What does πιάζω (piázō) mean in the Bible?
Piazo means to seize, arrest, catch, or take hold. In John's Gospel it appears often in attempts to seize Jesus, but those attempts fail until the appointed hour.
Greek · G4084
πιάζω
To arrest/catch
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πιάζω G4084
Pronunciation piázō
What does πιάζω (piázō) mean in the Bible?
Piazo means to seize, arrest, catch, or take hold. In John's Gospel it appears often in attempts to seize Jesus, but those attempts fail until the appointed hour.
Reader summary
Full entry for πιάζω (G4084) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render G4084?
The BSB source-word alignment has 12 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include to seize (3), arrest (1), caught (1), He arrested (1), in order to arrest (1).
Where does πιάζω (piázō) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at John 7:30. Its strongest book concentrations include John (8), Acts (2), 2 Corinthians (1), Revelation (1).
What This Word Actually Means
Piazo means to seize, arrest, catch, or take hold. In John's Gospel it appears often in attempts to seize Jesus, but those attempts fail until the appointed hour. The same verb can also describe catching fish in John 21, taking a man by the hand in Acts 3, official arrest in Acts 12, Paul's threatened arrest in 2 Corinthians, and the beast's capture in Revelation.
The word is therefore concrete rather than narrowly theological. It can belong to hostile custody, ordinary fishing, merciful help, political force, or final judgment. Its teaching value depends on who takes hold, what is taken, and whether the scene reveals human limits or divine authority.
How the Bible Uses It
Piazo names seizing, catching, arresting, or taking hold. It often marks attempted custody in John, but it can also describe fishing, healing assistance, and final capture.
- John.7.30
So they tried to seize Him, but no one laid a hand on Him, because His hour had not yet come.
They try to seize Jesus, but no one lays a hand on Him because His hour has not yet come. Human hostility is limited by divine timing.
- John.7.32
When the Pharisees heard the crowd whispering these things about Jesus, they and the chief priests sent officers to arrest Him.
The chief priests and Pharisees send officers to arrest Jesus. The verb names official hostility against His public witness.
- John.10.39
At this, they tried again to seize Him, but He escaped their grasp.
They try again to seize Jesus, but He escapes their grasp. The repeated attempt reinforces the conflict around His identity.
- John.21.3
Simon Peter told them, “I am going fishing.” “We will go with you,” they said. So they went out and got into the boat, but caught nothing that night.
The disciples catch nothing during the night. Piazo can describe ordinary fishing failure before the risen Lord provides.
- Acts.3.7
Taking him by the right hand, Peter helped him up, and at once the man’s feet and ankles were made strong.
Peter takes the lame man by the right hand and helps him up. Taking hold becomes an act joined to healing mercy.
- Rev.19.20
But the beast was captured along with the false prophet, who on its behalf had performed signs deceiving those who had the mark of the beast and worshiped its image. Both the beast and the false prophet were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur.
The beast is captured with the false prophet. The verb serves final judgment rather than failed human arrest.
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 to seize 3× John 7:30, John 7:44, John 10:39
arrest 1× John 7:32
caught 1× John 21:3
He arrested 1× Acts 12:4
in order to arrest 1× 2 Corinthians 11:32
seized 1× John 8:20
Taking 1× Acts 3:7
they could arrest 1× John 11:57
was captured 1× Revelation 19:20
you have just caught 1× John 21:10
Show sample aligned rows
John 7:30 πιάσαι to to seize Verb - Aorist Infinitive Active John 7:32 πιάσωσιν to arrest Verb - Aorist Subjunctive Active - 3rd Person Plural John 7:44 πιάσαι to to seize Verb - Aorist Infinitive Active John 8:20 ἐπίασεν to seized Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular John 10:39 πιάσαι to to seize Verb - Aorist Infinitive Active John 11:57 πιάσωσιν to they could arrest Verb - Aorist Subjunctive Active - 3rd Person Plural John 21:3 ἐπίασαν to caught Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Plural John 21:10 ἐπιάσατε to you have just caught Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 2nd Person Plural Acts 3:7 πιάσας to Taking Verb - Aorist Participle Active - Nominative Masculine Singular Acts 12:4 πιάσας to He arrested Verb - Aorist Participle Active - Nominative Masculine Singular
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row John 7:30
Aligned rows 12
Books represented 4
John 8 Acts 2 2 Corinthians 1 Revelation 1
Source forms
πιάσαι 4x piasai John 7:30, John 7:44, John 10:39, 2 Corinthians 11:32
πιάσας 2x piasas Acts 3:7, Acts 12:4
πιάσωσιν 2x piasōsin John 7:32, John 11:57
ἐπίασαν 1x epiasan John 21:3
ἐπιάσατε 1x epiasate John 21:10
ἐπίασεν 1x epiasen John 8:20
ἐπιάσθη 1x epiasthē Revelation 19:20
Parsing patterns
Verb - Aorist Infinitive Active 4x John 7:30, John 7:44, John 10:39, 2 Corinthians 11:32
Verb - Aorist Participle Active - Nominative Masculine Singular 2x Acts 3:7, Acts 12:4
Verb - Aorist Subjunctive Active - 3rd Person Plural 2x John 7:32, John 11:57
Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 2nd Person Plural 1x John 21:10
Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Plural 1x John 21:3
Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular 1x John 8:20
Verb - Aorist Indicative Passive - 3rd Person Singular 1x Revelation 19:20
Using This Word Well
Be careful not to...
- Use seizure scenes to show human limits under God's authority, not to romanticize conflict.
- Let ordinary catching and merciful taking-hold scenes remain ordinary where the passage presents them that way.
Avoid claiming...
- Do not claim that piazo always means arrest.
- Do not claim that every taking-hold scene proves the same doctrine of control.
Evidence Summary
Greek word. Seizing or arresting someone physically, often with hostile intent or authority to detain.
Strong's G4084
Lexical occurrences 12 verses Greek text appearances 12 times Word forms 4 forms 12 references Verse guides 0 guides
Source Gloss
to arrest/catch
Extended definition Source: STEPBible TBESG + Abbott-Smith
Seizing or arresting someone physically, often with hostile intent or authority to detain.
(cf. MGr. πιάνω; see Kennedy, Sources, 155), Doric and late Att.. for πιέζω in its later senses [in LXX: Sng.2:15 (אָחַז), Sir.23:21 * ;]
1to lay hold of: Act.3:7 (Theocr.).
Greek Text Appearances
Textus Receptus witness, full corpus Greek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
12 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
John 7:30 Verb Aorist Active Infinitive
πιάσαι· piasai
I lay hold of
Read verse John 7:32 Verb Third Person Plural Aorist Active Subjunctive
πιάσωσιν piaswsin
I lay hold of
Read verse John 7:44 Verb Aorist Active Infinitive
πιάσαι piasai
I lay hold of
Read verse John 8:20 Verb Third Person Singular Aorist Active Indicative
ἐπίασεν epiasen
I lay hold of
Read verse John 10:39 Verb Aorist Active Infinitive
πιάσαι· piasai
I lay hold of
Read verse John 11:57 Verb Third Person Plural Aorist Active Subjunctive
πιάσωσιν piaswsin
I lay hold of
Read verse John 21:3 Verb Third Person Plural Aorist Active Indicative
ἐπίασαν epiasan
I lay hold of
Read verse John 21:10 Verb Second Person Plural Aorist Active Indicative
ἐπιάσατε epiasate
I lay hold of
Read verse Acts 3:7 Verb Aorist Active Participle Nominative Singular Masculine
πιάσας piasav
I lay hold of
Read verse Acts 12:4 Verb Aorist Active Participle Nominative Singular Masculine
πιάσας piasav
I lay hold of
Read verse 2 Corinthians 11:32 Verb Aorist Active Infinitive
πιάσαι piasai
I lay hold of
Read verse Revelation 19:20 Verb Third Person Singular Aorist Passive Indicative
ἐπιάσθη epiasqh
I lay hold of
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 4 Aligned forms 12 Tenses Aorist Voices Active, Passive
Verse guides are not available for this word yet, so verse references remain plain evidence markers.
Tenses
Voices
Infinitive verbal noun — the action in abstract 4×
Aorist Active John 7:30 · John 7:44 · John 10:39 · 2 Cor 11:32 4×
Subjunctive possibility, probability, or purpose 2×
Aorist Active John 7:32 · John 11:57 2×
Participle verbal adjective — the action as a modifying quality 2×
Aorist Active Acts 3:7 · Acts 12:4 2×
Indicative states a fact or reality 4×
Aorist Active John 8:20 · John 21:3 · John 21:10 3×
Aorist Passive Rev 19:20 1×
Discourse Aspect
How this verb appears across 12 occurrences in the NT discourse index (MACULA Greek SBLGNT).
Aspect
Tense
aorist 12
Voice
active 11 passive 1
Mood
infinitive 4 indicative 4 participle 2 subjunctive 2
NT Occurrences
John 7:30 πιάσαι aorist active infinitive infinitive John 7:32 πιάσωσιν aorist active subjunctive subjunctive John 7:44 πιάσαι aorist active infinitive infinitive John 8:20 ἐπίασεν aorist active indicative completed John 10:39 πιάσαι aorist active infinitive infinitive John 11:57 πιάσωσιν aorist active subjunctive subjunctive John 21:10 ἐπιάσατε aorist active indicative completed John 21:3 ἐπίασαν aorist active indicative completed Acts 3:7 πιάσας aorist active participle participle Acts 12:4 πιάσας aorist active participle participle 2 Corinthians 11:32 πιάσαι aorist active infinitive infinitive Revelation 19:20 ἐπιάσθη aorist passive indicative completed
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
πιάζω 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.
For the Preacher and Teacher
Piazo is especially useful in John's Gospel because repeated attempts to seize Jesus expose human hostility and human limits. His opponents can send officers, make plans, and try again, but they cannot take Him before His hour. That same concrete verb can later name empty nets, fish caught by Jesus' provision, Peter's healing grasp, political imprisonment, and final capture in Revelation.
The word helps teachers avoid abstracting control away from real scenes. People try to seize, catch, or hold, but Scripture shows that every taking remains under God's authority, whether in failure, mercy, provision, or judgment. That range keeps control language concrete and accountable.
Anchor passage
John.7.30
Doctrinal connections
- John 7:30: Jesus' hour governs the failed attempt to seize Him.
- John 7:32: official arrest efforts show organized resistance to Jesus' witness.
- John 10:39: repeated seizure attempts intensify the conflict over Jesus' identity.
- John 21:3: empty catching prepares for the risen Lord's provision.
- Acts 3:7: taking the man by the hand serves healing and restoration.
- Revelation 19:20: final capture belongs to God's judgment over deceiving powers.
Piazo is a concrete taking-hold verb. The English rendering shifts among seize, arrest, catch, take, and capture because the object and setting shift.
From Old to New Testament
Biblical stories often expose the limits of human control. Rulers, crowds, and hostile powers may seize, but the Lord governs timing, mercy, provision, and final judgment. Piazo gives that theme concrete narrative texture in several New Testament settings.
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