Greek word · G163

αἰχμαλωτίζω

aichmalōtizō

to capture

To take captive in war, to make a prisoner of war. It comes from aichmē, 'spear-point', and halōtos, 'captured'. In figurative use it means to subdue or bring under control.

Appears 4 times in 4 verses of the Greek New Testament. ·

What it means

αἰχμαλωτίζω

(αἰχμάλωτος), [in LXX chiefly for שׁבה ;] in late writers = cl. αἰχμάλωτον ποιῶ (ἄγω),

to take or lead captive: before εἰς, Luke 21:24 (cf. Tobit 1:10); metaphorically, Romans 7:23, 2 Corinthians 10:5, 2 Timothy 3:6.†

(AS)

From G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament (1922), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of 2 Corinthians 10:5

Range of meaning

To take captive in war, to make a prisoner of war. It comes from aichmē, 'spear-point', and halōtos, 'captured'. In figurative use it means to subdue or bring under control.

Against the English

'Take captive' and 'bring into captivity' are accurate. The English phrase 'take captive' has gone soft in devotional use. The Greek is a word of conquest: armed troops leading prisoners out of a breached city.

Used elsewhere in the period

It appears in later Greek (Diodorus, Josephus Antiquities 10.153, etc.) for taking prisoners of war. Paul uses it in Romans 7:23 for sin's law 'taking me captive', Luke 21:24 uses it for Jerusalem's people led captive, and 2 Timothy 3:6 has false teachers who 'capture' weak people. 2 Corinthians 2:14 belongs to the same picture: God leads Paul in a triumphal procession.

From the study of Romans 7:23

Range of meaning

"To take prisoner of war, lead away captive" (from aichmē, "spear," and halōtos, "captured"). The noun aichmalōtos means "war captive." In the ancient world prisoners of war were usually sold as slaves.

Against the English

"Bringing me into captivity" (KJV, WEB) and "holding me captive" (BSB) keep the image. "Making me a prisoner" (NIV) is close. NLT's "slave" names the outcome but drops the battlefield.

Used elsewhere in the period

Used in the Septuagint for armies carrying off populations, including Israel's exiles. In the New Testament: Luke 21:24 ("led captive into all nations"), 2 Cor 10:5 ("taking every thought captive"), 2 Tim 3:6. Josephus uses it for wartime captures.

From the study of 2 Timothy 3:6

Range of meaning

From αἰχμή, 'spear', and ἁλωτός, 'captured': to take a prisoner of war, carry off captive. Used figuratively of being mastered or overpowered.

Against the English

KJV 'lead captive' keeps the war image. BSB 'captivate' and NASB 'captivate' sound like charm or fascination, since 'captivating' in modern English is a compliment, so the violence and loss of freedom fade. NIV 'gain control over' keeps the domination but loses the picture.

How it drifted

'Captivate' has softened in English from 'take captive' to 'delight, charm'.

Used elsewhere in the period

Common in the Septuagint (the Greek Old Testament) for deportation in war. In the NT: Luke 21:24 (Jerusalem's people led captive), Rom 7:23 (sin's law 'taking me captive'), 2 Cor 10:5 ('taking every thought captive to obey Christ'). Compare 2 Tim 2:26, where people are 'held captive' (ἐζωγρημένοι) by the devil.

Similar words

Where it appears

Luke · 1

  1. Luke 21:24 αἰχμαλωτισθήσονται will be led captive

    They will fall by the edge of the sword and be led captive into all the nations. And Jerusalem will be trodden down by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.

    Here: 'They will be made prisoners of war.' The word comes from aichmē, 'spear-point': a person taken at spear-point. In the ancient world this meant enslavement and deportation, not prison.

Romans · 1

  1. Romans 7:23 αἰχμαλωτίζοντά making captive

    But I see another law at work in my body, warring against the law of my mind and holding me captive to the law of sin that dwells within me.

    Here: "Taking prisoner of war." The word is built from aichmē, "spear": someone captured at spear-point and led away. In that world a prisoner of war normally became a slave.

2 Corinthians · 1

  1. 2 Corinthians 10:5 αἰχμαλωτίζοντες taking captive

    We demolish arguments and every presumption set up against the knowledge of God; and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

    Here: Literally 'capture at spear-point', the word for taking prisoners of war. Its plural 'we' subject is Paul and his co-workers. Like 'tearing down', it carries on the sentence begun with 'we wage war' in v.3.

2 Timothy · 1

  1. 2 Timothy 3:6 αἰχμαλωτίζοντες being captured

    They are the kind who worm their way into households and captivate vulnerable women who are weighed down with sins and led astray by various passions,

    Here: A war word: to carry off prisoners won 'by the spear'. Spiritual influence is pictured as conquest and abduction. The participle is active ('taking captive'), not 'being captured' as the supplied gloss has it.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.