Greek word · G1670

ἑλκύω, ἕλκω

helkyō, elkō

to draw/persuade

To pull or drag something or someone. It is a physical verb: hauling a net (John 21:6, 11), drawing a sword (John 18:10), dragging people into court or out of the temple (Acts 16:19; 21:30; James 2:6).

Appears 8 times in 8 verses of the Greek New Testament. ·

What it means

ἕλκω

(Hellenistic form ἑλκύω in John 11:1-57. with, Acts 16:19), [in LXX for מָשַׁךְ, etc. ;]

to draw: with accusative of thing(s), John 18:10 21:6; with accusative of person(s), before ἔξω, Acts 21:30; εἰς, Acts 16:19, James 2:6. Metaphorical, to draw, lead, impel: John 6:44 12:32. (For discussion of ἕ. in Oxyrh. Log., see Deiss., LAE, 437 ff.)†

(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 John 12:32

Range of meaning

To pull or drag something or someone. It is a physical verb: hauling a net (John 21:6, 11), drawing a sword (John 18:10), dragging people into court or out of the temple (Acts 16:19; 21:30; James 2:6). Figuratively it means to attract, draw or win someone over, used for inner pull as well as outward force.

Against the English

English "draw" can sound mild, like being "drawn to" an attractive idea. The Greek covers that gentle sense but also a stronger, effective pull: the one who draws is the one acting. "Drag" goes too far in this verse, though. The word is also used for love's attraction.

Used elsewhere in the period

Jeremiah 38:3 in the Septuagint (31:3 in Hebrew Bibles): "with lovingkindness I have drawn (εἵλκυσα) you". Song of Songs 1:4 LXX: "draw me after you". Classical writers use it for the pull of desire or persuasion. In John 6:44 the Father draws people to Jesus: "No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him."

From the study of John 18:10

Range of meaning

To pull or drag something: a sword from its sheath, a net to shore, a person into court. It can also be used figuratively for drawing or attracting someone.

Against the English

'Drew' is accurate. The only thing lost in English is that John uses this same verb elsewhere in a much bigger way.

Used elsewhere in the period

BDAG lists 'draw a sword' as a standard use. In John the verb also appears at 6:44 ('no one can come to me unless the Father… draws him'), at 12:32 ('I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself'), and at 21:6 and 21:11 (hauling the net, where Peter drags it ashore). In Acts 16:19 and 21:30 it means dragging people off.

From the study of James 2:6

Range of meaning

To pull, drag, draw, haul. It ranges from literally hauling nets (John 21:6, 11) or drawing a sword (John 18:10) to forcibly dragging people (Acts 16:19; 21:30). Figuratively it means attracting or drawing (John 6:44; 12:32).

Against the English

BSB, WEB, ESV, NIV, NASB and NLT say 'drag', which is right. The KJV's 'draw you before' now sounds gentle, almost courteous. The Strong's-style gloss 'persuade' belongs to figurative uses elsewhere and has no place here.

How it drifted

English 'draw' has softened, and the figurative sense ('draw near', 'drawn to') has crowded out the physical one.

Used elsewhere in the period

Acts 16:19: Paul and Silas were seized and 'dragged (heilkusan) into the marketplace before the rulers'. Acts 21:30: Paul 'dragged out of the temple'. In Greek legal settings the verb was used for hauling someone before a magistrate.

Where it appears

John · 5

  1. John 6:44 ἑλκύσῃ shall draw

    “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day.

    Here: Aorist subjunctive (the mood used after 'unless'), 'should draw'. The word pictures an active pull: the Father moves a person toward Jesus. Verse 45 explains it as being 'taught by God', hearing and learning from the Father.

  2. John 12:32 ἑλκύσω will draw

    And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw everyone to Myself.”

    Here: "I will draw", in the future tense. It is a physical verb used for hauling nets and drawing swords, here used for an active pull toward Jesus that he himself carries out. It echoes 6:44, where the Father is the one who draws.

  3. John 18:10 εἵλκυσεν drew

    Then Simon Peter drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his right ear. The servant’s name was Malchus.

    Here: He pulled the blade out of its sheath (Jesus tells him to put it back 'into the sheath' in v. 11). The verb describes one completed action.

  4. John 21:6 ἑλκύσαι to haul in

    He told them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast it there, and they were unable to haul it in because of the great number of fish.

    Here: To pull something heavy against resistance, here hauling the loaded net up into the boat. John uses the same verb for the Father “drawing” people (6:44) and Jesus “drawing all people” to himself (12:32).

  5. John 21:11 εἵλκυσεν drew

    So Simon Peter went aboard and dragged the net ashore. It was full of large fish, 153, but even with so many, the net was not torn.

    Here: The physical hauling of a heavy load. The same verb was used in v.6, where the disciples 'were not able to haul it in' because of the number of fish. Now Peter alone drags it ashore. John also uses this verb for the Father 'drawing' people (6:44) and Jesus 'drawing' all people to himself (12:32). Whether that echo is meant here is debated.

Acts · 2

  1. Acts 16:19 εἵλκυσαν they dragged [them]

    When the girl’s owners saw that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them before the authorities in the marketplace.

    Here: To drag by force. Elsewhere the verb is used for hauling nets (John 21:6, 11) or pulling a sword. Here it describes a rough, public hauling-off of the two men.

  2. Acts 21:30 εἷλκον they were dragging

    The whole city was stirred up, and the people rushed together. They seized Paul and dragged him out of the temple, and at once the gates were shut.

James · 1

  1. James 2:6 ἕλκουσιν dragging

    But you have dishonored the poor. Is it not the rich who oppress you and drag you into court?

    Here: 'They are dragging.' This is physical and forcible, the same verb used when Paul and Silas were hauled before the magistrates (Acts 16:19). The lexicon gloss 'persuade' does not fit here at all.

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