecting Grace. To treat grace as optional (Galatians 2:21) empties the cross of its efficacy and places the sinner back under wrath.
4. The Continuity of Revelation. Rejecting Christ’s sent ones equals rejecting Christ and the Father (Luke 10:16). Apostolic doctrine therefore remains normative for the church.

Historical and Pastoral Significance

Early Church Fathers cited these passages to defend apostolic tradition against heresies that sought to dilute scriptural authority. During the Reformation the same texts underscored the sufficiency of grace over works. In pastoral ministry today, the word serves as a sober reminder that dismissing biblical counsel is not a neutral act; it is an annulment of God’s voice. Preachers should therefore aim not merely to inform but to call hearers to submission, knowing that the Word rejected becomes the Word that judges (John 12:48).

Practical Application for Believers

• Guard against elevating tradition or convenience above Scripture (Mark 7:9).
• Value Spirit-filled instruction; to shrug it off is to grieve the Giver (1 Thessalonians 4:8).
• Keep vows and covenants, whether marital, ministerial, or personal (1 Timothy 5:12).
• Proclaim grace without compromise; adding legalistic requirements nullifies the gospel (Galatians 2:21).
• Remember that faithfulness to divine revelation, not cultural accommodation, secures eternal commendation.

Summary

Every occurrence of Strong’s Greek 114 confronts the reader with a choice: uphold or invalidate God’s Word, purpose, and grace. Scripture consistently portrays rejection as perilous and submission as life-giving. In an age eager to reinvent truth, the summons remains—“I do not set aside the grace of God.”

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