ἁρπάζω G0726
To seize or snatch by force; to be caught up in divine transport; to plunder or carry off goods.
Harpazo is a word of violent, sudden motion — a snatching that allows no resistance. Wolves snatch sheep (John 10:12), the evil one snatches away seed sown in the heart (Matt 13:19), and a crowd tries to seize Jesus by force to make him king (John 6:15). Yet the same forceful verb ascends to describe divine transport: Paul 'was caught up' to the third heaven (2 Cor 12:2, 4), believers will be 'caught up' to meet the Lord in the air (1 Thess 4:17), and the male child is 'snatched up' to God's throne (Rev 12:5). Spanish arrebatar, French ravir, and German entrucken all distinguish this supernatural catching-up from ordinary seizure, while the underlying Greek makes no such lexical distinction — the same violent urgency characterizes God's rescue as a wolf's attack.
Senses
1. snatch or seize by force — To seize, snatch, or take by force — the core sense of violent, sudden appropriation. The wolf snatches the sheep (John 10:12), the evil one snatches away the word sown in the heart (Matt 13:19), and no one can snatch believers out of the Father's hand (John 10:28-29). In Matt 11:12 the kingdom of heaven 'suffers violence, and the violent seize it by force.' Spanish arrebatar, French arracher/saisir, and German rauben/reissen all emphasize the irresistible, forceful character of the action. 9×
amh["እየነጠቃችሁ"]·AR["أَن-يَخطِف", "خَطَفَ", "سَيَخطِف", "مختطفين", "يَخطَفونَهُ", "يَخطَفُ", "يَخطِف", "يَخْتَطِفُوا", "يَخْطَفُوا"]·ben["অধিকার-করছে", "ছিনাইয়া-লইতে", "ছিনিয়ে-নিতে", "ছিনিয়ে-নিয়ে", "ছিনিয়ে-নেবে", "ছিনিয়ে-নেয়", "তুলে-নিল", "ধরতে"]·ces["vytrhujíce"]·dan["rykkende;"]·DE["rauben", "reißend", "ἁρπάζει", "ἁρπάζουσιν", "ἁρπάσαι", "ἥρπασεν"]·ell["αρπάζοντες·"]·EN["seize", "snatched-away", "snatches", "snatching", "to-seize", "to-snatch", "will-snatch"]·FR["arrachant;", "enlever", "saisir"]·guj["ખેંચી-કાઢતાં;"]·hat["rache"]·hau["kuna-ɗauka"]·heb["חָטְפָה", "חוֹטְפִים", "חוֹטֵף", "חוטפים", "יַחְטֹף", "לַ-חְטֹף", "לַחְטֹף", "לַחֲטוֹף"]·HI["उठा-ले-गया", "छीनता-है", "छीनते-हुए", "छीनना", "छीनने", "छीनेगा", "छेएन-लेतअ-है", "छेएन्ते-हैन", "पकड़ना"]·hun["kiragadván"]·ID["akan-merebut", "mengambil-dengan-paksa", "mengangkat", "menyambar", "merampas", "merebut", "merebutnya", "sambil-merebut"]·IT["rapire", "strappandoli"]·jav["badhe-nyamber", "mundhut", "nganggep", "ngrebut", "njupuk", "nyamber", "nyekel", "nyolong"]·JA["引き出しながら"]·KO["남아챘다", "데려가려고", "빼앗기를", "빼앗는다", "빼앗아", "빼앗으며", "빼앗지", "뾜앗느니라"]·mar["खेचून-काढणारे;"]·mya["ဆွဲငင်လျက်"]·nld["wegrukkende"]·nor["rykkende"]·pnb["کھِچدے"]·pol["wyrywając"]·PT["arrebata", "arrebatam", "arrebatando", "arrebatar", "arrebatará", "arrebatou"]·ron["smulgându-i;"]·RU["восхитил", "выхватить", "выхватывая", "похитит", "похищает", "похищать", "похищают", "схватить", "хватает"]·ES["arrebata", "arrebatan", "arrebatando", "arrebatar", "arrebatará", "arrebató"]·SW["alimnyakua", "ananyakua", "anawanyakua", "atawanyakua", "kumnyakua", "kunyakua", "mkiwaokota", "wanaunyakua"]·swe["ryckande"]·tam["பிடுங்கி"]·tel["లాగుకొనుచు"]·tgl["inaagaw"]·TH["ฉุดออกมา"]·TR["kapacak", "kapar", "kapmak", "kapmaya", "kaptı", "kapıp-alarak;", "kapıyor", "kapıyorlar"]·ukr["виривайте"]·urd["اُسے", "اُٹھا-لے-گیا", "پکڑتا-ہے", "چھین-لیتا-ہے", "چھین-لینا", "چھین-کر", "چھینتے-ہیں", "چھیننا", "چھینے-گا"]·VI["giật-ra"]·yor["tí-ẹ-ń-fà-jáde;"]·yue["搶出嚟"]·ZH["抢救"]
2. catch up in divine transport — To be caught up or carried away by divine power — supernatural transport rather than human violence. Paul recounts being 'caught up to the third heaven' and 'caught up into paradise' (2 Cor 12:2, 4), believers will be 'caught up in the clouds' at the Lord's return (1 Thess 4:17), and the child is 'snatched up to God and to his throne' (Rev 12:5). Spanish arrebatado, French enleve, and German entruckt shift toward ecstatic or heavenly vocabulary. The theological weight is profound: the same verb that describes a predator's seizure here describes God's sovereign rescue. 4×
AR["اختُطِفَ", "اُخْتُطِفَ", "سَنُخْطَفُ", "مُخْتَطَفاً"]·ben["অপহৃত", "অপহৃত-হয়েছিল", "ছিনিয়ে-নেওয়া-হবে", "তুলে-নেওয়া-হল"]·DE["rauben"]·EN["having-been-caught-up", "he-was-caught-up", "was-snatched-away", "will-be-caught-up"]·FR["enlever", "saisir"]·heb["נִחְטַף", "נֵחָטֵף", "נֶחְטַף"]·HI["उठाया-गया", "उथअ-लिये-जअयेनगे", "छीना-गया", "वह-उठाया-गया"]·ID["akan-diangkat", "diangkat", "direnggut"]·IT["arpagēsometha", "rapire", "ērpasthē"]·jav["bakal-dipun-angkat", "dipun-rebut", "dipunangkat"]·KO["들림-받았다", "들림-받은", "빼앓겨-갔으니", "휴거될-것이다"]·PT["arrebatado", "foi-arrebatado", "seremos-arrebatados"]·RU["было-восхищено", "восхищен-был", "восхищенного", "восхищены-будем"]·ES["arrebatado", "fue-arrebatado", "seremos-arrebatados"]·SW["akapokolewa", "akinyakuliwa", "alinyakuliwa", "tutanyakuliwa"]·TR["alınacağız", "kapıldı"]·urd["اُٹھایا-گیا", "اٹھائے-جائیں-گے", "اٹھایا-گیا"]
3. plunder or carry off goods — To plunder or carry off goods — robbing possessions from a place by force. In Matt 12:29, Jesus asks how anyone can enter a strong man's house and 'plunder his goods' without first binding the strong man. Spanish saquear and German plundern both deploy dedicated robbery vocabulary, confirming this as a distinct property-focused sense rather than person-focused seizure. 1×
AR["يَنهَبَ"]·ben["লুট-করতে"]·DE["ἁρπάσαι"]·EN["to-plunder"]·FR["saisir"]·heb["לִגְזֹל"]·HI["लोओतन"]·ID["merampas"]·IT["rapire"]·jav["ngampil,"]·KO["빼앗으라"]·RU["расхитить"]·ES["saquear"]·SW["kunyakua,"]·TR["yağmalamak"]·urd["لوٹنا"]
Related Senses
G0846 1. third-person pronoun reference (5552×)H???? 1. (4670×)H6213a 1. do, perform, act (2383×)G4160 1. do, act, perform (473×)H5221 1. Hifil: to strike in battle, smite enemies (362×)H0899b 1. garment, article of clothing (216×)H6213a 2. make, construct, fabricate (148×)H3772 1. cut a covenant / make a pact (97×)H5060 1. touch physically (Qal) (96×)H3615 1. complete a task (Piel) (85×)H3772 2. cut off / destroy (Hifil causative) (81×)H3920 1. capture, seize (Qal) (76×)H???? 12. (76×)H3772 3. be cut off / be eliminated (Niphal) (74×)H6213a 3. be done, be made (Niphal) (73×)G4160 2. make, construct, create (62×)H3847 1. Qal: put on, wear (60×)H8210 1. pour out (liquid/libation) (59×)G2440 1. garment or clothing (general) (54×)H4191 4. kill / put to death (Hifil causative) (50×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
ἁρπάζω, future -άξωRefs 8th c.BC+ -άσω Refs 5th c.BC+, (ἀν-) Refs 5th c.BC+; in Attic dialect more commonly ἁρπάσομαιRefs 5th c.BC+, (ἀν-) Refs 5th c.BC+; contraction ἁρπῶμαι, ἁρπᾷLXX: aorist ἥρπαξαRefs 8th c.BC+; Trag. and Attic dialect ἥρπασαRefs 8th c.BC+: perfect ἥρπακαRefs 5th c.BC+:—middle, aorist ἡρπασάμηνRefs 5th c.BC+:—passive, perfect ἥρπασμαιRefs 5th c.BC+ (ἀν-): Refspluperfect…