verb
katalabamō
Strong’sG2638
I seize tight hold of, overtake, comprehend
stem katalab-15 times in the New Testamentin 8 of 27 books12 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
καταλαμβάνω basically means to seize or take hold of something, often forcefully, and can extend to taking possession of or obtaining something, such as grabbing a prize 1234. It is used of a demon seizing a boy, and of the effort of taking hold of or attaining a goal, as in reaching for a prize in a race 1.
It also means to overtake or come upon someone, as when time, darkness, or misfortune closes in on a person 1. From this comes the related use of catching someone in the act or discovering them doing something, so that they are taken by surprise 13.
In a mental sense it means to grasp with the mind, understand, perceive, or comprehend, as though taking hold of an idea the way one takes hold of an object 1234.
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
κατα-λαμβάνω,
[in LXX for נשׂג hi., לכד, etc.;]
G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament, 1922 — public domain. References open in the reader.
Strong’s G2638 — the 1890 definition, and where the word comes from
Saidkat-al-am-ban'-o
to take eagerly, i.e. seize, possess, etc. (literally or figuratively)
King Jamesapprehend, attain, come upon, comprehend, find, obtain, perceive, (over-)take.
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 -λήψομαιRefs 5th c.BC+, Ionic dialect -λάμψομαιRefs 7th c.BC+: perfect -είληφαRefs 5th c.BC+ c.BC)), -λελάβηκα Refs 6th c.BC+:—passive, Ionic dialect aorist -ελάμφθηνRefs; -ελάφθην Refs 4th c.BC+: perfect in middle sense, Refs 1st c.BC+:—seize, lay hold of, with accusative, τοῦ κατὰ νῶτα λαβών Refs 8th c.BC+; πάντα φυλακαῖς κ. Refs 5th c.BC+; φάσκων Ποσειδῶ πρότερον Ἀθηνᾶς καταλαβεῖν αὐτήν (i.e. τὴν πόλιν) Refs 5th c.BC+; later, simply, arrive at a place, Refs 6th c.AD+, etc.:—middle, seize for oneself, τὰ πρήγματα Refs 5th c.BC+; τὰ ἄλλοι οὐ κατελάβοντο matters which others had not preoccupied, Refs 2nd c.BC+ —passive, of a person, ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ καταληφθείς possessed, Refs 3rd c.AD+
2 of death, fatigue, disaster, etc., τὸν δὲ κατ᾽ ὄσσε ἔλλαβε.. θάνατος Refs 8th c.BC+; befall, overtake, συμφορὰ κ. πόλεις Refs 5th c.BC+; ὅσα φεύγοντας ἐκ τῆς πατρίδος κακὰ ἐπίδοξα καταλαμβάνειν may be expected to befall them,Refs: followed by infinitive, νοῦσός τινα κ. νοσῆσαι Refs; πρίν τι ἀνήκεστον ἡμᾶς κ. Refs 5th c.BC+; rarely of good fortune, τοῦτον κατέλαβε εὐτυχίη τις Refs 5th c.BC+
3 seize with the mind, comprehend, NT+5th c.BC+ (perhaps overcome); κάλλος διὰ τῆς [ὄψεως] Refs 5th c.BC+:—so in middle, NT+1st c.BC+:— passive, Refs 1st c.BC+
4 accept, παρὰ τοῦ βασιλέως.. δωροδοκήματα uncertain reading in Refs 5th c.BC+
II catch, overtake, come up with, τοὺς φεύγοντας Refs 5th c.BC+, etc.:—passive, Refs 2nd c.BC+
II.2 find on arrival, with participle, τινὰ ζῶντα Refs 5th c.BC+; detect, ἐπ᾽ αὐτοφώρῳ ἐμαυτόν Refs 5th c.BC+:—passive, κατελήφθη σοῦ λάθρᾳ πωλῶν τὰ σά NT+5th c.BC+; to be taken by surprise, Refs 1st c.AD+
III impersonal, καταλαμβάνει τινά with infinitive, it happens to one, it is one's fortune to.., καταλαμβάνει μιν φεύγειν Refs 5th c.BC+
IV absolutely, πρὸς τὴν καταλαβοῦσαν συμφορήν that had befallen, Refs; τὰ καταλαβόντα, ={τὰ συμβάντα}, what had happened, the circumstances, Refs 5th c.BC+; τῆς νυκτὸς -λαμβανούσης as night was coming on, Refs 1st c.BC+
V hold down, cover, τῇ Χειρὶ τὸν ὀφθαλμόν Refs 5th c.BC+; fasten down, κ. πῶμα γόμφοις Refs 2nd c.AD+ (so in middle, Refs 1st c.BC+:—passive, to be compressed, opposed to διαλύεσθαι, Refs 4th c.BC+
V.2 keep under, repress, check, κ. τινῶν αὐξανομένην τὴν δύναμιν Refs 5th c.BC+; κ. τὸ πῦρ get it under,Refs; κ. τὰς διαφοράς put an end to them, Refs.; κ. ἐρίζοντας stop their quarrelling, Refs: followed by infinitive, κ. τοὺς Αἰγυπτίους ταῦτα μὴ ποιέειν Refs; ὁ τῶν Περσέων θάνατος καταλαμφθεὶς ἐσιγήθη inquiries about their death being checked.. , Refs
V.2.b κ. τὸ πνεῦμα hold the breath, Refs 2nd c.AD+
V.3 bind, κ. πίστι καὶ ὁρκίοισι Refs 5th c.BC+:—passive, εἴ τινι -λέλαμμαι ὅρκῳ Refs; νόμοις, ἔθεσι κατειλημμένα enforced, Refs 5th c.BC+; [τὰς σπονδὰς] ηὗρε κατειλημμένας he found the treaty concluded, Refs 5th c.BC+
V.4 compel, constrain one to do, with infinitive, ἀναγκαίη μιν κ. φαίνειν forces him to bring out the truth, Refs 5th c.BC+ —passive, ἀναγκαίῃ καταλαμβανόμενος being constrained, Refs 5th c.BC+
V.5 convict, condemn, Refs 5th c.BC+; opposed to ἀπολύειν, Refs 4th c.BC+; of the prosecutor, secure a conviction, Refs 5th c.BC+; ὁ -λαβών Refs 2nd 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.
1 rarer rendering are not shown; every occurrence below carries the English it was given there.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| katalabomōκαταλαμβάνομαι | happening now · Ipresent middle or passive indicative 1st person singular | understand | 1× |
| katalabataκατέλαβεν | happened · he/she/itaorist active indicative 3rd person singular | overcome | 2× |
| katalabemaκατελαβόμην | happened · Iaorist middle indicative 1st person singular | found | 1× |
| katalabimaκατελήμφθην | happened · Iaorist passive indicative 1st person singular | laid hold of | 1× |
| katalabitaκατελήφθη | happened · he/she/itaorist passive indicative 3rd person singular | 1× | |
| katalabameiaκαταλάβω | happened · Iaorist active subjunctive 1st person singular | take hold of | 1× |
| katalabateiaκαταλάβῃ | happened · he/she/itaorist active subjunctive 3rd person singular | seizes | 3× |
| katalabaveiaκαταλάβητε | happened · yeaorist active subjunctive 2nd person plural | win | 1× |
| katalaberaκαταλαβέσθαι | happened · the “to …” formaorist middle infinitive | comprehend | 1× |
| katalabarēκατειληφέναι | has happened · the “to …” formperfect active infinitive | taken hold of | 1× |
| katalaberantoisκαταλαβόμενοι | happened · subjectaorist middle participle nominative plural masculine | realized | 1× |
| katalabirantanκαταλήφθεισαν | happened · objectaorist passive participle accusative singular feminine | 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 204, by mood, including the ones the New Testament never uses
Statements — indicative mood, 6 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 | katalabamō | katalabame | katalabami | katalabama | katalabamē | katalabamelē |
| you 2nd person singular | katalabasō | katalabase | katalabasi | katalabasa | katalabasē | katalabaselē |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | katalabatō | katalabate | katalabati | katalabata2×κατέλαβεν | katalabatē | katalabatelē |
| we 1st person plural | katalabanō | katalabane | katalabani | katalabana | katalabanē | katalabanelē |
| ye 2nd person plural | katalabavō | katalabave | katalabavi | katalabava | katalabavē | katalabavelē |
| they 3rd person plural | katalabalō | katalabale | katalabali | katalabala | katalabalē | katalabalelē |
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 | katalabomō1×καταλαμβάνομαι | katalabome | katalabomē | katalabomelē |
| you 2nd person singular | katalabosō | katalabose | katalabosē | katalaboselē |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | katalabotō | katalabote | katalabotē | katalabotelē |
| we 1st person plural | katalabonō | katalabone | katalabonē | katalabonelē |
| ye 2nd person plural | katalabovō | katalabove | katalabovē | katalabovelē |
| they 3rd person plural | katalabolō | katalabole | katalabolē | katalabolelē |
acts on or for itself middle voice
| Who person | will happen future | happened aorist |
|---|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | katalabemi | katalabema1×κατελαβόμην |
| you 2nd person singular | katalabesi | katalabesa |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | katalabeti | katalabeta |
| we 1st person plural | katalabeni | katalabena |
| ye 2nd person plural | katalabevi | katalabeva |
| they 3rd person plural | katalabeli | katalabela |
acted on passive voice
| Who person | will happen future | happened aorist |
|---|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | katalabimi | katalabima1×κατελήμφθην |
| you 2nd person singular | katalabisi | katalabisa |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | katalabiti | katalabita1×κατελήφθη |
| we 1st person plural | katalabini | katalabina |
| ye 2nd person plural | katalabivi | katalabiva |
| they 3rd person plural | katalabili | katalabila |
May, might — subjunctive mood, 5 occurrences
the subject acts active voice
| Who person | happening now present | happened aorist | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | katalabameiō | katalabameia1×καταλάβω | katalabameiē |
| you 2nd person singular | katalabaseiō | katalabaseia | katalabaseiē |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | katalabateiō | katalabateia3×καταλάβῃ | katalabateiē |
| we 1st person plural | katalabaneiō | katalabaneia | katalabaneiē |
| ye 2nd person plural | katalabaveiō | katalabaveia1×καταλάβητε | katalabaveiē |
| they 3rd person plural | katalabaleiō | katalabaleia | katalabaleiē |
acts on itself, or is acted on middle or passive voice
| Who person | happening now present | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | katalabomeiō | katalabomeiē |
| you 2nd person singular | katalaboseiō | katalaboseiē |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | katalaboteiō | katalaboteiē |
| we 1st person plural | katalaboneiō | katalaboneiē |
| ye 2nd person plural | katalaboveiō | katalaboveiē |
| they 3rd person plural | katalaboleiō | katalaboleiē |
acts on or for itself middle voice
| Who person | happened aorist |
|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | katalabemeia |
| you 2nd person singular | katalabeseia |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | katalabeteia |
| we 1st person plural | katalabeneia |
| ye 2nd person plural | katalabeveia |
| they 3rd person plural | katalabeleia |
acted on passive voice
| Who person | happened aorist |
|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | katalabimeia |
| you 2nd person singular | katalabiseia |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | katalabiteia |
| we 1st person plural | katalabineia |
| ye 2nd person plural | katalabiveia |
| they 3rd person plural | katalabileia |
Commands — imperative mood, no occurrences
the subject acts active voice
| Who person | happening now present | happened aorist | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|---|
| you 2nd person singular | katalabasōr | katalabasar | katalabasēr |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | katalabatōr | katalabatar | katalabatēr |
| ye 2nd person plural | katalabavōr | katalabavar | katalabavēr |
| they 3rd person plural | katalabalōr | katalabalar | katalabalēr |
acts on itself, or is acted on middle or passive voice
| Who person | happening now present | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|
| you 2nd person singular | katalabosōr | katalabosēr |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | katalabotōr | katalabotēr |
| ye 2nd person plural | katalabovōr | katalabovēr |
| they 3rd person plural | katalabolōr | katalabolēr |
acts on or for itself middle voice
| Who person | happened aorist |
|---|---|
| you 2nd person singular | katalabesar |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | katalabetar |
| ye 2nd person plural | katalabevar |
| they 3rd person plural | katalabelar |
acted on passive voice
| Who person | happened aorist |
|---|---|
| you 2nd person singular | katalabisar |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | katalabitar |
| ye 2nd person plural | katalabivar |
| they 3rd person plural | katalabilar |
Wishes — optative mood, no occurrences
the subject acts active voice
| Who person | happening now present | happened aorist |
|---|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | katalabamoiō | katalabamoia |
| you 2nd person singular | katalabasoiō | katalabasoia |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | katalabatoiō | katalabatoia |
| we 1st person plural | katalabanoiō | katalabanoia |
| ye 2nd person plural | katalabavoiō | katalabavoia |
| they 3rd person plural | katalabaloiō | katalabaloia |
acts on itself, or is acted on middle or passive voice
| Who person | happening now present |
|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | katalabomoiō |
| you 2nd person singular | katalabosoiō |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | katalabotoiō |
| we 1st person plural | katalabonoiō |
| ye 2nd person plural | katalabovoiō |
| they 3rd person plural | katalaboloiō |
acts on or for itself middle voice
| Who person | happened aorist |
|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | katalabemoia |
| you 2nd person singular | katalabesoia |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | katalabetoia |
| we 1st person plural | katalabenoia |
| ye 2nd person plural | katalabevoia |
| they 3rd person plural | katalabeloia |
acted on passive voice
| Who person | happened aorist |
|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | katalabimoia |
| you 2nd person singular | katalabisoia |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | katalabitoia |
| we 1st person plural | katalabinoia |
| ye 2nd person plural | katalabivoia |
| they 3rd person plural | katalabiloia |
The “to …” form — infinitive, 2 occurrences
| Who is acting voice | happening now present | will happen future | happened aorist | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| the subject acts active voice | katalabarō | katalabari | katalabara | katalabarē1×κατειληφέναι |
| acts on itself, or is acted on middle or passive voice | katalaborō | katalaborē | ||
| acts on or for itself middle voice | katalaberi | katalabera1×καταλαβέσθαι | ||
| acted on passive voice | katalabiri | katalabira |
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 | katalabarōntos | katalabarintos | katalabarantos | katalabarēntos |
| acts on itself, or is acted on middle or passive voice | katalaborōntos | katalaborēntos | ||
| acts on or for itself middle voice | katalaberintos | katalaberantos1× | ||
| acted on passive voice | katalabirintos | katalabirantos1× |
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
katalab 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.
15 occurrences, every one of them listed
katalabomō“understand”happening now · Ipresent middle or passive indicative 1st person singular1×
Acts 10:34… Petros tem stomem legata; Epi alētheiau katalabomō hoti ouk atō prosōpolēmptos tos theos,… began to speak: “I now truly understand that God does not show favoritism,
katalabata“overcome”happened · he/she/itaorist active indicative 3rd person singular2×
John 1:5… fanatō, kai tas skotias autem ouk katalabata.… darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
Romans 9:30“attained”… hoti ethneim teim mē diōkarōnteim dikaiosunan katalabata dikaiosunan, dikaiosunan de tan ek pistiau;… we say? That the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained it, a righteousness that is by faith;
katalabema“found”happened · Iaorist middle indicative 1st person singular1×
Acts 25:25mis de katalabema mēdenem axiem auton thanatou prassarē, autou …But I found he had done nothing worthy of …
katalabima“laid hold of”happened · Iaorist passive indicative 1st person singular1×
Philippians 3:12“laid hold of”… ei kai katalabameia, epi he kai katalabima hupo Christou.… on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took …
katalabitahappened · he/she/itaorist passive indicative 3rd person singular1×
John 8:4… auto, peirazarōntois Didaskalor, houtas tas gunaikas katalabita epi autofōro moicheuorōntasand said, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery.
katalabameia“take hold of”happened · Iaorist active subjunctive 1st person singular1×
Philippians 3:12… ēdē teleiomē, diōkamō de ei kai katalabameia, epi he kai katalabima hupo Christou.… perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took …
katalabateia“seizes”happened · he/she/itaorist active subjunctive 3rd person singular3×
Mark 9:18kai hopou ean auton katalabateia rēgatō auton, kai afrizatō kai trizatō …Whenever it seizes him, it throws him to the …
John 12:35… fōtem echavō, hina mē skotias vin katalabateia, kai tos peripatarōntos en ta skotia …… Light, so that darkness will not overtake you. The one who walks in …
1 Thessalonians 5:4“surprise”… hina tas hēmeras vin hōs kleptos katalabateia,… the darkness so that this day should overtake you like a thief.
katalabaveia“win”happened · yeaorist active subjunctive 2nd person plural1×
1 Corinthians 9:24“win”… labatō tem brabeiem? houtōs trechavōr hina katalabaveia.… only one receives the prize? Run in such a way as to …
katalabera“comprehend”happened · the “to …” formaorist middle infinitive1×
Ephesians 3:18hina exischuaveia katalabera sun pantoi toi hagioi tinem tem …… together with all the saints, to comprehend the length and width and height …
katalabarē“taken hold of”has happened · the “to …” formperfect active infinitive1×
Philippians 3:13adelfoir, mis miauton ouk logizomō katalabarē; henem de, teim men opisō epilathorōntos …… not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do …
katalaberantois“realized”happened · subjectaorist middle participle nominative plural masculine1×
Acts 4:13… tou Petrou parrēsian kai Iōannou kai katalaberantois hoti anthrōpois agrammatois alō kai idiōtois, …… boldness of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men …
katalabirantanhappened · objectaorist passive participle accusative singular feminine1×
John 8:3… Farisaiois pros auton gunaikan en moicheia katalabirantan kai stēarantois autan en mese… scribes and Pharisees, however, brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before them