Lexical Summary diatithémi: To arrange, to make a covenant, to dispose Original Word: διατίθημι Strong's Exhaustive Concordance appoint, make, testator. Middle voice from dia and tithemi; to put apart, i.e. (figuratively) dispose (by assignment, compact, or bequest) -- appoint, make, testator. see GREEK dia see GREEK tithemi HELPS Word-studies 1303 diatíthemai (from 1223 /diá, "through, thoroughly," which intensifies 5087 /títhēmi, "to place, arrange") – properly, throughly (carefully) arrange which effectively accomplishes the objective at hand. NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom dia and tithémi Definition to place separately, i.e. dispose of by a will NASB Translation grant (1), granted (1), made (3), make (2). Thayer's Greek Lexicon STRONGS NT 1303: διατίθημιδιατίθημι: to place separately, dispose, arrange, appoint, (cf. διά, C. 3). In the N. T. only in the middle, present διατίθεμαι; 2 aorist διεθέμην; future διαθήσομαι; 1. to arrange, dispose of, one's own affairs; a. τί, of something that belongs to one (often so in secular authors from Xenophon down); with the dative of person added, in one's favor, to one's advantage; hence, to assign a thing to another as his possession: τίνι βασιλείαν (to appoint), Luke 22:29. b. to dispose of by will, make a testament: Hebrews 9:16f; (Plato, legg. 11, p. 924 e.; with διαθήκην added, ibid., p. 923 c., etc.). 2. διατίθεμαι διαθήκην τίνι (פּ אֶת בֲּרִית כָּרַת, Jeremiah 38:31ff ( Topical Lexicon Scope of the TermStrong’s Greek 1303 centers on the deliberate act of setting something in order for another: a covenant, a will, or a kingdom. In Scripture the verb is reserved for God or Christ (and once for Peter speaking of God) and always involves a solemn arrangement that confers blessing, inheritance, or obligation upon the recipients. Because the subject is divine (or God’s appointed Mediator), the action is irrevocable, authoritative, and gracious. Old-Covenant Roots and Prophetic Expectation When the writer of Hebrews quotes Jeremiah 31, he twice employs the future middle form, “I will make” (Hebrews 8:10; 10:16). The verb anchors the prophetic promise that the Lord Himself would renew relationship with His people, writing His laws on their hearts. Israel’s unfaithfulness had shattered the earlier covenant, but the same covenant-making God pledges a fresh, interior work. The usage underscores that the new covenant is neither humanly initiated nor negotiated; it is wholly God’s disposition toward His people. Christ the Covenant-Granting King Luke alone preserves Jesus’ statement in the Upper Room: “And I confer on you a kingdom, just as My Father has conferred one on Me” (Luke 22:29). The double occurrence of the verb (one finite, one imperfect) portrays a chain of covenantal succession: the Father covenants a kingdom to the Son; the Son, by His impending cross-work, covenants that kingdom to His disciples. The scene frames the Lord’s Supper as a covenant ratification meal and links apostolic mission to royal grant. Ministry springs from a granted kingdom, not a self-generated enterprise. Legal Force Illustrated Hebrews 9:16-17 shifts the imagery from covenant grant to last will and testament: “For where a will is involved, the death of the one who made it must be established. Because a will is in force only after the one has died; it never takes effect while the one who made it is living”. By employing the verb in this forensic sense, the writer proves that the Messiah’s death was indispensable. The covenant blessings—inheritance, forgiveness, access—required the death of the covenant-maker. Thus Calvary is at once the execution of a will and the ratification of a covenant. Apostolic Preaching to Israel Peter’s Temple sermon echoes Genesis 22:18: “You are sons of the prophets and of the covenant God made with your fathers, when He said to Abraham, ‘Through your offspring all the families of the earth will be blessed’” (Acts 3:25). Here the aorist form points back to God’s historic pledge to Abraham, now realized in the resurrected Christ. The apostolic message therefore announces continuity: the same God who covenanted with Abraham has fulfilled that arrangement in Jesus. Theological Significance 1. Divine Initiative: Every occurrence describes God (or God’s Christ) taking the initiative. Salvation history is driven by God’s dispositional acts, not human bargaining. 2. Covenantal Continuity and Fulfillment: The term binds together Abrahamic, Davidic, and New Covenant themes, demonstrating the coherence of Scripture’s redemptive storyline. 3. Sacrificial Ratification: Hebrews clarifies that covenantal grants are secured through death, foreshadowed in ancient animal sacrifices and fulfilled in Christ’s once-for-all offering. 4. Kingdom Inheritance: Luke underscores that disciples are heirs to a kingdom already covenanted, shaping Christian identity as royal stewards awaiting consummation. Practical Ministry Implications • Gospel Proclamation: Preaching must present the new covenant as God’s enacted promise, grounded in Christ’s blood, offering forgiveness and a new heart to all who believe. • Assurance of Salvation: Because the covenant is God-made, believers rest secure; the validity of the arrangement depends on the unchanging character of the Grantor, not the fluctuating obedience of the grantees. • Lord’s Supper Observance: Each celebration recalls the covenanting words of Jesus and reaffirms participation in the kingdom He has bestowed. • Discipleship: Ministers labor as servants of a bestowed kingdom, training others to live under the covenant’s privileges and responsibilities. Summary Strong’s 1303 emphasizes God’s decisive, gracious act of arranging—whether a will, a kingdom, or the new covenant itself. Across Luke, Acts, and Hebrews the verb weaves a tapestry of divine promise, sacrificial ratification, and royal inheritance, inviting the Church to proclaim, celebrate, and live out the unbreakable covenant established in Christ. Forms and Transliterations διαθεμενος διαθέμενος διαθεμενου διαθεμένου διαθέσθαι διάθεσθε διαθήσεσθε διαθήσεται διαθήση διαθησομαι διαθήσομαι διαθησόμεθα διάθου διαθρέψαι διαθρέψεις διαθρέψω διαθώμεθα διαθώμεν διατιθεμαι διατίθεμαι διατιθέμεθα διατιθεμένους διατίθεται διατόνια διατορεύματα διατραφή διατραφήσεται διατρέφειν διατρέχουσαι διατριβαί διατριβαίς διατριβή διεθέμην διέθεντο διεθετο διέθετο διέθετό διέθου διέθρεψας διέθρεψε διέθρεψέ διέθρεψεν διέτιλε διετράπη διετράπην διέτρεφεν διέτρεχε διέτρεχον diathemenos diathémenos diathemenou diatheménou diathesomai diathēsomai diathḗsomai diatithemai diatíthemai dietheto diétheto diéthetóLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Luke 22:29 V-PIM-1SGRK: κἀγὼ διατίθεμαι ὑμῖν καθὼς NAS: has granted Me a kingdom, KJV: And I appoint unto you a kingdom, INT: And I appoint to you as Luke 22:29 V-AIM-3S Acts 3:25 V-AIM-3S Hebrews 8:10 V-FIM-1S Hebrews 9:16 V-APM-GMS Hebrews 9:17 V-APM-NMS Hebrews 10:16 V-FIM-1S Strong's Greek 1303 |
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