This middle voice verb means to grasp or seize something with the hand—to take firm hold. In 1 Corinthians 3:19, Paul quotes Job 5:13: God 'catches the wise in their craftiness.' The image is of God grasping cunning schemers as one might grab an opponent. Classical Greek used it for clutching handfuls of something or seizing someone by the throat. The New Testament usage emphasizes God's power to capture and thwart those who rely on their own cleverness rather than His wisdom.