Greek word · G4951

σύρω

syrō

to drag

To drag, haul or pull along by force. Used of nets, of prisoners, and of corpses.

Appears 5 times in 5 verses of the Greek New Testament. ·

What it means

σύρω

[in LXX: 2 Kings 17:13 (סָחַב), 4Ma.6:1, al. ;]

to draw, drag: with accusative of thing(s), John 21:8, Revelation 12:4; with accusative of person(s), of taking to trial or punish­ment, Acts 8:3; ἔξω τ. πόλεως, Acts 14:19; ἐπὶ τ. πολιτάρχας (cf. 4Mac, l.with), Acts 17:6 (cf. κατα-ούρω).†

(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 Acts 14:19

Range of meaning

To drag, haul or pull along by force. Used of nets, of prisoners, and of corpses.

Against the English

BSB, WEB 'dragged'. The KJV and YLT 'drew' is now too gentle for modern ears: 'drew out' sounds like leading, not hauling a limp body.

How it drifted

'Draw' in 1611 English could mean 'drag', but that sense has faded, so the KJV now softens the violence.

Used elsewhere in the period

Acts 8:3: Saul 'dragging off men and women' to prison. Acts 17:6: the Thessalonian mob 'dragged' Jason. John 21:8: dragging the net. Rev 12:4: the dragon's tail 'drags' the stars.

From the study of Acts 17:6

Range of meaning

To drag or haul, whether objects (a net, John 21:8) or people taken by force (Acts 8:3; 14:19).

Against the English

KJV's "drew" has gone soft in modern English ("drew them to the rulers" sounds almost polite). "Dragged" (BSB, WEB) restores the violence.

How it drifted

Older English 'draw' meant pull by force; today it usually means sketch, or lead gently.

Used elsewhere in the period

Acts 8:3 (Saul dragging believers to prison), Acts 14:19 (Paul stoned and dragged out of Lystra), Rev 12:4 (the dragon's tail sweeping down stars).

From the study of Acts 8:3

Range of meaning

To drag, pull or haul along the ground: nets, bodies, captives. Also figuratively, a tail 'sweeping' stars (Rev 12:4).

Against the English

KJV 'haling' is an archaic form of 'hauling', which is accurate, but modern readers may not understand it. 'Dragged off' (BSB, WEB) is right.

Used elsewhere in the period

John 21:8, dragging a net full of fish. Acts 14:19, Paul's body dragged out of Lystra. Acts 17:6, Jason dragged before the city officials. Each time it is physical, public and degrading.

Where it appears

John · 1

  1. John 21:8 σύροντες dragging

    The other disciples came ashore in the boat. They dragged in the net full of fish, for they were not far from land, only about a hundred yards.

Acts · 3

  1. Acts 8:3 σύρων dragging off

    But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off men and women and put them in prison.

    Here: Physical dragging, the same verb used for hauling a loaded net (John 21:8) and for dragging Paul's apparently dead body out of Lystra (Acts 14:19). It is rough and humiliating, not a formal summons.

  2. Acts 14:19 ἔσυρον they were dragging [him]

    Then some Jews arrived from Antioch and Iconium and won over the crowds. They stoned Paul and dragged him outside the city, presuming he was dead.

    Here: 'They were dragging [him]'. The tense shows the action in progress, so the reader watches the body being hauled along. Luke used this verb before, of Saul dragging believers off to prison (8:3).

  3. Acts 17:6 ἔσυρον they were dragging

    But when they could not find them, they dragged Jason and some other brothers before the city officials, shouting, “These men who have turned the world upside down have now come here,

    Here: Physical, rough handling: men pulled along by force, the same verb used for dragging a net (John 21:8) and for Saul dragging believers off to prison (Acts 8:3). The tense pictures the scene as it happened: they hauled Jason through the streets.

Revelation · 1

  1. Revelation 12:4 σύρει drags

    His tail swept a third of the stars from the sky, hurling them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, ready to devour her child as soon as she gave birth.

    Here: Present tense, 'drags', used for vividness in the middle of a past-tense vision. The verb means to drag or haul by force, as a net full of fish (John 21:8) or a person dragged off to prison (Acts 8:3). The tail hauls the stars down; it is not a light 'sweep'.

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