What does ἑλκύω (helkýō) mean in the Bible?
G1670 means to draw, pull, drag, or haul. John uses it for concrete actions and for divine drawing.
Greek · G1670
ἑλκύω
To drag (literally or figuratively)
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ἑλκύω G1670
Pronunciation helkýō
What does ἑλκύω (helkýō) mean in the Bible?
G1670 means to draw, pull, drag, or haul. John uses it for concrete actions and for divine drawing.
Reader summary
Full entry for ἑλκύω (G1670) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render G1670?
The BSB source-word alignment has 8 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include [and] dragged (1), [and] dragged [them] (1), drag (1), dragged (1), draws (1).
Where does ἑλκύω (helkýō) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at John 6:44. Its strongest book concentrations include John (5), Acts (2), James (1).
Are there verse guides for ἑλκύω (helkýō)?
This entry includes 1 verse guide that explain exact original-language forms in context.
What This Word Actually Means
G1670 means to draw, pull, drag, or haul. John uses it for concrete actions and for divine drawing. Peter draws a sword, the disciples are unable to haul in the net, and Peter drags the net ashore. Those ordinary uses matter because they keep the interpreter from pretending the verb always has one theological sense. Yet John also uses the word in two major salvation texts.
No one can come to Jesus unless the Father who sent Him draws that person, and the lifted-up Jesus says He will draw all to Himself. The word should therefore be taught with both strength and restraint: divine drawing is real in John, but the verb alone does not settle every theological system.
How the Bible Uses It
G1670 ranges from concrete pulling and hauling to the Father's drawing people to the Son and the lifted-up Son drawing all to Himself.
- John.6.44
“No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day.
Jesus says no one can come to Him unless the Father who sent Him draws that person, and He will raise that person at the last day.
- John.12.32
And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw everyone to Myself.”
Jesus says that when He is lifted up from the earth, He will draw everyone to Himself. The cross frames the drawing language.
- John.18.10
Then Simon Peter drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his right ear. The servant’s name was Malchus.
Peter draws his sword and strikes the servant. The verb can describe ordinary physical action and should not be theologized in every use.
- John.21.6
He told them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast it there, and they were unable to haul it in because of the great number of fish.
The disciples are unable to haul in the net because of the great number of fish. Concrete hauling language appears in the resurrection fishing scene.
- John.21.11
So Simon Peter went aboard and dragged the net ashore. It was full of large fish, 153, but even with so many, the net was not torn.
Peter drags the full net ashore, and it is not torn. The same lexical range can describe physical pulling without divine-drawing force.
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 [and] dragged 1× Acts 21:30
[and] dragged [them] 1× Acts 16:19
drag 1× James 2:6
dragged 1× John 21:11
draws 1× John 6:44
drew 1× John 18:10
to haul it in 1× John 21:6
will draw 1× John 12:32
Show sample aligned rows
John 6:44 ἑλκύσῃ to draws Verb - Aorist Subjunctive Active - 3rd Person Singular John 12:32 ἑλκύσω to will draw Verb - Future Indicative Active - 1st Person Singular John 18:10 εἵλκυσεν to drew Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular John 21:6 ἑλκύσαι to to haul it in Verb - Aorist Infinitive Active John 21:11 εἵλκυσεν to dragged Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular Acts 16:19 εἵλκυσαν to [and] dragged [them] Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Plural Acts 21:30 εἷλκον to [and] dragged Verb - Imperfect Indicative Active - 3rd Person Plural James 2:6 ἕλκουσιν to drag Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Plural
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row John 6:44
Aligned rows 8
Books represented 3
John 5 Acts 2 James 1
Source forms
εἵλκυσεν 2x heilkysen John 18:10, John 21:11
εἷλκον 1x heilkon Acts 21:30
εἵλκυσαν 1x heilkysan Acts 16:19
ἕλκουσιν 1x helkousin James 2:6
ἑλκύσαι 1x helkysai John 21:6
ἑλκύσῃ 1x helkysē John 6:44
ἑλκύσω 1x helkysō John 12:32
Parsing patterns
Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular 2x John 18:10, John 21:11
Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Plural 1x Acts 16:19
Verb - Aorist Infinitive Active 1x John 21:6
Verb - Aorist Subjunctive Active - 3rd Person Singular 1x John 6:44
Verb - Future Indicative Active - 1st Person Singular 1x John 12:32
Verb - Imperfect Indicative Active - 3rd Person Plural 1x Acts 21:30
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Plural 1x James 2:6
Using This Word Well
Be careful not to...
Avoid claiming...
- Do not claim that every draw use in John has the same theological weight.
- Do not claim that John avoids divine initiative in coming to Jesus.
Key Verse and Form Guides
Verse-level guides showing how this original-language form works in its specific context, including grammar, verse function, and guarded interpretation.
Evidence Summary
Greek word. Draws with irresistible force; God's drawing toward Christ implies divine enablement, not mere invitation.
Source Gloss
to drag (literally or figuratively)
Extended definition Source: STEPBible TBESG + Abbott-Smith
Draws with irresistible force; God's drawing toward Christ implies divine enablement, not mere invitation.
(Hellenistic form ἑλκύω in Jhn.11:1-57. with, Act.16:19), [in LXX for מָשַׁךְ, etc. ;] to draw: with accusative of thing(s), Jhn.18:10 21:6; with accusative of person(s), before ἔξω, Act.21:30; εἰς, Act.16:19, Jas.2:6. Metaphorical, to draw, lead, impel: Jhn.6:44 12:32. (For discussion of ἕ. in Oxyrh. Log., see Deiss., LAE, 437 ff.)
Greek Text Appearances
Textus Receptus witness, full corpus Greek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
8 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
John 6:44 Verb Third Person Singular Aorist Active Subjunctive
ἑλκύσῃ elkush
I drag, draw, pull, persuade
Read verse elkusw
I drag, draw, pull, persuade
Read verse John 18:10 Verb Third Person Singular Aorist Active Indicative
εἵλκυσεν eilkusen
I drag, draw, pull, persuade
Read verse John 21:6 Verb Aorist Active Infinitive
ἑλκύσαι elkusai
I drag, draw, pull, persuade
Read verse John 21:11 Verb Third Person Singular Aorist Active Indicative
εἵλκυσε eilkusen
I drag, draw, pull, persuade
Read verse Acts 16:19 Verb Third Person Plural Aorist Active Indicative
εἵλκυσαν eilkusan
I drag, draw, pull, persuade
Read verse Acts 21:30 Verb Third Person Plural Imperfect Active Indicative
εἷλκον eilkon
I drag, draw, pull, persuade
Read verse James 2:6 Verb Third Person Plural Present Active Indicative
ἕλκουσιν elkousin
I drag, draw, pull, persuade
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.
Discourse Aspect
How this verb appears across 8 occurrences in the NT discourse index (MACULA Greek SBLGNT).
Aspect
Tense
aorist 5 imperfect 1 present 1 future 1
Voice
active 8
Mood
indicative 6 subjunctive 1 infinitive 1
NT Occurrences
John 6:44 ἑλκύσῃ aorist active subjunctive subjunctive John 12:32 ἑλκύσω future active indicative prospective John 18:10 εἵλκυσεν aorist active indicative completed John 21:11 εἵλκυσεν aorist active indicative completed John 21:6 ἑλκύσαι aorist active infinitive infinitive Acts 16:19 εἵλκυσαν aorist active indicative completed Acts 21:30 εἷλκον imperfect active indicative background James 2:6 ἕλκουσιν present active indicative ongoing
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)
Word Origins
ἑλκύω is built from this root:
For the Preacher and Teacher
G1670 matters because John places a strong verb in both ordinary and saving contexts. The drawn sword and hauled net show that the word can name concrete pulling. John 6 and John 12 show that the same verb can carry major theological weight when the Father draws people to the Son or when the lifted-up Jesus draws all to Himself. The interpreter must not flatten the uses.
In the salvation passages, divine initiative and Christ's cross-shaped mission are explicit. In the physical-action passages, the verb remains ordinary. Good teaching honors both, letting the passage define the claim and refusing to turn lexical range into a system shortcut.
Anchor passage
John.6.44
Doctrinal connections
- G2064 Come: John 6 ties drawing to coming to Jesus.
- G3962 Father: the Father who sent the Son draws people to Him.
- G1453 Raise: Jesus connects the Father's drawing with resurrection at the last day.
- G5312 Lift up: John 12 places Jesus' drawing all within His being lifted up.
- G3162 Sword: Peter's drawn sword shows the concrete range of the verb.
- G1350 Net: John 21 uses the verb for hauling the full net ashore.
G1670 can describe drawing, pulling, dragging, or hauling. John shows both concrete and theological uses, so the subject and setting are decisive.
From Old to New Testament
Scripture speaks of God's initiative in bringing people to Himself and also uses ordinary pulling imagery in concrete scenes. John brings both into sharp focus around the Father, the Son, and resurrection witness.
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