verb
epilabomō
Strong’sG1949
I seize, take hold of
stem epilab-19 times in the New Testamentin 6 of 27 books8 forms occur
What it means
A plain-English reading of the word, with the lexicons it draws on — Abbott-Smith, Strong's, and Liddell-Scott-Jones — right below it, in full.
AI Summary
ἐπιλαμβάνομαι means to take hold of, lay hold of, seize 124. In the Greek Bible it appears only in the middle voice 1, most often with a physical, literal sense: taking hold of a person's hand or arm, laying hold of someone in order to help them, arrest them, or bring them somewhere 12. It can be used of grasping a part of a person or thing (Abbott-Smith notes constructions with the genitive of the person seized, or of the thing seized, and sometimes both together) 1.
The same word is also used figuratively, of taking hold of something intangible, such as "laying hold of" eternal life, or of the sense in Hebrews of one party taking hold of another to help or assist them 1. Strong's likewise notes that the seizing can be "for help, injury, attainment, or any other purpose," used either literally or figuratively 2.
Sources: 1 Abbott-Smith 2 Strong's 3 LSJ 4 Dodson. Condensed by anthropic/claude-sonnet-5 on 2026-09-23 — it may still misstate what these say; check them yourself if it matters to you.
The lexicons it was drawn from, in full:
Abbott-Smith — the 1922 lexicon entry, in full
ἐπι-λαμβάνω
[in LXX for חָזַק hi., אָחַז, etc.;]
G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament, 1922 — public domain. References open in the reader.
Strong’s G1949 — the 1890 definition, and where the word comes from
Saidep-ee-lam-ban'-om-ahee
to seize (for help, injury, attainment, or any other purpose; literally or figuratively)
Frommiddle voice from G1909 and G2983;
King Jamescatch, lay hold (up-)on, take (by, hold of, on).
James Strong, Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, 1890 — public domain. The numbers in it link to the entries here.
Liddell-Scott-Jones — the classical dictionary this word appears in
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 “Antigone” 732; τὴν αἴσθησιν ἐπιληφθείς becoming unconscious, Refs 1st c.AD+; ἐπελήφθη had an epileptic fit, Refs
II.b. of events, overtake, surprise, μὴ.. χειμὼν τὴν φυλακὴν ἐπιλάβοι Refs 5th c.BC+, with accusative et infinitive, it befalls one that.. , Refs
II.2. attain to, come within reach of, reach, Refs; ἔτη ὀκτὼ ἐ. πολέμου live over eight years, Refs 1st c.AD+ arrive at, of the foetus, Refs; ὥστε καὶ τοῦ χειμῶνος ἐ. Refs
II.3. seize, stop, especially by pressure, τὴν ῥῖνα 5th-6th c.BC: Aristophanes Comicus “Plutus” 703; ἐ. τὸ κλύσμα τῆς ὀπίσω ὁδοῦ 5th c.BC: Herodotus Historicus 2.87; ἐ. τὸ ὕδωρ stop the water-clock in court, Refs 4th c.BC+
II.4. occupy space, μηδὲν τῶν τῆς πόλεως.. οἰκοδομήμασι ἐ. Refs; πλείω τόπον 4th c.BC: Aristoteles Philosophus “de Caelo” 305b19; πλατύτερον τόπον 1st-2nd c.AD: Plutarchus Biographus et Philosophus “Cat.Ma.” 5: metaphorically, πολὺν χῶρον ἐ. get over much ground, traverse it rapidly, Refs
II.5. with genitive, undertake, τῆς κινήσεως, τῆς νήξεως, Refs
II.6. with dative, assist, Refs (nisi to be read <συν>επιλ.).
II.7. intransitive, succeed, follow, Refs
II.8. of food or drink, take extra, οἰνάριον 1st-2nd c.AD: Plutarchus Biographus et Philosophus “Cat.Ma.” 1; take after other food, Refs
III. middle (with perfect ἐπείλημμαι Refs, hold oneself on by, lay hold of, with genitive, τῶν νεῶν Refs 5th c.BC+; τῶν ἐπισπαστήρωνRefs 5th c.BC+; ὅτου ἐπιλάβοιτο τὰ δρέπανα whomsoever the scythes caught, Refs 5th c.BC+; τῶν τριχῶν by the hair, Refs; μὴ 'πιλαμβάνου hold me not! Refs
III.2. attack. τινός Refs; of things, τῆς θερμασίας πόρων -ομένης Epieur.Refs; of diseases, Refs 2nd c.AD+
III.3. make a seizure of, arrest, τῶν παίδων 4th c.BC: Demosthenes Orator 33.9; seize goods in default of payment, Refs
III.3.b. lay hands on in assertion of a claim, Refs 3rd c.AD+
III.4. lay hold of, get, obtain, προστάτεω a chief, Refs 5th c.BC+; ἐξουσίας, γαλήνης, Refs 2nd c.BC+; ἐ. λογισμῷ, Latin ratione assequi, Refs
III.5. of Place, reach, δασέος 4th c.BC: Aristoteles Philosophus “Historia Animalium” 629b15; τῶν ὀρῶν 1st-2nd c.AD: Plutarchus Biographus et Philosophus “Antonius” 41: metaphorically, of a state or condition, ἐρημίας ἐπειλημμένοι having found an empty field, i.e. an absence of all competitors, Refs
III.6. attempt, πράξεων μεγάλων 1st-2nd c.AD: Plutarchus Biographus et Philosophus “Marius” 7.
III.6.b. with infinitive, undertake, γεωργεῖν Refs
III.7. touch on, τινός 5th-6th c.BC: Plato Philosophus “Respublica” 449d.
III.8. take up, interrupt in speaking, Refs; object to, τοῦ ψηφίσματος 5th-6th c.BC: Xenophon Historicus “Historia Graeca (Hellenica)” 2.1.32; ἐ. ὅτι.. object that.., Refs
III.9. rarely with accusative, seize, τὰς Ἀθήνας (to be read λήψονται) Refs
H. G. Liddell, R. Scott, H. S. Jones, A Greek-English Lexicon (9th ed., 1925–1940) — digitised by the Perseus Digital Library and corrected and expanded by Tyndale House, Cambridge, via STEPBible-Data's TFLSJ table, CC BY 4.0. Covers all of Greek literature, not just the Bible.
Translated as
Every occurrence, sorted by the English it was actually given — the evidence for what the word means, not a gloss of it.
Berean Standard Bible (BSB), dedicated to the public domain — berean.bible.
Biblang forms
What the New Testament actually uses, first — the whole system this verb is built from is one click further down.
| Form and the Greek behind it | What it is | Usually | Times |
|---|---|---|---|
| epilabotōἐπιλαμβάνεται | happening now · he/she/itpresent middle or passive indicative 3rd person singular | help | 2× |
| epilabetaἐπελάβετο | happened · he/she/itaorist middle indicative 3rd person singular | caught | 2× |
| epilabeleiaἐπιλάβωνται | happened · theyaorist middle subjunctive 3rd person plural | catch | 2× |
| epilabesarἐπιλαβοῦ | happened · youaorist middle imperative 2nd person singular | take hold of | 1× |
| epilaberaἐπιλαβέσθαι | happened · the “to …” formaorist middle infinitive | catch | 1× |
| epilaberantosἐπιλαβόμενος | happened · subjectaorist middle participle nominative singular masculine | took | 5× |
| epilaberantouἐπιλαβομένου | happened · of, belonging toaorist middle participle genitive singular masculine | took | 1× |
| epilaberantoisἐπιλαβόμενοι | happened · subjectaorist middle participle nominative plural masculine | seized | 5× |
Every form the New Testament uses, in paradigm order. What the system can build beyond them — the whole of this verb, whether the text happens to use it or not — is in the tables below.
Every form the system can build — all 86, by mood, including the ones the New Testament never uses
Statements — indicative mood, 4 occurrences
acts on itself, or is acted on middle or passive voice
| Who person | happening now present | was happening imperfect | has happened perfect | had happened pluperfect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | epilabomō | epilabome | epilabomē | epilabomelē |
| you 2nd person singular | epilabosō | epilabose | epilabosē | epilaboselē |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | epilabotō2×ἐπιλαμβάνεται | epilabote | epilabotē | epilabotelē |
| we 1st person plural | epilabonō | epilabone | epilabonē | epilabonelē |
| ye 2nd person plural | epilabovō | epilabove | epilabovē | epilabovelē |
| they 3rd person plural | epilabolō | epilabole | epilabolē | epilabolelē |
acts on or for itself middle voice
| Who person | will happen future | happened aorist |
|---|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | epilabemi | epilabema |
| you 2nd person singular | epilabesi | epilabesa |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | epilabeti | epilabeta2×ἐπελάβετο |
| we 1st person plural | epilabeni | epilabena |
| ye 2nd person plural | epilabevi | epilabeva |
| they 3rd person plural | epilabeli | epilabela |
May, might — subjunctive mood, 2 occurrences
acts on itself, or is acted on middle or passive voice
| Who person | happening now present | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | epilabomeiō | epilabomeiē |
| you 2nd person singular | epilaboseiō | epilaboseiē |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | epilaboteiō | epilaboteiē |
| we 1st person plural | epilaboneiō | epilaboneiē |
| ye 2nd person plural | epilaboveiō | epilaboveiē |
| they 3rd person plural | epilaboleiō | epilaboleiē |
acts on or for itself middle voice
| Who person | happened aorist |
|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | epilabemeia |
| you 2nd person singular | epilabeseia |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | epilabeteia |
| we 1st person plural | epilabeneia |
| ye 2nd person plural | epilabeveia |
| they 3rd person plural | epilabeleia2×ἐπιλάβωνται |
Commands — imperative mood, 1 occurrence
acts on itself, or is acted on middle or passive voice
| Who person | happening now present | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|
| you 2nd person singular | epilabosōr | epilabosēr |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | epilabotōr | epilabotēr |
| ye 2nd person plural | epilabovōr | epilabovēr |
| they 3rd person plural | epilabolōr | epilabolēr |
acts on or for itself middle voice
| Who person | happened aorist |
|---|---|
| you 2nd person singular | epilabesar1×ἐπιλαβοῦ |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | epilabetar |
| ye 2nd person plural | epilabevar |
| they 3rd person plural | epilabelar |
Wishes — optative mood, no occurrences
acts on itself, or is acted on middle or passive voice
| Who person | happening now present |
|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | epilabomoiō |
| you 2nd person singular | epilabosoiō |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | epilabotoiō |
| we 1st person plural | epilabonoiō |
| ye 2nd person plural | epilabovoiō |
| they 3rd person plural | epilaboloiō |
acts on or for itself middle voice
| Who person | happened aorist |
|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | epilabemoia |
| you 2nd person singular | epilabesoia |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | epilabetoia |
| we 1st person plural | epilabenoia |
| ye 2nd person plural | epilabevoia |
| they 3rd person plural | epilabeloia |
The “to …” form — infinitive, 1 occurrence
| Who is acting voice | happening now present | will happen future | happened aorist | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| acts on itself, or is acted on middle or passive voice | epilaborō | epilaborē | ||
| acts on or for itself middle voice | epilaberi | epilabera1×ἐπιλαβέσθαι |
Used as an adjective — participle, 11 occurrences
| Who is acting voice | happening now present | will happen future | happened aorist | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| acts on itself, or is acted on middle or passive voice | epilaborōntos | epilaborēntos | ||
| acts on or for itself middle voice | epilaberintos | epilaberantos11×ἐπιλαβόμενος |
Each is given in the form it takes as a subject. From there a participle carries the ordinary noun endings, in every case, number and gender — so these four columns are the whole of what the verb contributes.
How every form is built — the slots that make them
epilab is this word in every one of its forms. The slots after it make all the rest.
same in every form varies — every value shown
Where it appears
Every verse the word appears in, filed under the form it takes there.
19 occurrences, every one of them listed
epilabotō“help”happening now · he/she/itpresent middle or passive indicative 3rd person singular2×
Hebrews 2:16ouk gar dēpou angeloiu epilabotō, alla spermeu Abraam epilabotō.… it is not the angels He helps, but the descendants of Abraham.
Hebrews 2:16“help”… dēpou angeloiu epilabotō, alla spermeu Abraam epilabotō.For surely it is not the angels He helps, but the descendants of Abraham.
epilabeta“caught”happened · he/she/itaorist middle indicative 3rd person singular2×
Matthew 14:31“caught”… de tos Iēsus ekteinarantos tan cheiran epilabeta autou kai legatō auto; Oligopistor, eis …Immediately Jesus reached out His hand and took hold of Peter. “You of little faith,” He said, “why did you …
Acts 21:33tote engizarantos tos chiliarchos epilabeta autou kai keleuata dira halusiai duo, …The commander came up and arrested Paul, ordering that he be bound …
epilabeleia“catch”happened · theyaorist middle subjunctive 3rd person plural2×
Luke 20:20… enkathetoin hupokrinorōntoin heautoin dikaioin arō, hina epilabeleia autou logou, hōste paradōara auton ta …… be sincere. They were hoping to catch Him in His words in order …
1 Timothy 6:19… themelion kalon eis tem mellarōntem, hina epilabeleia tau ontōs zōau.… the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.
epilabesar“take hold of”happened · youaorist middle imperative 2nd person singular1×
1 Timothy 6:12agōnizosōr ton kalon agōnon tau pistiau, epilabesar tau aiōniau zōau, eis han kalisa …… the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you …
epilabera“catch”happened · the “to …” formaorist middle infinitive1×
Luke 20:26“catch”kai ouk ischuala epilabera tou rēmeu enantion tou laou, kai …And they were unable to trap Him in His words before the people. And amazed at …
epilaberantos“took”happened · subjectaorist middle participle nominative singular masculine5×
Mark 8:23kai epilaberantos tau cheirau tou tuflou ekferata auton …So He took the blind man by the hand …
Luke 9:47“took”… horarēntos ton dialogismon tau kardiau autoiu epilaberantos paidiem stēata autem para heauto,But Jesus, knowing the thoughts of their hearts, had a little child stand beside Him.
Luke 14:4tois de hēsuchazala. kai epilaberantos ieta auton kai apoluata.But they remained silent. Then Jesus took hold of the man, healed him …
Acts 9:27“took”Barnabos de epilaberantos auton agata pros toin apostoloin, kai …Then Barnabas brought him to the apostles and described how …
Acts 23:19epilaberantos de tau cheirau autou tos chiliarchos …The commander took the young man by the hand …
epilaberantou“took”happened · of, belonging toaorist middle participle genitive singular masculine1×
Hebrews 8:9… poiama toi patroi autoiu en hēmera epilaberantou mu tau cheirau autoiu exagara autoin …… made with their fathers when I took them by the hand to lead …
epilaberantois“seized”happened · subjectaorist middle participle nominative plural masculine5×
Luke 23:26Kai hōs apagala auton, epilaberantois Simōnon tinon Kurēnaion erchorōnton apo agrou …… the soldiers led Him away, they seized Simon of Cyrene on his way …
Acts 16:19… exerchata tas elpidas tau ergasiau autoiu epilaberantois ton Paulon kai ton Silon helkala …… of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them …
Acts 17:19epilaberantois tē autou epi ton Areion Pagoson …So they took Paul and brought him to the …
Acts 18:17epilaberantois de pantois Sōsthenon ton archisunagōgon tuptale …At this, the crowd seized Sosthenes the synagogue leader and beat …
Acts 21:30… kai geneta sundromas tou laou, kai epilaberantois tou Paulou helkale auton exō teu …… and the people rushed together. They seized Paul and dragged him out of …