Greek word · G61

ἄγρα

agra

catch

The act of hunting or fishing, and also what it brings in: the prey, the haul. It was used for both land hunting and fishing.

Appears 2 times in 2 verses of the Greek New Testament. ·

What it means

ἄγρα, -ας, ἡ

(ἄγω),

1. the chase, a hunting or catching: Luke 5:4.

2. that which is taken, a catch: of fish, Luke 5:9.

† (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 Luke 5:4

Range of meaning

The act of hunting or fishing, and also what it brings in: the prey, the haul. It was used for both land hunting and fishing.

Against the English

BSB, WEB, NIV, ESV and NASB say "catch," which is accurate. KJV and YLT say "draught," an older English word for the quantity of fish taken in one haul of a net. NLT spells it out: "to catch some fish."

How it drifted

"Draught" was exact in 1611 but is obscure today. Modern readers connect it with beer on tap or a cold current of air.

Used elsewhere in the period

In the New Testament it appears only here and in 5:9, "the catch of fish they had taken." In older Greek it is the common word for hunting and its results.

Where it appears

Luke · 2

  1. Luke 5:4 ἄγραν. a catch.

    When Jesus had finished speaking, He said to Simon, “Put out into deep water and let down your nets for a catch.”

    Here: "A catch" or "a haul," the result of fishing (or hunting). The phrase states what the lowering is for. Jesus speaks as if a catch is certain, after a night in which they caught nothing (v. 5).

  2. Luke 5:9 ἄγρᾳ catch

    For he and his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken,

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