συλλαμβάνω G4815
Seize, arrest, or catch (physically); conceive or become pregnant; help or assist (take hold together with).
Few Greek verbs cover as startling a semantic range as syllambano — 'to take together.' Its literal core of grasping and seizing dominates the passion narratives and arrest scenes: soldiers syllambano-seize Jesus in Gethsemane (Matt 26:55; Luke 22:54; John 18:12), and Peter is syllambano-arrested by Herod (Acts 12:3). Yet Luke also chooses this same verb for the most intimate of beginnings: Mary 'will conceive' a son (Luke 1:31), Elizabeth 'has conceived' in her old age (Luke 1:36), and sin 'conceives' and gives birth to death (Jas 1:15). Spanish captures the split beautifully — prender for arrest, concebir for pregnancy — while Greek holds both in one word. The rarest sense, 'to help,' preserves the prefix syn- most transparently: partners 'take hold together' to haul in a catch of fish (Luke 5:7).
Senses
1. seize, arrest, catch — To seize, arrest, or catch — physically taking hold of a person (as a prisoner) or catching fish or animals. This dominant sense (9 occurrences) centers on arrest narratives: the crowd seizes Jesus with swords and clubs (Matt 26:55; Mark 14:48), officers arrest him in the garden (John 18:12), and Peter is seized by Herod (Acts 12:3). The miraculous catch of fish in Luke 5:9 uses the same verb for the haul that astonished Simon Peter. Spanish prender, Arabic قبض (seize), and Korean 잡다 all deploy arrest-specific vocabulary here. 9×
AR["أَنْ-يَقْبِضَ", "اصطادوها", "المَأْسُورَ", "قَبَضوا", "قَبَضُوا-عَلَى", "لَمَّا-أَمْسَكُونِي", "لِتَقْبِضُوا-عَلَيَّ"]·ben["-সেই", "গ্রেপ্তার-করতে", "গ্রেফতার-করলেন", "ধরতে", "ধরিয়া", "ধরে", "ধরেছিল", "ধৃত"]·DE["ergreifen", "ergreift"]·EN["Having-seized", "arrested", "having-arrested", "having-been-seized", "having-seized", "they-caught", "to-arrest", "to-seize"]·FR["saisir"]·heb["אָסְפוּ", "לְ-תָפְסׂ", "לִ-תְפֹּשׂ", "לִתְפֹּס", "נִתְפַּס", "תָּפְסוּ", "תָּפְשׂוּ", "תּוֹפְשִׂים"]·HI["पकड़कर", "पकड़ने", "पकड़ने-को", "पकड़ा", "पकड़ी", "पकड़ेगए"]·ID["Menangkap", "ditangkap", "menangkap", "menangkap,", "telah-mereka-tangkap"]·IT["catturare"]·jav["Sasampunipun-nyekel", "dipun-cepeng", "ingkang-nyekel", "nyekel", "nyekel,", "nyepeng", "sampun-dipun-cepeng"]·KO["붙잡아서", "붙잡았다", "붙잡힌", "잡아서", "잡았던", "잡으려고"]·PT["para-prender", "prendendo,", "prender", "prenderam", "que-prenderam"]·RU["Схватив", "взяли", "поймали;", "схватив", "схватившим", "схватить", "схваченного"]·ES["Habiendo-prendido", "a-prender", "a-prenderme", "arrestar", "habiendo-apresado", "habiendo-arrestado", "habiendo-sido-arrestado", "prendieron", "tomaron"]·SW["Wakimkamata", "aliyekamatwa", "kumkamata", "kunikamata", "kunishika", "walimkamata", "walinikamata", "waliomkamata", "waliovua"]·TR["-o", "Tutuklayarak", "tutmaya", "tutuklamayı", "tutuklanan", "tutup", "yakaladılar", "yakalamaya"]·urd["پکڑ-کر", "پکڑا", "پکڑا-ہوا", "پکڑنا", "پکڑنے", "پکڑنے-والوں", "گرفتار-کرنے"]
2. conceive, become pregnant — To conceive or become pregnant — used of a woman receiving life in her womb or, metaphorically, of sin 'conceiving' death. Five occurrences cluster in Luke's infancy narratives: Elizabeth conceiving John (Luke 1:24, 36), the angel's announcement to Mary (Luke 1:31), and the naming of Jesus after he 'was conceived in the womb' (Luke 2:21). James 1:15 extends the metaphor strikingly: desire 'conceives and gives birth to sin.' Spanish concebir, French concevoir, and Arabic حبلت all employ dedicated pregnancy vocabulary entirely distinct from the arrest terms of sense 1. 5×
AR["أَنْ-يُحْبَلَ-بِهِ", "إذا-حَبِلَت", "حَبِلَتْ", "سَتَحْبَلِينَ"]·ben["গর্ভধারণ-করে", "গর্ভধারণ-হতে", "গর্ভবতী-হয়েছে", "গর্ভবতী-হলেন", "তুমি-গর্ভবতী-হবে"]·DE["ergreifen", "ergreift"]·EN["being-conceived", "conceived", "has-conceived", "having-conceived", "you-will-conceive"]·FR["saisir"]·heb["הָרְתָה", "הוֹרָה", "לְהֵהָרוֹת", "תַּהֲרִי"]·HI["गर्भ-धारण-करके", "गर्भ-में-आने", "गर्भवती-हुई", "गर्भवती-है", "गर्भवती-होगी"]·ID["engkau-akan-mengandung", "itu", "mengandung", "mengandung.", "telah-mengandung"]·IT["catturare", "sullabousa"]·jav["dipun-kandhutaken", "ngandhut", "ngandhut.", "panjenengan-badhé-ngandhut", "sampun-ngandhut"]·KO["잉태되기", "잉태하여.", "잉태할-것이다", "잉태했다"]·PT["conceberás", "concebeu", "ser-concebido", "tendo-concebido"]·RU["зачав.", "зачала", "зачатия", "зачнёшь"]·ES["concebirás", "concibió", "ha-concebido", "habiendo-concebido", "ser-concebido"]·SW["alipata-mimba", "amepata-mimba", "ikiisha-beba-mimba", "kupata-mimba", "utapata-mimba"]·TR["gebe-kalacaksın", "gebe-kaldı", "gebe-kalmadan", "gebe-kalmış", "gebe-kalıp"]·urd["حاملہ-ہو-کر۔", "حاملہ-ہو-گی-تو", "حاملہ-ہوئی", "حاملہ-ہونے"]
3. help, assist — To help or assist — literally 'to take hold together with' someone, preserving the syn- prefix in its cooperative force. Two occurrences: the fishermen signal their partners to come and 'help' them haul the catch (Luke 5:7), and Paul asks his fellow worker to 'help' certain women who labored with him in the gospel (Phil 4:3). Spanish ayudar, Arabic ساعد, and Korean 돕다 all shift to explicit help vocabulary. The etymological connection to the other senses is transparent — seizing together becomes assisting together — but translators consistently treat this as a distinct meaning. 2×
AR["ساعِدْ", "يُساعِدوهُم"]·ben["সাহায্য-করতে", "সাহায্য-করো"]·DE["ergreifen", "ergreift"]·EN["help", "to-help"]·FR["saisir"]·heb["לַעֲזֹר", "עֲזֹר"]·HI["मदद-कर", "मदद-करने-को"]·ID["bantulah", "menolong"]·IT["catturare", "sullambanou"]·jav["mitulungi", "tulungana"]·KO["도와주라", "돕도록"]·PT["ajuda"]·RU["помогай", "помочь"]·ES["ayuda", "ayudar"]·SW["kuwasaidia", "wasaidie"]·TR["yardim-et", "yardım-etmek"]·urd["مدد-کر", "مدد-کریں"]
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
συλλαμβάνω, future -λήψομαι: perfect -είληφα, passive -είλημμαι: aorist συνέλᾰβον, infinitive συλλᾰβεῖν:—middle, present in Refs 4th c.BC+: aorist συνελαβόμην Refs 5th c.BC+:—passive (see. below; in Refs 5th c.BC+:—collect, gather together, especially rally scattered troops, τῆς στρατιῆς τοὺς περιγενομένους Refs 5th c.BC+ __2 take with one, carry off, Refs 5th c.BC+; συλλαβὼν θεσπίσματα κεῖται…