verb
harpazamō
Strong’sG726
I seize, snatch, obtain by robbery
stem harpaz-14 times in the New Testamentin 7 of 27 books10 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
ἁρπάζω means to seize, snatch, or carry off by force — to take hold of a person or thing suddenly and remove it against its will 1234. It covers snatching an object out of someone's grasp, forcibly seizing or carrying off a person, and being suddenly caught up and carried away, as well as taking something by violence or robbery 124. Strong's lists related shades of the same idea, such as plucking or pulling something away 2.
In the Greek Old Testament, the word is also used in the sense of captivating or ravishing someone 3.
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
ἁρπάζω,
[in LXX chiefly for גּזל, טרף;]
G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament, 1922 — public domain. References open in the reader.
Strong’s G726 — the 1890 definition, and where the word comes from
Saidhar-pad'-zo
to seize (in various applications)
Fromfrom a derivative of G138;
King Jamescatch (away, up), pluck, pull, take (by force).
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
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 ἥρπαστοRefs 2nd c.AD+, infinitive -άχθαιRefs 1st c.BC+aorist 1 ἡρπάσθην Refs 5th c.BC+ 4, etc., -χθην Refs 1st c.BC+; later, aorist 2 ἡρπάγην [ᾰ] Refs 3rd c.BC+: future ἁρπᾰγήσομαιNT+1st c.AD+; participle ἁρπάμενος (as if from ἅρπημι) Refs 1st c.AD+, (ὑφ-) Refs 6th c.AD+:—snatch away, carry off, ὅτε σε πρῶτον Λακεδαίμονος ἐξ ἐρατεινῆς ἔπλεον ἁρπάξαςRefs 8th c.BC+; ὡς δ᾽ ὅτε τίς τε λέων.. ἀγέλης βοῦν ἁρπάσῃRefs 8th c.BC+: absolutely, to be a robber, ὁτιὴ ’πιώρκεις ἡρπακώς Refs 5th c.BC+; ἁρπάζειν βλέπει looks thievish, Refs 4th c.BC+ —passive (or middle), ἐκ χερῶν ἁρπάζομαι I have her torn from my arms, Refs 5th c.BC+
2 seize hastily, snatch up, λᾶανRefs 8th c.BC+; ἁ. τινὰ μέσον seize him by the waist, Refs 5th c.BC+; λίθος ἥτις τὸν σίδηρον ἁρπάζει, of the magnet, Refs 5th c.BC+greedily, Refs 5th c.BC+:—middle in Refs 2nd c.AD+
3 seize, overpower, overmaster, γλῶσσαν ἁ. φόβοςRefs 4th c.BC+; seize, occupy a post, Refs 5th c.BC+; ἁρπάσαι πεῖραν seize an opportunity of attacking, Refs 5th c.BC+; snap up, ὥσπερ εὕρημαRefs 3rd c.BC+
4 seize, adopt a legend, of an author, Refs 5th c.BC+
5 grasp with the senses, ὀσμαὶ -όμεναι ταῖς ὀσφρήσεσινRefs 1st c.AD+
6 captivate, ravish, LXX+1st c.AD+
7 draw up by means of a vacuum, Refs 6th c.AD+
II plunder, πόλεις, τὰ ἐκ τῶν οἰκιῶν, τὴν Ἑλλάδα, etc., Refs 5th c.BC+
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| harpazatōἁρπάζει | happening now · he/she/itpresent active indicative 3rd person singular | snatches | 2× |
| harpazalōἁρπάζουσιν | happening now · theypresent active indicative 3rd person plural | take … byforce | 1× |
| harpazatiἁρπάσει | will happen · he/she/itfuture active indicative 3rd person singular | snatch | 1× |
| harpaziniἁρπαγησόμεθα | will happen · wefuture passive indicative 1st person plural | caught up | 1× |
| harpazataἥρπασεν | happened · he/she/itaorist active indicative 3rd person singular | carried … away | 1× |
| harpazitaἡρπάσθη | happened · he/she/itaorist passive indicative 3rd person singular | caught up | 2× |
| harpazarōἁρπάζειν | happening now · the “to …” formpresent active infinitive | snatch | 2× |
| harpazaraἁρπάσαι | happened · the “to …” formaorist active infinitive | plunder | 2× |
| harpazarōntoisἁρπάζοντες | happening now · subjectpresent active participle nominative plural masculine | snatching | 1× |
| harpazirantonἁρπαγέντα | happened · objectaorist passive participle accusative singular masculine | caught up | 1× |
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 172, by mood, including the ones the New Testament never uses
Statements — indicative mood, 8 occurrences
the subject acts active voice
| Who person | happening now present | was happening imperfect | will happen future | happened aorist | has happened perfect | had happened pluperfect |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | harpazamō | harpazame | harpazami | harpazama | harpazamē | harpazamelē |
| you 2nd person singular | harpazasō | harpazase | harpazasi | harpazasa | harpazasē | harpazaselē |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | harpazatō2×ἁρπάζει | harpazate | harpazati1×ἁρπάσει | harpazata1×ἥρπασεν | harpazatē | harpazatelē |
| we 1st person plural | harpazanō | harpazane | harpazani | harpazana | harpazanē | harpazanelē |
| ye 2nd person plural | harpazavō | harpazave | harpazavi | harpazava | harpazavē | harpazavelē |
| they 3rd person plural | harpazalō1×ἁρπάζουσιν | harpazale | harpazali | harpazala | harpazalē | harpazalelē |
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 | harpazomō | harpazome | harpazomē | harpazomelē |
| you 2nd person singular | harpazosō | harpazose | harpazosē | harpazoselē |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | harpazotō | harpazote | harpazotē | harpazotelē |
| we 1st person plural | harpazonō | harpazone | harpazonē | harpazonelē |
| ye 2nd person plural | harpazovō | harpazove | harpazovē | harpazovelē |
| they 3rd person plural | harpazolō | harpazole | harpazolē | harpazolelē |
acted on passive voice
| Who person | will happen future | happened aorist |
|---|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | harpazimi | harpazima |
| you 2nd person singular | harpazisi | harpazisa |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | harpaziti | harpazita2×ἡρπάσθη |
| we 1st person plural | harpazini1×ἁρπαγησόμεθα | harpazina |
| ye 2nd person plural | harpazivi | harpaziva |
| they 3rd person plural | harpazili | harpazila |
May, might — subjunctive mood, no occurrences
the subject acts active voice
| Who person | happening now present | happened aorist | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | harpazameiō | harpazameia | harpazameiē |
| you 2nd person singular | harpazaseiō | harpazaseia | harpazaseiē |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | harpazateiō | harpazateia | harpazateiē |
| we 1st person plural | harpazaneiō | harpazaneia | harpazaneiē |
| ye 2nd person plural | harpazaveiō | harpazaveia | harpazaveiē |
| they 3rd person plural | harpazaleiō | harpazaleia | harpazaleiē |
acts on itself, or is acted on middle or passive voice
| Who person | happening now present | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | harpazomeiō | harpazomeiē |
| you 2nd person singular | harpazoseiō | harpazoseiē |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | harpazoteiō | harpazoteiē |
| we 1st person plural | harpazoneiō | harpazoneiē |
| ye 2nd person plural | harpazoveiō | harpazoveiē |
| they 3rd person plural | harpazoleiō | harpazoleiē |
acted on passive voice
| Who person | happened aorist |
|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | harpazimeia |
| you 2nd person singular | harpaziseia |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | harpaziteia |
| we 1st person plural | harpazineia |
| ye 2nd person plural | harpaziveia |
| they 3rd person plural | harpazileia |
Commands — imperative mood, no occurrences
the subject acts active voice
| Who person | happening now present | happened aorist | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|---|
| you 2nd person singular | harpazasōr | harpazasar | harpazasēr |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | harpazatōr | harpazatar | harpazatēr |
| ye 2nd person plural | harpazavōr | harpazavar | harpazavēr |
| they 3rd person plural | harpazalōr | harpazalar | harpazalēr |
acts on itself, or is acted on middle or passive voice
| Who person | happening now present | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|
| you 2nd person singular | harpazosōr | harpazosēr |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | harpazotōr | harpazotēr |
| ye 2nd person plural | harpazovōr | harpazovēr |
| they 3rd person plural | harpazolōr | harpazolēr |
acted on passive voice
| Who person | happened aorist |
|---|---|
| you 2nd person singular | harpazisar |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | harpazitar |
| ye 2nd person plural | harpazivar |
| they 3rd person plural | harpazilar |
Wishes — optative mood, no occurrences
the subject acts active voice
| Who person | happening now present | happened aorist |
|---|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | harpazamoiō | harpazamoia |
| you 2nd person singular | harpazasoiō | harpazasoia |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | harpazatoiō | harpazatoia |
| we 1st person plural | harpazanoiō | harpazanoia |
| ye 2nd person plural | harpazavoiō | harpazavoia |
| they 3rd person plural | harpazaloiō | harpazaloia |
acts on itself, or is acted on middle or passive voice
| Who person | happening now present |
|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | harpazomoiō |
| you 2nd person singular | harpazosoiō |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | harpazotoiō |
| we 1st person plural | harpazonoiō |
| ye 2nd person plural | harpazovoiō |
| they 3rd person plural | harpazoloiō |
acted on passive voice
| Who person | happened aorist |
|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | harpazimoia |
| you 2nd person singular | harpazisoia |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | harpazitoia |
| we 1st person plural | harpazinoia |
| ye 2nd person plural | harpazivoia |
| they 3rd person plural | harpaziloia |
The “to …” form — infinitive, 4 occurrences
| Who is acting voice | happening now present | will happen future | happened aorist | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| the subject acts active voice | harpazarō2×ἁρπάζειν | harpazari | harpazara2×ἁρπάσαι | harpazarē |
| acts on itself, or is acted on middle or passive voice | harpazorō | harpazorē | ||
| acted on passive voice | harpaziri | harpazira |
Used as an adjective — participle, 2 occurrences
| Who is acting voice | happening now present | will happen future | happened aorist | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| the subject acts active voice | harpazarōntos1× | harpazarintos | harpazarantos | harpazarēntos |
| acts on itself, or is acted on middle or passive voice | harpazorōntos | harpazorēntos | ||
| acted on passive voice | harpazirintos | harpazirantos1× |
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
harpaz 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.
14 occurrences, every one of them listed
harpazatō“snatches”happening now · he/she/itpresent active indicative 3rd person singular2×
Matthew 13:19… mē suniēkarōntou, erchotō tos ponēros kai harpazatō tem sperorēntem en ta kardia autou; …… it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart …
John 10:12“snatches”… probateim kai fugatō kai tos lukos harpazatō auteim kai skorpizatō… abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf pounces on them and scatters the flock.
harpazalō“take … byforce”happening now · theypresent active indicative 3rd person plural1×
Matthew 11:12“take … byforce”… basileias toiu ouranoiu biazotō, kai biastois harpazalō autan.… now, the kingdom of heaven has been subject to violence, and the violent lay claim to it.
harpazati“snatch”will happen · he/she/itfuture active indicative 3rd person singular1×
John 10:28… apoleleia eis ton aiōnon, kai ouk harpazati tinos auteim ek tau cheirau mu.… will never perish. No one can snatch them out of My hand.
harpazini“caught up”will happen · wefuture passive indicative 1st person plural1×
1 Thessalonians 4:17… zōarōntois tois perileiporōntois hama sun autoi harpazini en nefelai eis apantēsian tou kuriou …… are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds …
harpazata“carried … away”happened · he/she/itaorist active indicative 3rd person singular1×
Acts 8:39… anabainala ek teu hudeu, pneumem kuriou harpazata ton Filippon, kai ouk horata auton …… water, the Spirit of the Lord carried Philip away, and the eunuch saw him no …
harpazita“caught up”happened · he/she/itaorist passive indicative 3rd person singular2×
2 Corinthians 12:4hoti harpazita eis ton paradeison kai akouata arrēteim …was caught up to Paradise. The things he heard …
Revelation 12:5… teim ethneim en rabda sidēroua; kai harpazita tem teknem autau pros ton theon …… iron scepter. And her child was caught up to God and to His throne.
harpazarō“snatch”happening now · the “to …” formpresent active infinitive2×
John 6:15“take … byforce”… oun gnōskarantos hoti mellalō erchorō kai harpazarō auton hina poialeia basilevon anachōrata palin …… Jesus, realizing that they were about to come and make Him king by force, withdrew again to a …
John 10:29… panteiu megoteros atō, kai oudenos dunotō harpazarō ek tau cheirau tou patrou.… greater than all. No one can snatch them out of My Father’s hand.
harpazara“plunder”happened · the “to …” formaorist active infinitive2×
Matthew 12:29“plunder”… tou ischurou kai teim skeveim autou harpazara, ean mē prōtem dateia ton ischuron? …… enter a strong man’s house and steal his possessions, unless he first ties up the strong man? Then …
Acts 23:10“take … away … byforce”… hupo autoiu keleuata tem strateumem katabainarantem harpazara auton ek meseu autoiu, agarō tē …… pieces. He ordered the soldiers to go down and remove him by force and bring him into …
harpazarōntois“snatching”happening now · subjectpresent active participle nominative plural masculine1×
Jude 1:23hoin de sōzavōr ek pureu harpazarōntois, hoin de elēavōr en fobo, misarōntois …save others by snatching them from the fire; and to …
harpaziranton“caught up”happened · objectaorist passive participle accusative singular masculine1×
2 Corinthians 12:2… sōmeu ouk oidamē, tos theos oidatē harpaziranton ton toiouton heōs tritou ouranou.… Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven. Whether it …