Harpazo: A Word Study with Multiple Scripture Examples

[Indentured Servent]

Harpazo is the Greek word from which we get the Latin transliteration "rapture." It simply means, "to seize," or, "take," but the modern Greek just translates it as "snatch."

So, why do we refer to harpazo with a Latin transliteration? This is likely due to the fact that a transliteration for harpazo already exists in English - it's the word, "harpoon."

Following are the verses that have harpazo, however, just to provide a visual impact of it's use in Scripture, I've used the most common transliteration, rapture, to replace the various English translatios/interpretations.

***
From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent raptured it by force. -Matthew 11: 12

Or how can someone enter a strong man’s house and rapture his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? Then indeed he may plunder his house. -Matthew 12: 29

When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and raptures what has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path. -Matthew 13: 19

Perceiving then that they were about to come and rapture him to make him king, Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by himself. -John 6: 15

He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf raptures them and scatters them. -John 10: 12

I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will rapture them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to rapture them out of the Father’s hand. -John 10: 28-29

And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord raptured Philip away, and the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing. -Acts 8: 39

And when the dissension became violent, the tribune, afraid that Paul would be torn to pieces by them, commanded the soldiers to go down and rapture him from among them and bring him into the barracks. -Acts 23: 10

And I know that this man was raptured into paradise—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows—
-2 Corinthians 12: 3

Then we who are alive, who are left, will be raptured together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.
-1 Thessalonians 4: 17

...save others by rapturing them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh. -Jude 1: 23

She gave birth to a male child, one who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron, but her child was raptured to God and to his throne.
-Revelation 12: 5

Many students of the Bible are not even aware of these multiple contexts and uses of harpazo: robbery, wolf attacking sheep, Satan taking something from someone's heart, saving others from sin/judgement, relocating someone just 40 miles, and even grabbing someone to move them through a crowd.

Sometimes we get too focused on one meaning of a word, and it can keep us from seeing how that word applies in a variety of circumstances.

I hope this has helped others, as it has for me, to remember not to isolate a word, or a phrase, especially from its context, or meaning, as this can inflate the word to something beyond that intended meaning.

 

[Yesua888]

Harpazo is the Greek word from which we get the Latin transliteration "rapture." It simply means, "to seize," or, "take," but the modern Greek just translates it as "snatch."

So, why do we refer to harpazo with a Latin transliteration? This is likely due to the fact that a transliteration for harpazo already exists in English - it's the word, "harpoon."

Following are the verses that have harpazo, however, just to provide a visual impact of it's use in Scripture, I've used the most common transliteration, rapture, to replace the various English translatios/interpretations.

***
From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent raptured it by force. -Matthew 11: 12

Or how can someone enter a strong man’s house and rapture his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? Then indeed he may plunder his house. -Matthew 12: 29

When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and raptures what has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path. -Matthew 13: 19

Perceiving then that they were about to come and rapture him to make him king, Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by himself. -John 6: 15

He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf raptures them and scatters them. -John 10: 12

I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will rapture them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to rapture them out of the Father’s hand. -John 10: 28-29

And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord raptured Philip away, and the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing. -Acts 8: 39

And when the dissension became violent, the tribune, afraid that Paul would be torn to pieces by them, commanded the soldiers to go down and rapture him from among them and bring him into the barracks. -Acts 23: 10

And I know that this man was raptured into paradise—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows—
-2 Corinthians 12: 3

Then we who are alive, who are left, will be raptured together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.
-1 Thessalonians 4: 17

...save others by rapturing them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh. -Jude 1: 23

She gave birth to a male child, one who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron, but her child was raptured to God and to his throne.
-Revelation 12: 5

Many students of the Bible are not even aware of these multiple contexts and uses of harpazo: robbery, wolf attacking sheep, Satan taking something from someone's heart, saving others from sin/judgement, relocating someone just 40 miles, and even grabbing someone to move them through a crowd.

Sometimes we get too focused on one meaning of a word, and it can keep us from seeing how that word applies in a variety of circumstances.

I hope this has helped others, as it has for me, to remember not to isolate a word, or a phrase, especially from its context, or meaning, as this can inflate the word to something beyond that intended meaning.

Hi IS,

Interesting indeedy!

Please share your sources for this information, thanks : ) ?