Greek word · G724

ἁρπαγή

harpagē

plunder

Seizure, plunder, robbery, the act of snatching away. Also greed, the appetite for seizing (Matthew 23:25; Luke 11:39). Greek historians use it for the looting of a captured city.

Appears 3 times in 3 verses of the Greek New Testament.

What it means

ἁρπαγή, -ῆς, ἡ

(ἁρπάζω), [in LXX (as also ἅρπαγμα) for גָּזֵל, etc. ;]

pillage, plundering, robbery: Matthew 23:25, Luke 11:39, Hebrews 10:34.†

(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 Hebrews 10:34

Range of meaning

Seizure, plunder, robbery, the act of snatching away. Also greed, the appetite for seizing (Matthew 23:25; Luke 11:39). Greek historians use it for the looting of a captured city.

Against the English

ESV and WEB 'plundering' keep the violence. BSB and NIV 'confiscation' and NASB 'seizure' suggest an official legal process. KJV 'spoiling' meant plundering in 1611 but now sounds like ruining or pampering.

How it drifted

'Spoil' in older English meant 'to strip, despoil, plunder' (as in 'the spoils of war'). Modern speakers hear 'spoil' as 'go bad' or 'overindulge'.

Used elsewhere in the period

Used of robbery and rapacity in the Gospels (Matthew 23:25; Luke 11:39) and of plunder in Polybius and other Hellenistic historians. The LXX uses it for spoil and pillage, e.g. Nahum 2:13 and Isaiah 3:14 ('the plunder of the poor is in your houses').

From the study of Luke 11:39

Range of meaning

From harpazō, 'to snatch, seize'. It means (1) the act of robbery, plundering or extortion, and (2) the thing seized, the loot. By extension it means rapacity, a grasping character that takes from others.

Against the English

'Greed' (BSB, NIV, ESV) names a feeling or desire. Harpagē names taking: what has been grabbed, and the habit of grabbing it. KJV 'ravening' and YLT 'rapine' keep the violence but are now obscure. WEB 'extortion' and NASB 'robbery' are closer.

How it drifted

Translators often soften the word to 'greed' because it is the inside of a person that is 'full', so an inner disposition seems to fit. But the Greek word stays concrete.

Used elsewhere in the period

In Heb 10:34 it is the 'plundering' of believers' property. The LXX of Isa 3:14 accuses Jerusalem's leaders: 'the plunder of the poor is in your houses'. The related word harpax, 'swindler, robber', appears in Luke 18:11, where a praying Pharisee thanks God he is not like the harpages. The parallel Matt 23:25 has the same word.

From the study of Matthew 23:25

Range of meaning

The act of seizing, robbery, plunder, and also the plunder itself, the stolen goods. It comes from harpazō, 'to snatch, carry off by force.'

Against the English

BSB, NIV and ESV say 'greed', an inner desire. KJV 'extortion', NASB 'robbery' and YLT 'rapine' keep the concrete act of taking. The Greek names the deed or its proceeds, not just the motive.

How it drifted

Modern translations soften it, probably to fit the inner/outer picture to moral psychology. But the result moves the charge from wrongful taking to a vague bad attitude.

Used elsewhere in the period

LXX Isaiah 3:14: 'the plunder (harpagē) of the poor is in your houses', spoken against Israel's elders and princes, a close parallel. Also LXX Nahum 2:13 and Hebrews 10:34 ('the seizure of your property'). In the papyri it is a standard word for robbery in legal complaints.

Similar words

Where it appears

Matthew · 1

  1. Matthew 23:25 ἁρπαγῆς greed

    Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.

    Here: The act of grabbing what belongs to someone else, or the loot taken. Something stronger and more concrete than an inner feeling of 'greed.'

Luke · 1

  1. Luke 11:39 ἁρπαγῆς of plundering

    Then the Lord said, “Now you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness.

    Here: Seizing what belongs to others: robbery and extortion, or the loot itself. It is more concrete and active than the English 'greed'.

Hebrews · 1

  1. Hebrews 10:34 ἁρπαγὴν plundering

    You sympathized with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, knowing that you yourselves had a better and permanent possession.

    Here: A forcible snatching-away. The word does not tell us whether it was legal confiscation or mob looting. Either way their goods were taken by force.

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