Katalambano

A. Katalambano is a compound word composed of the following:

1. Preposition kata (katav)
2. Verb lambano (lambavnw)
B. We noted the verb lambano in detail in the subordinating subjective substantival hoti clause at the beginning of
our passage.
C. Here the preposition kata merely intensifies the verb lambano, “to take, grasp, seize, lay hold of.”
D. It literally means “to take down with force.”
E. It has the following cognates:
1. Lambano (lambavnw) (verb), “to take, to receive, seize.”
2. Analambano (a*nalambavnw) (verb), “to take up, to take to oneself.”
3. Analempsis (a*navlhmyi$) (noun), “reception, a receiving up.”
4. Epilambanomai (e*pilambavnomai) (verb), “to take hold of, grasp, catch, to be concerned with, to help.”
5. Metalambano (metalambavnw) (verb), “to receive a share.”
6. Metalempsis (metavlhmyi$) (noun), “participation, taking, sharing, receiving.”
7. Paralambano (paralambavnw) (verb), “to take to oneself, to take with or along, to take over.”
8. Prolambano (prolambavnw) (verb), “to anticipate, to take, to get.”
9. Proslambano (proslambavnw) (verb), “to take, to receive or accept into one’s society, to take along, to
take aside.”
10. Proslempsis (provslhmyi$ ) (noun), “admission, acceptance.”
11. Hupolambano (uandpolambavnw) (verb), “to take up, to think, to assume, to be of the opinion that, to bear
up, to support.”
12. Apolambano (a*polambavnw) (verb), “to receive, to get back.”
13. Anepilemptos (a*nepivlhmpto$) (adjective), “beyond reproach.”
F. Kata in composition means:
1. Downwards, down
2. In answer to, in accordance with
3. Against in the hostile
4. Back, back again
G. It is frequently used to strengthen the notion of the simple word.
H. Classical Usage of Katalambano
1. Delling lists the following classical meanings (Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, volume 4,
page 9):
a. Active
(1) “to seize, to grasp” (esp. in a hostile manner).
(2) “to light upon, to overtake”
(3) “to grasp, truly to understand
(4) “to hold fast”
b. Middle
(1) “To requisition for oneself”
(2) “to grasp, to understand”
2. Liddel and Scott list the following classical meanings (page 897):
a. “to seize, lay hold of, to seize for oneself”
b. “to befall, overtake”
c. “seize with the mind, comprehend”
d. “accept”
e. “catch, overtake, come up with”
f. “find on arrival”
g. “to be taken by surprise”
h. “it happens to
i. “had befallen, what had happened, the circumstances”
j. “hold down, cover”
k. “to be compressed”
l. “to keep under, repress, check”

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 m. “bind”
n. “enforced”
o. “concluded”
p. “compel, constrain to do”
q. “convict, condemn”
I. LXX Usage of Katalambano
1. Delling lists the following LXX usages (Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, volume 4, page 9):
a. Active
(1) Of God; of man
(2) Esp. also “to surprise, to light upon suddenly, to overtake
(3) “to perceive, to fathom
b. Middle
(1) Esp. of captured cities
(2) “to overtake”
c. The verb katalambano appears regularly in the LXX where it translates 18 Hebrew words:
(1) ‘achaz (zja), “catch” (Jgs. 1:6-only some Vaticanus texts).
(2) Bo’ (awb), “come” (Prv. 11:27).
(3) Ba`ah (hub), niphal: “be ransacked” (Ob. 6).
(4) Davaq (qbd), qal: “follow” (Jer. 42:16 [49:16] ); hiphil: “overtake” (Gn. 31:23).
(5) Chazaq (qzj), “be strong”; hiphil: “to take hold of” (2 Sm. 15:5-Codex Alexandrinus only).
(6) Lakhadh (dbl), “capture” (Jos. 8:19; 2 Sm. 12:26; Jb. 5:13).
(7) Laqach (jql), “take” (Ez. 33:4).
(8) Matsa (axm), qal: “find, reach” (Nm. 32:23; Is. 10:14; Dn. 1:20); niphal: “be found” (Ex. 22:4).
(9) Naghash (vdn), “come near”; niphal: “overtake” (Am. 9:13).
(10) Nasa’ (acn), “bear” (Jer. 10:19).
(11) Nasagh (gvn), hiphil: “overtake” (Dt. 19:6; 2 Kgs. 25:5; Lam. 1:3).
(12) Saghar (rgs), “be sure” (2 Chr. 9:20).
(13) `atsar (rxu), “stop” (1 Kgs. 18:44).
(14) Qadham (sdq), piel: “come before” (Mi. 6:6).
(15) Shekhach (jbv), haphel: “find” (Dn. 6:11-Aramaic).
(16) Shalam (slv), “be complete”; piel: “reward” (Prv. 13:21).
(17) Taphas (cpj), “seize” (Ps. 71:11 [70:11] ).
J. NT Usage of Katalambano
1. The verb katalambano appears 15 times in the NT (Mk. 9:18; Jn. 1:5; 8:3, 4; 12:35; Ac. 4:13; 10:34; 25:25;
Rm. 9:30; 1 Co. 9:24; Eph. 3:18; Phlp. 3:12 twice, 13; 1 Th. 5:4).
2. In the NT, kata intensifies the verb lambano meaning “to grasp with force,” or of suddeness, “to surprise”
3. Delling states that the verb is used in both a positive and negative sense (Theological Dictionary of the
New Testament volume 4, page 10):
a. Positive: “to attain definitively”
b. Negative: “to overpower”
4. He also states in the same article that in the middle voice and only in the intellectual sphere it can “to
establish” (Ac. 4:13; 25:25, “to grasp fundamentally, to appropriate to oneself inwardly” (Ac. 10:34; Eph.
3:18).
5. Vine's Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words commenting on the verb writes, “katalambano properly
signifies "to lay hold of"; then, "to lay hold of so as to possess as one's own, to appropriate." Hence it has
the same twofold meaning as the Eng. "to apprehend"; (a), "to seize upon, take possession of," (1) with a
beneficial effect, as of "laying hold" of the righteousness which is of faith, (Rom. 9:30) (not there a matter
of attainment, as in the Eng. versions, but of appropriation); of the obtaining of a prize, (1 Cor. 9:24) (RV,
"attain"); of the apostle's desire "to apprehend," or "lay hold of," that for which he was apprehended by
Christ, (Phil. 3:12-13); (2) with a detrimental effect, e. g., of demon power, (Mark 9:18); of human action
in seizing upon a person, (John 8:3-4); metaphorically, with the added idea of overtaking, of spiritual
darkness in coming upon people, (John 12:35); of the Day of the Lord, in suddenly coming upon
unbelievers as a thief, (1 Thes. 5:4); (b), "to lay hold of" with the mind, to understand, perceive, e. g.,

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 metaphorically, of darkness with regard to light, (John 1:5), though possibly here the sense is that of (a) as
in (12:35); of mental perception, (Acts 4:13; 10:34; 25:25; Eph. 3:18).
6. Louw and Nida list the following NT meanings (Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament Based on
Semantic Domains, volume 2):
a. To acquire, with the implication of significant effort – ‘to acquire, to attain, to obtain, to take’ (page
564).
b. To attack, with the implication of gaining control over – ‘to attack, to overpower’ (page 500).
c. To seize and take control of – ‘to catch, to seize, to arrest’ (page 485).
d. To gain control over – ‘to overcome, to gain control of’ (page 474).
e. To come to understand something which was not understood or perceived previously – ‘to understand,
to realize, to grasp, to comprehend’ (page 382).
7. Bauer, Gingrich and Danker list the following meanings (A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament
and Other Early Christian Literature pages 412-413):
a. Active and passive seize, win, attain, make one’s own
b. Seize with hostile intent, overtake, come upon
c. Catch, detect
d. Middle grasp, find, understand
8. The New Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon lists the following (pages 332-333):
a. To lay hold of so as to make one’s own, to obtain, attain to: with the accusative of the thing, the prize
of victory, 1 Co. 9:24; Phlp. 3:12; to make one’s own, to take into one’s self, appropriate
b. To seize upon, take possession of
c. To detect, catch
d. To lay hold of with the mind; to understand, perceive, learn, comprehend
9. The following is a comprehensive list of meanings in the NT:
a. “to comprehend” (Jn. 1:5; Eph. 3:18).
b. “to surprise” (1 Th. 5:4).
c. “to seize” (Mk. 9:18).
d. “to catch” (Jn. 8:3-4).
e. “to observe” (Ac. 4:13).
f. “to understand” (Ac. 10:34).
g. “to overcome” (Jn. 12:35).
h. “to acquire” (Rm. 9:30).
i. “to obtain” (1 Co. 9:24).
j. “to apprehend” (Phlp. 3:12-13).
k. “to find” (Ac. 25:25).