συλλαμβάνω
to seize
‘to seize’ is one of 4 main senses fuller range ↓
Full lexicon entry — Thayer's Greek Lexicon
From Thayer's Greek Lexicon
Where this word appears
See every Aorist-tense verb in the Greek New Testament →
Grammar key — what these labels mean
Part of speech
- Verb
- An action or state-of-being word.
Tense
- Aorist
- Action viewed as a simple whole, without regard to duration — often past (perfective aspect).
- Future
- Action expected in future time.
- Present
- Ongoing or general action in present time (imperfective aspect).
- Perfect
- A completed past action with continuing present results.
Voice
- Active
- The subject performs the action.
- Middle
- The subject acts on or for itself, or with special interest in the action.
- Passive
- The subject receives the action.
- Middle deponent
- Middle in form but active in meaning.
Mood
- Infinitive
- A verbal noun (“to write”), unmarked for person or number.
- Indicative
- States a fact or asks a factual question (the mood of reality).
- Participle
- A verbal adjective (“writing,” “having written”).
- Imperative
- Expresses a command or request.
Case
- Dative
- The case of the indirect object, means, or location — “to / for / with / in.”
- Nominative
- The case of the subject (and the predicate nominative).
- Accusative
- The case of the direct object and of extent.
Person
- 3rd person
- The one spoken about (“he / she / it / they”).
- 2nd person
- The one addressed (“you”).
Gender
- Masculine
- Grammatically masculine.
- Feminine
- Grammatically feminine.
Number
- Plural
- More than one.
- Singular
- One.
1 distinct verse where G4815 appears in the Perfect tense, across 1 book. Filtered view — show all forms. Click any verse to open its interlinear word-by-word view. Verse text shown in the World English Bible for context — . Each verse’s Greek form is shown with its reference; the English is not keyword-highlighted, since the data carries no word-level English alignment. Use “Compare translations” on any verse to read it across multiple English versions. This concordance covers the Greek New Testament; Septuagint (Greek Old Testament) occurrences of this word are not indexed here.
Luke 1 verse
About this entry
At a glance — auto-summarized from this page’s data, not written by a person. Every figure links to its source below. This summary describes the numbers; it doesn’t interpret them.
συλλαμβανω (syllambánō) is a Greek verb most often rendered “to seize.” Ranging over 4 senses, it is not a single-sense word. It turns up in 16 verses across 7 books, an uncommon footprint. It concentrates in Luke, which alone accounts for 44% of its uses. Scripture first uses it in Matthew 26:55. The sections below give every sense, occurrence, and version rendering.
Gloss history
Strong's 1890 vs modern scholarship
About this word
Strong's G4815 catalogs a Greek word from the Greek New Testament.
These counts are not copied from any lexicon or concordance. They are computed here, from the morphology-tagged Greek New Testament. What Lemma adds →
- 16
- distinct verses
- The word appears in 16 distinct verses.
- 7 / 27
- NT books
- The word appears in 7 of 27 New Testament books.
- #726
- by frequency
- Top 1000 most frequent Greek words (rank 726 of 5,347 Greek words by occurrence).
View all 16 occurrences in the concordance →
By section of the New Testament
By traditional corpus
Conventional, traditional groupings — biblical authorship is debated, so this is a traditional corpus grouping, not an authorship claim. Some books belong to more than one corpus (Luke is in both the Gospels and the Lukan corpus, and so on), so these shares overlap and need not total 100%. Each figure is a share of the word’s 16 distinct verses.
- Lukan (Luke–Acts) 11 verses · 69%
- Gospels 10 verses · 63%
- Johannine 1 verse · 6%
- Pauline corpus 1 verse · 6%
- General (Catholic) Epistles 1 verse · 6%
How translations render this word
Counts come from each version’s own published word-to-Strong’s tagging or interlinear alignment — an approximate guide to how each version renders this word, not a word-level alignment the data otherwise carries. Because each total is that version’s own tagged count, the per-version totals vary from one another and need not match the appearance or distinct-verse counts above. These counts may also differ from a printed concordance because Lemma counts each distinctly tagged rendering and does not collapse phrase taggings into a single head-word total. This is a fixed set of word-tagged versions (KJV, ASV, BSB, ULT) and does not change with the reading translation you choose elsewhere. Each version’s license is shown beside its name below (and on Sources).
- King James Version: Take 3×, Conceived 2×, Help 2×
- American Standard Version: Seize 3×, Conceived 2×, Help 2×
- Berean Standard Bible: Arrest 2×, Arrested 2×, Has conceived 2×
- unfoldingWord Literal Text: Having seized 2×, Help 2×, Seize 2×
King James Version Public Domain
Renders G4815 across 17 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 8 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
American Standard Version Public Domain
Renders G4815 across 17 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 8 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
Berean Standard Bible Public Domain
Renders G4815 across 16 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 8 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
unfoldingWord Literal Text CC BY-SA 4.0
Renders G4815 across 16 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 10 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
Senses in Thayer's
The 4 senses Thayer's distinguishes for this word, in lexicon order (not ranked by frequency or importance). The full entry — with sub-senses — is in the Lexicon Entry tab.
- to seize, take: one as prisoner
- metaph. of lust whose impulses a man indulges
- in a hostile sense, to make (one a permanent) prisoner
- to take hold together with one, to assist, help, to succour
Word origin
Derived from συν (sýn) (G4862) — with.
Forms in the corpus
The 13 distinct written forms G4815 takes in the Greek New Testament, most frequent first — each parse links to that tense’s occurrences in the concordance.
Same root — word family
Other Thayer's entries built from the same root as G4815, grouped by Strong’s listed origin. These share a root / origin per the lexicon — not necessarily a shared meaning. Each links to that word’s own entry.
Derives from
Shares the same root
- κοινος koinós G2839 common
- συγγενης syngenḗs G4773 related by blood
- συγγνωμη syngnṓmē G4774 pardon
- συγκαθημαι synkáthēmai G4775 to sit together
- συγκαθιζω synkathízō G4776 to sit together
- συγκακοπαθεω synkakopathéō G4777 to suffer together
- συγκακουχεω synkakouchéō G4778 to be ill-treated together
- συγκαλεω synkaléō G4779 to call together
- συγκαλυπτω synkalýptō G4780 to cover completely
- συγκαμπτω synkámptō G4781 to bend together
- συγκαταβαινω synkatabaínō G4782 to go down with
- συγκατατιθεμαι synkatatíthemai G4784 to deposit together
- συγκαταψηφιζω synkatapsēphízō G4785 to vote against
- συγκεραννυμι synkeránnymi G4786 to mix together
- συγκλειω synkleíō G4788 to shut up
- συγκληρονομος synklēronómos G4789 joint heir
- συγκοινωνεω synkoinōnéō G4790 to share together
- συγκοινωνος synkoinōnós G4791 joint partner
- συγκομιζω synkomízō G4792 to collect together
- συγκρινω synkrínō G4793 to join together
- συγκυπτω synkýptō G4794 to bend together
- συγκυρια synkyría G4795 by chance
- συγχαιρω synchaírō G4796 to rejoice with
- συγχεω synchéō G4797 to disturb
+125 more words share this root (not shown).
Compare all same-root words → Showing 4 of 151 — not the complete family. They share a root, not necessarily a meaning.
Septuagint usage
The same Greek word συλλαμβανω appears 86 times in the Greek Old Testament (Septuagint), across 83 verses in 19 books.
- 86
- LXX occurrences
- Tagged occurrences of this Greek word in the Septuagint.
- 83
- verses
- Distinct Septuagint verses containing this word.
- 19 / 39
- OT books
- The word appears in 19 of the 39 Old Testament books.
Sample Septuagint occurrences
- Genesis 4:1 συνλαμβάνω
- Exodus 12:4 συνλαμβάνω
- Numbers 5:13 συνλαμβάνω
- Deuteronomy 21:19 συνλαμβάνω
- Joshua 8:23 συνλαμβάνω
- Judges 7:25 συνλαμβάνω
- 1 Samuel 1:20 συνλαμβάνω
- 2 Samuel 12:24 συνλαμβάνω
- 1 Kings 13:4 συνλαμβάνω
- 2 Kings 7:12 συνλαμβάνω
- Job 22:16 συνλαμβάνω
- Psalms 7:15 συνλαμβάνω
Septuagint occurrences (same lexeme)
Every verse where the same Strong’s number (G4815) appears in the Greek Septuagint — showing the first 50 of 83. Verse text shown in the World English Bible for context; the Greek form is the matched word — the English is not keyword-highlighted.
- Genesis 4:1 συνλαμβάνω The man knew Eve his wife. She conceived, and gave birth to Cain, and said, "I have gotten a man with Yahweh's help."
- Genesis 4:17 συνλαμβάνω Cain knew his wife. She conceived, and gave birth to Enoch. He built a city, and called the name of the city, after the name of his son, Enoch.
- Genesis 4:25 συνλαμβάνω Adam knew his wife again. She gave birth to a son, and named him Seth. For, she said, "God has appointed me another child instead of Abel, for Cain killed him."
- Genesis 16:4 συνλαμβάνω He went in to Hagar, and she conceived. When she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her eyes.
- Genesis 19:36 συνλαμβάνω Thus both of Lot's daughters were with child by their father.
- Genesis 21:2 συνλαμβάνω Sarah conceived, and bore Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him.
- Genesis 29:32 συνλαμβάνω Leah conceived, and bore a son, and she named him Reuben. For she said, "Because Yahweh has looked at my affliction. For now my husband will love me."
- Genesis 29:33 συνλαμβάνω She conceived again, and bare a son, and said, "Because Yahweh has heard that I am hated, he has therefore given me this son also." She named him Simeon.
- Genesis 29:34 συνλαμβάνω She conceived again, and bare a son. Said, "Now this time will my husband be joined to me, because I have borne him three sons." Therefore was his name called Levi.
- Genesis 29:35 συνλαμβάνω She conceived again, and bare a son. She said, "This time will I praise Yahweh." Therefore she named him Judah. Then she stopped bearing.
- Genesis 30:5 συνλαμβάνω Bilhah conceived, and bore Jacob a son.
- Genesis 30:7 συνλαμβάνω Bilhah, Rachel's handmaid, conceived again, and bore Jacob a second son.
- Genesis 30:8 συνλαμβάνω Rachel said, "With mighty wrestlings have I wrestled with my sister, and have prevailed." She named him Naphtali.
- Genesis 30:10 συνλαμβάνω Zilpah, Leah's handmaid, bore Jacob a son.
- Genesis 30:12 συνλαμβάνω Zilpah, Leah's handmaid, bore Jacob a second son.
- Genesis 30:17 συνλαμβάνω God listened to Leah, and she conceived, and bore Jacob a fifth son.
- Genesis 30:19 συνλαμβάνω Leah conceived again, and bore a sixth son to Jacob.
- Genesis 30:23 συνλαμβάνω She conceived, bore a son, and said, "God has taken away my reproach."
- Genesis 38:3 συνλαμβάνω She conceived, and bore a son; and he named him Er.
- Genesis 38:4 συνλαμβάνω She conceived again, and bore a son; and she named him Onan.
- Exodus 12:4 συνλαμβάνω and if the household be too little for a lamb, then he and his neighbor next to his house shall take one according to the number of the souls; according to what everyone can eat you shall make your count for the lamb.
- Numbers 5:13 συνλαμβάνω and a man lies with her carnally, and it is hidden from the eyes of her husband, and is kept close, and she is defiled, and there is no witness against her, and she isn't taken in the act;
- Deuteronomy 21:19 συνλαμβάνω then shall his father and his mother lay hold on him, and bring him out to the elders of his city, and to the gate of his place;
- Joshua 8:23 συνλαμβάνω The king of Ai they took alive, and brought him to Joshua.
- Judges 7:25 συνλαμβάνω They took the two princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb; and they killed Oreb at the rock of Oreb, and Zeeb they killed at the winepress of Zeeb, and pursued Midian: and they brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon beyond the Jordan.
- Judges 8:14 συνλαμβάνω He caught a young man of the men of Succoth, and inquired of him: and he described for him the princes of Succoth, and the elders of it, seventy-seven men.
- Judges 13:3 συνλαμβάνω The angel of Yahweh appeared to the woman, and said to her, See now, you are barren, and don't bear; but you shall conceive, and bear a son.
- Judges 15:4 συνλαμβάνω Samson went and caught three hundred foxes, and took firebrands, and turned tail to tail, and put a firebrand in the midst between every two tails.
- 1 Samuel 1:20 συνλαμβάνω It happened, when the time was come about, that Hannah conceived, and bore a son; and she named him Samuel, [saying], Because I have asked him of Yahweh.
- 1 Samuel 4:19 συνλαμβάνω His daughter-in-law, Phinehas' wife, was with child, near to be delivered: and when she heard the news that the ark of God was taken, and that her father-in-law and her husband were dead, she bowed herself and brought forth; for her pains came on her.
- 1 Samuel 15:8 συνλαμβάνω He took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword.
- 1 Samuel 23:26 συνλαμβάνω Saul went on this side of the mountain, and David and his men on that side of the mountain: and David made haste to get away for fear of Saul; for Saul and his men compassed David and his men round about to take them.
- 2 Samuel 12:24 συνλαμβάνω David comforted Bathsheba his wife, and went in to her, and lay with her: and she bore a son, and he called his name Solomon. Yahweh loved him;
- 1 Kings 13:4 συνλαμβάνω It happened, when the king heard the saying of the man of God, which he cried against the altar in Bethel, that Jeroboam put forth his hand from the altar, saying, Lay hold on him. His hand, which he put forth against him, dried up, so that he could not draw it back again to him.
- 1 Kings 18:40 συνλαμβάνω and Elijah said to them, Take the prophets of Baal; don't let one of them escape. They took them; and Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon, and killed them there.
- 1 Kings 21:18 συνλαμβάνω Arise, go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, who dwells in Samaria: behold, he is in the vineyard of Naboth, where he is gone down to take possession of it.
- 2 Kings 7:12 συνλαμβάνω The king arose in the night, and said to his servants, I will now show you what the Syrians have done to us. They know that we are hungry; therefore are they gone out of the camp to hide themselves in the field, saying, When they come out of the city, we shall take them alive, and get into the city.
- 2 Kings 10:14 συνλαμβάνω He said, Take them alive. They took them alive, and killed them at the pit of the shearing-house, even two and forty men; neither left he any of them.
- 2 Kings 14:7 συνλαμβάνω He killed of Edom in the Valley of Salt ten thousand, and took Sela by war, and called the name of it Joktheel, to this day.
- 2 Kings 14:13 συνλαμβάνω Jehoash king of Israel took Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Jehoash the son of Ahaziah, at Beth-shemesh, and came to Jerusalem, and broke down the wall of Jerusalem from the gate of Ephraim to the corner gate, four hundred cubits.
- 2 Kings 16:9 συνλαμβάνω The king of Assyria listened to him; and the king of Assyria went up against Damascus, and took it, and carried [the people of] it captive to Kir, and killed Rezin.
- 2 Kings 17:6 συνλαμβάνω In the ninth year of Hoshea the king of Assyria took Samaria, and carried Israel away to Assyria, and placed them in Halah, and on the Habor, the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes.
- 2 Kings 18:10 συνλαμβάνω At the end of three years they took it: in the sixth year of Hezekiah, which was the ninth year of Hoshea king of Israel, Samaria was taken.
- 2 Kings 18:13 συνλαμβάνω Now in the fourteenth year of king Hezekiah did Sennacherib king of Assyria come up against all the fortified cities of Judah, and took them.
- 2 Kings 25:6 συνλαμβάνω Then they took the king, and carried him up to the king of Babylon to Riblah; and they gave judgment on him.
- Job 22:16 συνλαμβάνω Who were snatched away before their time, Whose foundation was poured out as a stream,
- Job 39:13 συνλαμβάνω "The wings of the ostrich wave proudly; But are they the feathers and plumage of love?
- Psalms 7:15 συνλαμβάνω He has dug a hole, And has fallen into the pit which he made.
- Psalms 9:16 συνλαμβάνω Yahweh has made himself known. He has executed judgment. The wicked is snared by the work of his own hands. Meditation. Selah.
- Psalms 9:17 συνλαμβάνω The wicked shall be turned back to Sheol, Even all the nations that forget God.
These are occurrences of the same Greek lexeme (G4815) in the Septuagint — not a translation of any one Hebrew word. The store carries no word-level Hebrew↔Greek alignment, so no Hebrew original is asserted here. Counts come from the recovered LXX Strong's tagging — high-frequency vocabulary is well covered, while rare or late forms may be untagged — so they reflect tagged occurrences and may slightly undercount.
