ἐπιλαμβάνω G1949
Take hold of, seize: physically grasp a person (often to heal or arrest); catch in words (hostile); lay hold of spiritually.
The Greek verb epilambanomai pictures a hand reaching out and gripping — whether in mercy, hostility, or faith. In the Gospels it most often describes Jesus physically taking hold of someone to heal or rescue: grasping Peter's hand as he sinks (Matt 14:31), taking a blind man by the hand (Mark 8:23), or laying hold of a sick man to cure him on the Sabbath (Luke 14:4). Spanish agarrar and German ergreifen both capture the visceral grip. But the same verb also serves adversaries who try to 'catch' Jesus in his speech (Luke 20:20, 26), and Paul lifts it into the spiritual realm when he urges Timothy's listeners to 'take hold of eternal life' (1 Tim 6:19) — French saisir beautifully spans all three registers.
3. take hold of (figurative, spiritual) — Figurative or spiritual laying hold of something abstract — seizing by faith what cannot be touched. A single clear occurrence in 1 Timothy 6:19, where Paul urges generous believers to 'take hold of that which is truly life.' Spanish echar mano ('throw the hand') vividly preserves the metaphor of reaching for the intangible. The physical verb is deliberately repurposed: the same hand that grasped Peter in the storm now grasps eternal life. 1×
AR["يَتَمَسَّكوا"]·ben["তারা-ধরে"]·DE["ergreifen"]·EN["they-may-take-hold-of"]·FR["saisir"]·heb["שֶׁיַחֲזִיקוּ"]·HI["पकदेइन"]·ID["mereka-meraih"]·IT["prendere"]·jav["piyambakipun-nyekel"]·KO["붙잡게-하라"]·PT["alcancem"]·RU["ухватиться"]·ES["echen-mano"]·SW["washike"]·TR["yakalasinlar"]·urd["پکڑ-لیں"]
▼ 2 more senses below
Senses
1. take hold of, seize (physical) — Physical seizure or grasping of a person, typically by the hand or arm, often with purpose — to heal, rescue, lead, or arrest. This dominant sense (16 occurrences) runs through the Synoptic Gospels and Acts: Jesus seizes Peter's hand on the water (Matt 14:31), takes a child and stands him beside himself (Luke 9:47), grasps Simon of Cyrene to carry the cross (Luke 23:26), and Barnabas takes hold of Saul to bring him to the apostles. Spanish agarrando/tomando, German ergreifen, and French saisir all converge on a firm physical grasp. The Hebrews passage recalling God taking Israel 'by the hand' out of Egypt (Heb 8:9) echoes this tactile imagery. 16×
AR["آخِذاً","آخِذًا","أَمسَكوا","أَمسَكوهُ","أَمْسَكوا","أَمْسَكَهُ","أَمْسَكُوا","أَمْسَكْتُ","تَمَسَّكْ","فَأَمْسَكَ","يُمْسِكُ"]·ben["তাঁকে-ধরলেন","ধর","ধরলেন","ধরার","ধরিয়া","ধরে","ধরেন"]·DE["ergreifen","ergreift"]·EN["having-seized","having-taken","having-taken-hold","having-taken-hold-of","he-takes-hold","of-taking-hold","take-hold-of","taking-hold","taking-hold-of","took-hold","took-hold-of"]·FR["saisir"]·heb["אַחַז","אָחַז","הֶחֱזִיק","הֶחֱזִיקִי","הַחֲזֵק","מַחֲזִיק","תָּפְשׂוּ","תָּפַשׂ","תֹּפְסִים","תּוֹפְסִים"]·HI["पकड़कर","पकड़ता-है","पकड़ने-वाले","पकड़ा","पकद","पकदो"]·ID["Aku-memegang","Ia-menolong","Memegang","memegang","menangkap","mengambil","peganglah"]·IT["afferrare","prendere"]·jav["nalika-Kawula-nyepeng","ngasta","nyekel","nyepeng","padha-cekel","sasampunipun-nyepengi"]·KO["붙잡아","붙잡아라","붙잡아서","붙잡았다","붙잡으셨다","붙잡으시고","잡고","잡았으니","잡으시니","잡지-않으시고"]·PT["apodera-te","de-ter-eu-tomado","o-prendeu","segurou","tendo-agarrado","tendo-tomado","toma","tomando","tomando-da-mão","tomando-o"]·RU["Взяв","Схватив","взяв","взяв-за","взяв-за-руку","взявшему-Моему","взявший","воспринимает","схватив","схватил","ухватись"]·ES["Agarrando","Tomándolo","agarrando","apoderando","de-tomar","echa-mano","habiendo-tomado","lo-agarró","se-apodera","tomando","tomándolo"]·SW["akimshika","alimkamata","alimshika","anawasaidia","nilipowashika","shika","wakamkamata","wakimshika"]·TR["tutarak","tuttu","tuttuğumda","tutup","yakala","yakalayan","yakalayarak","yardım-ediyor"]·urd["مدد-کرتا","مدد-کرتا-ہے","پکڑ-لے","پکڑ-کر","پکڑا","پکڑنے-والے"]
Matt 14:31, Mark 8:23, Luke 9:47, Luke 14:4, Luke 23:26, Acts 9:27, Acts 16:19, Acts 17:19, Acts 18:17, Acts 21:30, Acts 21:33, Acts 23:19 (+4 more)
2. catch, entrap (hostile intent) — Catching or entrapping someone in speech with hostile or adversarial intent. Only 2 occurrences, both in Luke 20: religious authorities send spies 'so that they might catch him in what he said' (Luke 20:20), yet 'they were unable to catch him in a saying before the people' (Luke 20:26). Spanish atrapar and the shift from physical grasping to verbal trapping is subtle but real — the hand that seizes a person now seizes a word. French saisir retains the same verb, while German ergreifen likewise covers both physical and verbal capture. 2×
AR["يَقبِضوا-عَلى"]·ben["ধরতে","ধরতে-পারে"]·DE["ergreift"]·EN["they-might-catch","to-catch"]·FR["saisir"]·heb["יִתְפְּשׂוּ","לִתְפֹּס"]·HI["पकड़ना","पकड़ें"]·ID["menangkap","mereka-menangkap"]·IT["afferrare"]·jav["nyekel","tiyang-tiyang-saged-nyekel"]·KO["잡다","잡으려고"]·PT["apanhar","apanhassem"]·RU["уловить"]·ES["atrapar","atraparan"]·SW["kumkamata","wamkamate"]·TR["yakalamayı","yakalasınlar"]·urd["پکڑنا","پکڑیں"]
BDB / Lexicon Reference
ἐπιλαμβάνω, take or get besides, ἐπὶ τοῖς πεντήκοντα ταλάντοις ἑκατόν 4th c.BC: Aristoteles Philosophus “Politica” 1259a28: with genitive partitive, ἐ. τοῦ χρόνου take a little more time, Refs 2nd c.AD+ __2. simply, take, receive, Refs 3rd c.BC+ __II. lay hold of, seize, attack, as a disease, Refs 5th c.BC+; of an enemy, Refs 2nd c.AD+:—passive, ἐπείληπται νόσῳ 5th c.BC: Sophocles Tragicus…