ἐπιλαμβάνομαι
To catch
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Canonical witness: The witness passages show where this word is used in context. Click any to open the study page for that passage.
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What does ἐπιλαμβάνομαι (epilambánomai) mean in the Bible?
ἐπιλαμβάνομαι (epilambánomai) is a Greek word meaning "to catch". ἐπι-λαμβάνω [in LXX for חָזַק hi.
Full entry for ἐπιλαμβάνομαι (G1949) · Browse the biblical lexicon
Meaning
To seize or take hold of firmly, often with intent to restrain, arrest, or grasp for oneself.
always mid. in LXX and NT (see Cremer, 758), to lap hold of: with genitive of person(s), Mat.14:31, Act.17:19 21:30, 33; with accusative of person(s) (not cl.), Luk.9:47 14:4 23:26 (WH, but see Bl., 1015), Act.9:27 16:9 18:17; with genitive of thing(s), Mrk.8:23, Act.23:10, Heb.8:9" (LXX) ; with genitive of person(s) and of thing(s), Luk.20:20, 26; τ. αἰωνίου (ὄντως) ζωῆς, 1Ti.6:12 6:19. Metaphorical (as in Sir.4:11), Heb.2:16 (see Westc., in l).
Grammatical Forms
How mood, tense, and voice shift the force of this verb in context.
Participle verbal adjective — the action as a modifying quality 11×
Indicative states a fact or reality 4×
Subjunctive possibility, probability, or purpose 2×
Infinitive verbal noun — the action in abstract 1×
Imperative command or strong request 1×
Discourse Aspect
How this verb appears across 19 occurrences in the NT discourse index (MACULA Greek SBLGNT).
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)
Biblical Occurrences
Each occurrence shows the passage reference, the original language term as it appears in that context, its transliteration, and the contextual sense.
Word Pictures (Robertson)
A.T. Robertson's Word Pictures in the New Testament (1930–31) discusses this term in the following chapters. Open any chapter and go to the Word Pictures tab to read his verse-by-verse commentary.
A.T. Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament (1930–31) — public domain