verb
piazamō
Strong’sG4084
I lay hold of
stem piaz-12 times in the New Testamentin 4 of 27 books7 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
To lay hold of, grasp, take hold of by the hand: this is the basic sense of the word, literally to squeeze or press 2, used of taking hold of something or someone physically 134.
To seize, capture, apprehend: the word is also used for taking someone by force, whether an official arrest, a gentle hand-seizure, or a capture as in hunting 12.
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
πιάζω
(cf. MGr. πιάνω; v. Kennedy, Sources, 155), Doric and late Att. for πιέζω in its later senses; [in LXX: Ca 2:15 (אחז), Si 23:21*;]
G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament, 1922 — public domain. References open in the reader.
Strong’s G4084 — the 1890 definition, and where the word comes from
Saidpee-ad'-zo
to squeeze, i.e. seize (gently by the hand (press), or officially (arrest), or in hunting (capture))
Fromprobably another form of G971;
King Jamesapprehend, catch, lay hand on, 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
imperfect ἐπίεζον, Epic dialect πίεζον Refs 8th c.BC+: future πιέσω Refs 4th c.BC+; Epic dialect πιέσσω Refs 4th c.AD+: aorist ἐπίεσα Refs 5th c.BC+ (but subjunctive πιέξῃς Refs 5th c.BC+, infinitive πιέξαι Refs 4th c.BC+participle πιέξας (variant{πιάξας}) Refs 2nd c.BC+: perfect πεπίεκα Refs 2nd c.BC+:—passive, future πιεσθήσομαι Refs 2nd c.AD+ (δια-), Heliod cited in Refs 4th c.AD+: aorist ἐπιέσθην Refs 8th c.BC+: perfect πεπίεσμαι Refs 5th c.BC+—From πῐεζέω we have πιεζέουσι variant in Refsimperfect πιέζευν variant in Refs 8th c.BC+; participle πιεζεῦντα Refs 5th c.BC+:—passive, participle πιεζεύμενος Refs 5th c.BC+ (always with variant -όμενος), Refs 5th c.BC+: imperfect ἐπιεζοῦντο Refs 2nd c.BC+; so in later Gr., as Refs 1st c.AD+; Doric dialect, Aeolic dialect, and later Gr. πῐάζω Refs 7th c.BC+: aorist 1 ἐπίᾰσα LXX+NT+3rd c.BC+passive, future πιασθήσομαι LXX: aorist ἐπιάσθην NT: perfect πεπίασμαι Refs 1st c.BC+:—press tight, squeeze, χειρὶ ἑλὼν ἐπίεζε βραχίονα Refs 8th c.BC+; ἀστεμφέως ἐχέμεν μᾶλλόν τε π. Refs 8th c.BC+; π. τὰ χείλεα compress them, Refs 5th c.BC+; ῥύγχος εἰς ὄξος π. Refs 4th c.BC+; π. τοὺς ὑπευθύνους squeezing them (like figs), to try if they are ripe, Refs 5th c.BC+:—passive, to be pressed tight, ἐν δεσμοῖς Refs 8th c.BC+; of wrestlers, Refs 1st c.AD+; πιέζεται ὅσα πόρους ἔχει κενούς are compressible, Refs 4th c.BC+
II press or weigh down, of a heavy weight, Σικελία αὐτοῦ π. στέρνα Refs 5th c.BC+:—and in passive, ὁ δ᾽ ὦμος.. πιέζεται Refs 5th c.BC+: metaphorically, oppress, distress, π. τινὰ ἡ δαπάνη Refs 5th c.BC+; συμφορὰ δ᾽ἑτέρους ἑτέρα π. Refs 5th c.BC+; π. ἡ ἀνάγκηRefs 5th c.BC+:—frequently in passive, ὑπὸ νούσοισι Refs 6th c.BC+; of a river, to be exhausted from the heat of the sun, Refs
II.2 press hard, of a victorious army, τοὺς ἐναντίους Refs —passive, τὴν πιεζομένην μάλιστα τῶν μοιρέωνRefs 5th c.BC+
II.3 bear hardly upon, τινα Refs 5th c.BC+; of a point in the argument, hold fast to, Refs 5th c.BC+; press it, Refs 2nd c.BC+ [same place], etc.; lay stress on, Refs 1st c.AD+: with dative, insist upon, τοῖσι περιπάτοισι Refs 5th c.BC+
II.3.b determine precisely, ἀποστήματα Refs 5th c.AD+; π. δεῖ πῶς ἓν ἐκεῖνο καὶ ἕτερον Refs 3rd c.AD+
II.4 repress, stifle, ἐν θυμῷ χόλον Refs 5th c.BC+
II.5 outweigh, τἀγαθῷ τὸ δυστυχές Refs 5th c.BC+
III later, lay hold of, ταῦρον.. πιάξας τᾶς ὁπλᾶς by the hoof, NT+3rd 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| piazataἐπίασεν | happened · he/she/itaorist active indicative 3rd person singular | seized | 1× |
| piazavaἐπιάσατε | happened · yeaorist active indicative 2nd person plural | caught | 1× |
| piazalaἐπίασαν | happened · theyaorist active indicative 3rd person plural | caught | 1× |
| piazitaἐπιάσθη | happened · he/she/itaorist passive indicative 3rd person singular | captured | 1× |
| piazaleiaπιάσωσιν | happened · theyaorist active subjunctive 3rd person plural | arrest | 2× |
| piazaraπιάσαι | happened · the “to …” formaorist active infinitive | seize | 4× |
| piazarantosπιάσας | happened · subjectaorist active participle nominative singular masculine | took | 2× |
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, 4 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 | piazamō | piazame | piazami | piazama | piazamē | piazamelē |
| you 2nd person singular | piazasō | piazase | piazasi | piazasa | piazasē | piazaselē |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | piazatō | piazate | piazati | piazata1×ἐπίασεν | piazatē | piazatelē |
| we 1st person plural | piazanō | piazane | piazani | piazana | piazanē | piazanelē |
| ye 2nd person plural | piazavō | piazave | piazavi | piazava1×ἐπιάσατε | piazavē | piazavelē |
| they 3rd person plural | piazalō | piazale | piazali | piazala1×ἐπίασαν | piazalē | piazalelē |
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 | piazomō | piazome | piazomē | piazomelē |
| you 2nd person singular | piazosō | piazose | piazosē | piazoselē |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | piazotō | piazote | piazotē | piazotelē |
| we 1st person plural | piazonō | piazone | piazonē | piazonelē |
| ye 2nd person plural | piazovō | piazove | piazovē | piazovelē |
| they 3rd person plural | piazolō | piazole | piazolē | piazolelē |
acted on passive voice
| Who person | will happen future | happened aorist |
|---|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | piazimi | piazima |
| you 2nd person singular | piazisi | piazisa |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | piaziti | piazita1×ἐπιάσθη |
| we 1st person plural | piazini | piazina |
| ye 2nd person plural | piazivi | piaziva |
| they 3rd person plural | piazili | piazila |
May, might — subjunctive mood, 2 occurrences
the subject acts active voice
| Who person | happening now present | happened aorist | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | piazameiō | piazameia | piazameiē |
| you 2nd person singular | piazaseiō | piazaseia | piazaseiē |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | piazateiō | piazateia | piazateiē |
| we 1st person plural | piazaneiō | piazaneia | piazaneiē |
| ye 2nd person plural | piazaveiō | piazaveia | piazaveiē |
| they 3rd person plural | piazaleiō | piazaleia2×πιάσωσιν | piazaleiē |
acts on itself, or is acted on middle or passive voice
| Who person | happening now present | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | piazomeiō | piazomeiē |
| you 2nd person singular | piazoseiō | piazoseiē |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | piazoteiō | piazoteiē |
| we 1st person plural | piazoneiō | piazoneiē |
| ye 2nd person plural | piazoveiō | piazoveiē |
| they 3rd person plural | piazoleiō | piazoleiē |
acted on passive voice
| Who person | happened aorist |
|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | piazimeia |
| you 2nd person singular | piaziseia |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | piaziteia |
| we 1st person plural | piazineia |
| ye 2nd person plural | piaziveia |
| they 3rd person plural | piazileia |
Commands — imperative mood, no occurrences
the subject acts active voice
| Who person | happening now present | happened aorist | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|---|
| you 2nd person singular | piazasōr | piazasar | piazasēr |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | piazatōr | piazatar | piazatēr |
| ye 2nd person plural | piazavōr | piazavar | piazavēr |
| they 3rd person plural | piazalōr | piazalar | piazalēr |
acts on itself, or is acted on middle or passive voice
| Who person | happening now present | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|
| you 2nd person singular | piazosōr | piazosēr |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | piazotōr | piazotēr |
| ye 2nd person plural | piazovōr | piazovēr |
| they 3rd person plural | piazolōr | piazolēr |
acted on passive voice
| Who person | happened aorist |
|---|---|
| you 2nd person singular | piazisar |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | piazitar |
| ye 2nd person plural | piazivar |
| they 3rd person plural | piazilar |
Wishes — optative mood, no occurrences
the subject acts active voice
| Who person | happening now present | happened aorist |
|---|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | piazamoiō | piazamoia |
| you 2nd person singular | piazasoiō | piazasoia |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | piazatoiō | piazatoia |
| we 1st person plural | piazanoiō | piazanoia |
| ye 2nd person plural | piazavoiō | piazavoia |
| they 3rd person plural | piazaloiō | piazaloia |
acts on itself, or is acted on middle or passive voice
| Who person | happening now present |
|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | piazomoiō |
| you 2nd person singular | piazosoiō |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | piazotoiō |
| we 1st person plural | piazonoiō |
| ye 2nd person plural | piazovoiō |
| they 3rd person plural | piazoloiō |
acted on passive voice
| Who person | happened aorist |
|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | piazimoia |
| you 2nd person singular | piazisoia |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | piazitoia |
| we 1st person plural | piazinoia |
| ye 2nd person plural | piazivoia |
| they 3rd person plural | piaziloia |
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 | piazarō | piazari | piazara4×πιάσαι | piazarē |
| acts on itself, or is acted on middle or passive voice | piazorō | piazorē | ||
| acted on passive voice | piaziri | piazira |
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 | piazarōntos | piazarintos | piazarantos2×πιάσας | piazarēntos |
| acts on itself, or is acted on middle or passive voice | piazorōntos | piazorēntos | ||
| acted on passive voice | piazirintos | piazirantos |
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
piaz 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.
12 occurrences, every one of them listed
piazata“seized”happened · he/she/itaorist active indicative 3rd person singular1×
John 8:20… didaskarōntos en te hiere; kai oudenos piazata auton, hoti oupō erchatelē tas hōras …… near the treasury. Yet no one seized Him, because His hour had not …
piazava“caught”happened · yeaorist active indicative 2nd person plural1×
John 21:10… Iēsus; Feravar apo teiu opsarieiu heiu piazava nun.… of the fish you have just caught.”
piazala“caught”happened · theyaorist active indicative 3rd person plural1×
John 21:3… ploiem, kai en ekeina ta nukta piazala oudenem.… and got into the boat, but caught nothing that night.
piazita“captured”happened · he/she/itaorist passive indicative 3rd person singular1×
Revelation 19:20kai piazita tem thērem kai meta auteu tos …But the beast was captured along with the false prophet, who …
piazaleia“arrest”happened · theyaorist active subjunctive 3rd person plural2×
John 7:32… archierevois kai tois Farisaiois hupēretoin hina piazaleia auton.… the chief priests sent officers to arrest Him.
John 11:57… tinos gnōskateia pou atō mēnuateia, hopōs piazaleia auton.… report it, so that they could arrest Him.
piazara“seize”happened · the “to …” formaorist active infinitive4×
John 7:30zētale oun auton piazara, kai oudenos epibalata epi auton tan …So they tried to seize Him, but no one laid a …
John 7:44tinois de thelale ek autoiu piazara auton, alla oudenos epibalata epi auton …Some of them wanted to seize Him, but no one laid a …
John 10:39zētale oun palin auton piazara; kai exerchata ek tau cheirau autoiu.At this, they tried again to seize Him, but He escaped their grasp.
2 Corinthians 11:32“seize”… tou basilevou frourate tan polan Damaskēnoiu piazara min,… governor under King Aretas secured the city of the Damascenes in order to arrest me.
piazarantos“took”happened · subjectaorist active participle nominative singular masculine2×
Acts 3:7“took”kai piazarantos auton tau dexau cheirau egerata auton; …Taking him by the right hand, Peter helped him up, and at once …
Acts 12:4“seized”hon kai piazarantos titheta eis fulakan, paradōarantos tessares tetradiei …He arrested him and put him in prison, handing him over to be guarded by four squads of four …