Exploring the Meaning of Kataggello in Greek

καταγγέλλω (Kataggello) means “to proclaim.” In the passages where it appears here, it describes public announcement—sometimes in formal teaching, sometimes in controversy, and sometimes as the content of apostolic witness.

Occurrences

Acts 3:24 — “Yes, and all the prophets from Samuel and those who followed after, as many as have spoken, they also told of these days.”

Within this sweeping claim about the prophets, καταγγέλλω frames prophetic speech as forward-pointing proclamation. The verse gathers “Samuel and those who followed after” and treats what they “have spoken” as an announcing of “these days,” presenting proclamation as a way of making the present moment intelligible in light of prior speech.

Acts 4:2 — “being upset because they taught the people and proclaimed in Jesus the resurrection from the dead.”

Here proclamation is paired with teaching (“they taught the people”), but singled out as the provoking element: it is “in Jesus” that “the resurrection from the dead” is proclaimed. καταγγέλλω thus carries the force of a public declaration with a specific content, and the reaction (“being upset”) shows that proclaiming is not merely informative but confrontational in its implications.

Acts 13:5 — “When they were at Salamis, they proclaimed God’s word in the Jewish synagogues. They also had John as their attendant.”

In Salamis, καταγγέλλω is located in a recognizable public venue (“in the Jewish synagogues”) and has an explicit object (“God’s word”). The statement is matter-of-fact, describing proclamation as a regular missionary action carried out in gathered settings, supported by practical help (“John as their attendant”).

Acts 13:38 — “Be it known to you therefore, brothers, that through this man is proclaimed to you remission of sins,”

This proclamation is formulated as a formal announcement (“Be it known to you therefore, brothers”) and is presented as something mediated “through this man.” The content proclaimed is “remission of sins,” and the direct address (“to you”) marks proclamation as targeted speech meant to make a message known to its hearers.

Acts 15:36 — “After some days Paul said to Barnabas, “Let’s return now and visit our brothers in every city in which we proclaimed the word of the Lord, to see how they are doing.””

καταγγέλλω here looks back on earlier ministry: certain cities are defined as places “in which we proclaimed the word of the Lord.” Proclamation is treated as foundational work that creates ongoing responsibility—so that revisiting and checking on “our brothers” is a natural sequel to the initial public announcement.

Acts 16:17 — “Following Paul and us, she cried out, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to us a way of salvation!””

In this scene, the verb is placed on the lips of a bystander who identifies Paul and his companions by what they do: they “proclaim to us a way of salvation.” The line highlights proclamation as directed toward an audience (“to us”) and as describing a path or message (“a way”) rather than a private experience.

Acts 16:21 — “and advocate customs which it is not lawful for us to accept or to observe, being Romans.”

Set amid accusation, this statement shows proclamation being construed by opponents as public promotion of practices. Even without using the word “proclaim” explicitly in this English rendering, the complaint portrays the missionaries’ public activity as more than speech: it is heard as urging (“advocate”) patterns of life that collide with civic identity (“being Romans”).

Acts 17:3 — “explaining and demonstrating that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead, and saying, “This Jesus, whom I proclaim to you, is the Christ.””

Proclamation here is the culminating personal declaration within a reasoned presentation (“explaining and demonstrating”). The speaker moves from argument about what “had to” happen to the pointed announcement: “This Jesus, whom I proclaim to you, is the Christ.” καταγγέλλω thus marks the direct act of stating a conclusion to listeners (“to you”) after making a case.

Acts 17:13 — “But when the Jews of Thessalonica had knowledge that the word of God was proclaimed by Paul at Beroea also, they came there likewise, agitating the multitudes.”

Here proclamation is something that becomes known and travels: “had knowledge that the word of God was proclaimed by Paul.” The verb is linked with public impact, since the response is not quiet disagreement but agitation “of the multitudes.” Proclaiming is portrayed as a public act capable of stirring a whole crowd.

Acts 17:23 — “For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I also found an altar with this inscription: ‘TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.’ What therefore you worship in ignorance, I announce to you.”

In Athens, proclamation is cast as an announcement that interprets observed religious practice. After describing what he saw (“objects of your worship” and an altar inscription), the speaker makes proclamation explicitly interpretive and corrective: “What therefore you worship in ignorance, I announce to you.” The stress falls on making known what the audience does not grasp.

Acts 26:23 — “how the Christ must suffer, and how, by the resurrection of the dead, he would be first to proclaim light both to these people and to the Gentiles.”

This verse links proclamation with a sequence of suffering and resurrection (“must suffer… by the resurrection of the dead”), and then assigns proclamation to the risen Christ: “first to proclaim light.” The scope is widened to two audiences (“both to these people and to the Gentiles”), presenting proclamation as outward-reaching and expansive in aim.

Romans 1:8 — “First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, that your faith is proclaimed throughout the whole world.”

In this thanksgiving, proclamation is no longer mainly what missionaries do, but what is said about the believers: “your faith is proclaimed throughout the whole world.” καταγγέλλω depicts the spread of reputation by public report, indicating that proclamation can describe wide dissemination of what is known about a community, not only direct preaching by that community.

Sense and Usage

Across these passages, καταγγέλλω consistently functions as a public-facing act of announcement. It can describe proclamation in settings shaped by formal instruction (Acts 4:2; Acts 17:3), but it is not limited to classroom-like teaching: it is also the kind of speech that creates public knowledge and public reaction (Acts 17:13), and even the kind of message that is recognizable enough for outsiders to summarize (“who proclaim to us a way of salvation,” Acts 16:17).

The content of proclamation varies in subject matter yet remains anchored in concrete claims. In Acts 13:38 the proclamation is explicitly “remission of sins,” framed as an announcement to hearers. In Acts 4:2 the proclaimed message centers on “the resurrection from the dead” “in Jesus,” and in Acts 17:3 proclamation reaches a sharp christological identification (“This Jesus… is the Christ”). Acts 26:23 extends the horizon by depicting proclamation of “light” to a broadened audience “both to these people and to the Gentiles,” showing proclamation as something that crosses group boundaries in its address.

Several occurrences highlight proclamation as an act that defines communities and relationships over time. Acts 15:36 treats cities as places where the “word of the Lord” had been proclaimed, and that earlier proclamation establishes a network of “brothers” whose well-being now matters. Romans 1:8 shows another social dimension: proclamation can be the spreading report of “your faith,” reaching “throughout the whole world,” so that a community becomes publicly known by what is said about it.

Proclamation also appears in conflict settings, where public declaration is heard as challenge. The emotional reaction in Acts 4:2 (“being upset”) and the agitation in Acts 17:13 (“agitating the multitudes”) show that proclamation is not neutral information exchange; it is speech that presses claims into public space. Even the accusation in Acts 16:21 depicts the missionaries’ public activity as advancing “customs” at odds with what certain hearers consider lawful, illustrating how proclamation may be construed as advocacy with social consequences.

Finally, Acts 17:23 displays proclamation as announcement that addresses ignorance. The speaker connects observation (“I passed along and observed”) with direct address (“I announce to you”), using proclamation to reframe an existing religious object—an altar “TO AN UNKNOWN GOD”—into a point of disclosure. In this way καταγγέλλω can carry the force of making something known that is presently misunderstood, while still remaining a public announcement to a listening audience.

Imagery

The passages attach proclamation to scenes that are visibly public: synagogues (Acts 13:5), crowds that can be “agitat[ed]” (Acts 17:13), and an Athenian setting filled with “objects of… worship” and an altar (Acts 17:23). Even when the verb is used of reputation rather than direct preaching, the picture remains expansive—“throughout the whole world” (Romans 1:8)—keeping proclamation tied to the spread of news in open, shared spaces.

Sources: Lexical data from Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance and the Translators Brief Lexicon of Extended Strongs for Greek (STEPBible, CC BY). Occurrence data from the Translators Amalgamated Greek New Testament (STEPBible, CC BY). Scripture quotations from the World English Bible (public domain).