What does αἰχμαλωτίζω (aichmalōtízō) mean in the Bible?
αἰχμαλωτίζω (aichmalōtízō): Enslaves the mind or will to opposing power, whether literal captivity or spiritual/intellectual subjugation
Greek · G163
αἰχμαλωτίζω
To make captive
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αἰχμαλωτίζω G163
Pronunciation aichmalōtízō
What does αἰχμαλωτίζω (aichmalōtízō) mean in the Bible?
αἰχμαλωτίζω (aichmalōtízō): Enslaves the mind or will to opposing power, whether literal captivity or spiritual/intellectual subjugation
Full entry for αἰχμαλωτίζω (G163) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render G163?
The BSB source-word alignment has 4 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include be led captive (1), captivate (1), holding me captive (1), we take captive (1).
Where does αἰχμαλωτίζω (aichmalōtízō) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Luke 21:24. Its strongest book concentrations include 2 Corinthians (1), 2 Timothy (1), Luke (1), Romans (1).
Source Word Evidence
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders It be led captive 1× Luke 21:24
captivate 1× 2 Timothy 3:6
holding me captive 1× Romans 7:23
we take captive 1× 2 Corinthians 10:5
Show sample aligned rows
Luke 21:24 αἰχμαλωτισθήσονται to be led captive Verb - Future Indicative Passive - 3rd Person Plural Romans 7:23 αἰχμαλωτίζοντά to holding me captive Verb - Present Participle Active - Accusative Masculine Singular 2 Corinthians 10:5 αἰχμαλωτίζοντες to we take captive Verb - Present Participle Active - Nominative Masculine Plural 2 Timothy 3:6 αἰχμαλωτίζοντες to captivate Verb - Present Participle Active - Nominative Masculine Plural
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Luke 21:24
Aligned rows 4
Books represented 4
Luke 1 Romans 1 2 Corinthians 1 2 Timothy 1
Source forms
αἰχμαλωτίζοντες 2x aichmalōtizontes 2 Corinthians 10:5, 2 Timothy 3:6
αἰχμαλωτίζοντά 1x aichmalōtizonta Romans 7:23
αἰχμαλωτισθήσονται 1x aichmalōtisthēsontai Luke 21:24
Parsing patterns
Verb - Present Participle Active - Nominative Masculine Plural 2x 2 Corinthians 10:5, 2 Timothy 3:6
Verb - Future Indicative Passive - 3rd Person Plural 1x Luke 21:24
Verb - Present Participle Active - Accusative Masculine Singular 1x Romans 7:23
Evidence Summary
Greek word. Enslaves the mind or will to opposing power, whether literal captivity or spiritual/intellectual subjugation
Strong's G163
Lexical occurrences 4 verses Greek text appearances 3 times Word forms 2 forms 4 references Verse guides 0 guides
Study link Luke 21:24 Source Gloss
to make captive
Extended definition Source: STEPBible TBESG + Abbott-Smith
Enslaves the mind or will to opposing power, whether literal captivity or spiritual/intellectual subjugation
(αἰχμάλωτος), [in LXX chiefly for שׁבה ;] in late writers = cl. αἰχμάλωτον ποιῶ (ἄγω), to take or lead captive: before εἰς, Luk.21:24 (cf. Tob.1:10); metaphorically, Rom.7:23, 2Co.10:5, 2Ti.3:6.
Greek Text Appearances
Textus Receptus witness, full corpus Greek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
3 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
Luke 21:24 Verb Third Person Plural Future Passive Indicative
αἰχμαλωτισθήσονται aicmalwtisqhsontai
I take captive, subdue, ensnare
Read verse Romans 7:23 Verb Present Active Participle Accusative Singular Masculine
αἰχμαλωτίζοντά aicmalwtizonta
I take captive, subdue, ensnare
Read verse 2 Corinthians 10:5 Verb Present Active Participle Nominative Plural Masculine
αἰχμαλωτίζοντες aicmalwtizontev
I take captive, subdue, ensnare
Read verseFull New Testament corpus: 260 chapters, 7,957 verses, 140,628 tokens. Data source: honza/textus-receptus (data only), with authority check against byztxt/greektext-textus-receptus.
Grammatical Forms
How mood, tense, and voice shift the force of this verb in context.
This verb appears through different tense, voice, mood, or stem patterns. Those forms help readers see how the action is presented in context.
Form groups 2 Aligned forms 4 Tenses Present, Future Voices Active, Passive
Verse guides are not available for this word yet, so verse references remain plain evidence markers.
Tenses
Voices
Participle verbal adjective — the action as a modifying quality 3×
Present Active 2 Cor 10:5 · 2 Tim 3:6 · Rom 7:23 3×
Indicative states a fact or reality 1×
Future Passive Luke 21:24 1×
Discourse Aspect
How this verb appears across 4 occurrences in the NT discourse index (MACULA Greek SBLGNT).
Aspect
Tense
present 3 future 1
Voice
active 3 passive 1
Mood
participle 3 indicative 1
NT Occurrences
Aspect reflects grammatical form — not authorial emphasis. Participles and infinitives are verbal adjectives and nouns respectively.
Clause data: MACULA Greek (Clear Bible, CC BY 4.0) · SBLGNT (Logos/SBL, CC BY 4.0)
Where It Appears in Scripture
Where this word appears in Scripture: passage, original form, and sense in context.
Biblical Witnesses
Jerusalem's inhabitants taken captive by foreign armies in literal warfare
Metaphorical enslavement of the mind to the law of sin within human nature
Taking every thought into captivity through obedience to Christ in spiritual warfare
False teachers leading vulnerable women into spiritual captivity through deception
Word Origins
αἰχμαλωτίζω is built from this root:
Part of These Phrases
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
Sources
MorphGNT Strong's Dictionary XML — CC0 1.0 Public Domain
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible (morphhb/OSHB) — CC BY 4.0
Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon — CC BY 4.0
Berean Standard Bible (BSB) source-word alignment - CC0 Public Domain