ἀνακαθίζω

I sit up

Definition

ἀνακαθίζω means 'to sit up' or 'to raise oneself up to a sitting position.' In its two New Testament occurrences, it describes a person physically moving from a reclining or lying posture to an upright seated one. In Luke 7:15, it describes the dead man sitting up after Jesus raises him, emphasizing the immediate and complete restoration to life. In Acts 9:40, it describes Tabitha (Dorcas) sitting up after Peter prays for her, similarly highlighting her return from death to a state of conscious, active life.

Biblical Usage

This verb is used only twice in the New Testament, both in narratives of miraculous resurrection. It appears in Luke 7:15 (the raising of the widow's son at Nain) and Acts 9:40 (Peter raising Tabitha). In both contexts, it is the specific action performed by the revived person immediately following the miracle, marking the transition from death to active life. The usage is strictly literal and descriptive of a physical movement.

Etymology

Derived from the preposition ἀνά (ana, meaning 'up' or 'again') combined with the verb καθίζω (kathizō, meaning 'to sit' or 'to seat'). Thus, it literally means 'to sit up' or 'to sit up again.' It emphasizes the upward motion of assuming a seated posture, often from a prone position.

Semantic Range

While the word itself is a simple physical description, its exclusive use in resurrection narratives gives it theological weight. It underscores the tangible, bodily nature of the miracles performed by Jesus and Peter. The act of 'sitting up' signifies not just a return to biological life, but a restoration to conscious, interactive personhood, demonstrating the power of God over death and His compassion in fully restoring individuals to their communities.

In the ancient Mediterranean world, the dead were typically laid out horizontally. To 'sit up' was a dramatic, visible sign of a return to the realm of the living. It would have been immediately recognizable to onlookers as a miraculous reversal of death, contrasting starkly with the normal, final state of a corpse.

καθίζω (kathizō, G2523) — The simpler root verb meaning 'to sit' or 'to seat,' without the connotation of rising 'up' from a lying position. ἐγείρω (egeirō, G1453) — A broader term meaning 'to raise' or 'to awaken,' used for resurrection but not specifying the seated posture.

Word Details

Scripture References