Greek word · G4084

πιάζω

piazō

to arrest/catch

An everyday Koine form of piezō, 'to press.' It means to lay hold of, grab, catch (animals, fish), or arrest (people).

Appears 12 times in 12 verses of the Greek New Testament. ·

What it means

πιάζω

(cf. MGr. πιάνω; see Kennedy, Sources, 155), Doric and late Att.. for πιέζω in its later senses [in LXX: Song of Songs 2:15 (אָחַז), Sirach 23:21 * ;]

1. to lay hold of: Acts 3:7 (Theocr.).

2. to take, capture, apprehend: John 7:30, 32 7:44 8:20 10:39 11:57 21:3, 10 Acts 12:4, 2 Corinthians 11:32, Revelation 19:20 (see MM, xx).†

(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 8:20

Range of meaning

An everyday Koine form of piezō, 'to press.' It means to lay hold of, grab, catch (animals, fish), or arrest (people).

Against the English

BSB/YLT 'seized' and WEB 'arrested' are accurate. KJV's 'laid hands on him' is a fair idiom, but it can be confused with the separate phrase 'lay a hand on' (epiballō cheira, used in 7:30, 44). That phrase means much the same thing, but it is a different Greek expression.

Used elsewhere in the period

LXX Song 2:15 ('catch us the foxes'). In the NT: catching fish (John 21:3, 10); arresting people (Acts 12:4; 2 Cor 11:32); the beast 'captured' (Rev 19:20). John uses it repeatedly for the failed attempts to arrest Jesus (7:30, 32, 44; 10:39; 11:57).

From the study of John 7:30

Range of meaning

A popular form of piezō ('press, squeeze'). In Koine it means to take hold of, seize, arrest, or catch an animal or fish.

Against the English

KJV 'take' and BSB/NASB 'seize' keep the physical grabbing. ESV/NLT 'arrest' brings out the legal sense. Both are fair. 'Arrest' can suggest a formal warrant, which this attempt may not have had (see debates).

Used elsewhere in the period

LXX Song 2:15 ('catch for us the foxes'); Sirach 23:21 (seized/caught). NT: Acts 12:4 (Herod arrests Peter); 2 Cor 11:32 (Damascus authorities trying to seize Paul); Rev 19:20 (the beast captured); John 21:3, 10 (catching fish). Papyri use it for arresting people (Moulton–Milligan). John uses it repeatedly for the failed attempts: 7:30, 32, 44; 8:20; 10:39; 11:57.

From the study of John 21:10

Range of meaning

This is the Doric (a regional dialect) form of piezō, 'to press'. In the Greek of this period it means: (1) to take hold of someone or something by hand (Acts 3:7); (2) to seize or arrest a person (John 7:30, 32, 44; 8:20; 10:39; 11:57; 2 Cor 11:32); (3) to catch an animal (John 21:3, 10; Song 2:15 in the Greek Old Testament, 'catch the foxes'); and to capture someone, as with the beast in Rev 19:20.

Against the English

'Caught' is accurate. English readers will not notice that in John's Gospel this is mostly the word for the authorities' repeated attempts to arrest Jesus.

Used elsewhere in the period

BDAG lists the meanings 'grasp', 'arrest' and 'catch (fish/animals)'. In the Greek translation of the Song of Songs (2:15) it is used for catching animals.

Where it appears

John · 8

  1. John 7:30 πιάσαι, to take,

    So they tried to seize Him, but no one laid a hand on Him, because His hour had not yet come.

    Here: An everyday word for grabbing hold of something: taking a person into custody, or catching an animal or fish. Here it means physically seizing Jesus to hand him over to the authorities.

  2. John 7:32 πιάσωσιν they may seize

    When the Pharisees heard the crowd whispering these things about Jesus, they and the chief priests sent officers to arrest Him.

    Here: "Seize, lay hands on". It is an everyday, physical word, used elsewhere for catching fish (21:3, 10). John uses it again and again for attempts on Jesus that fail (7:30, 44; 8:20; 10:39). The verb form expresses what they intended, not what happened.

  3. John 7:44 πιάσαι to seize

    Some of them wanted to seize Him, but no one laid a hand on Him.

    Here: A plain everyday word for physically grabbing hold of someone. In John it is the regular word for the attempts to arrest Jesus (7:30, 32; 8:20; 10:39; 11:57).

  4. John 8:20 ἐπίασεν seized

    He spoke these words while teaching in the temple courts, near the treasury. Yet no one seized Him, because His hour had not yet come.

    Here: An everyday word for grabbing, catching or arresting. It is used for catching fish (21:3, 10) as well as arresting people. Here it means taking him into custody.

  5. John 10:39 πιάσαι· to seize;

    At this, they tried again to seize Him, but He escaped their grasp.

    Here: An everyday Koine word for grabbing hold of someone. It is used for arresting a person and also for catching fish (21:3, 10). In John it is the standard verb for the authorities' attempts to take Jesus into custody. Here it probably means taking him by force, either to stone him or to hand him over for trial.

  6. John 11:57 πιάσωσιν they may seize

    But the chief priests and Pharisees had given orders that anyone who knew where He was must report it, so that they could arrest Him.

    Here: To lay hands on and take into custody. John has used this verb for earlier attempts that failed because Jesus' 'hour had not yet come' (7:30; 8:20).

  7. John 21:3 ἐπίασαν they caught

    Simon Peter told them, “I am going fishing.” “We will go with you,” they said. So they went out and got into the boat, but caught nothing that night.

  8. John 21:10 ἐπιάσατε you have caught

    Jesus told them, “Bring some of the fish you have just caught.”

    Here: 'You caught.' This is the same verb as in 21:3, where they 'caught nothing' all night. The repeated word sets the empty night against the full net.

Acts · 2

  1. Acts 3:7 πιάσας having taken

    Taking him by the right hand, Peter helped him up, and at once the man’s feet and ankles were made strong.

  2. Acts 12:4 πιάσας having seized

    He arrested him and put him in prison, handing him over to be guarded by four squads of four soldiers each. Herod intended to bring him out to the people after the Passover.

    Here: A physical, hands-on word, also used of catching fish (John 21:3, 10). The form presents the arrest as a completed step before the imprisonment.

2 Corinthians · 1

  1. 2 Corinthians 11:32 πιάσαι to seize

    In Damascus, the governor under King Aretas secured the city of the Damascenes in order to arrest me.

Revelation · 1

  1. Revelation 19:20 ἐπιάσθη was captured

    But the beast was captured along with the false prophet, who on its behalf had performed signs deceiving those who had the mark of the beast and worshiped its image. Both the beast and the false prophet were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur.

    Here: 'Was seized/caught.' Elsewhere this is the word for arresting a person or catching fish and animals. The passive implies that God or the Rider did the seizing. The great beast is simply caught, like an animal in a trap.

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