καταλαμβάνω: 2 aorist κατέλαβον; perfect infinitive κατειληφέναι; passive, perfect 3 person singular κατείληπται (Joh_8:4 as given in L T Tr WH text), perfect participle κατειλημμένος; 1 aorist κατειληφθην (Joh_8:4 Rst bez elz G) (on the augment cf. Winer's Grammar, § 12, 6), and κατελήφθην (Php_3:12 R G), and κατελήμφθην (ibid. L T Tr WH; on the mu μ' see under the word Mu); middle, present καταλαμβάνομαι; 2 aorist κατελαβόμην; cf. Kühner, i., p. 856; (Veitch, under the word λαμβάνω); the Sept. for δΔωΔΜ�ιβ, μΘλΗγ, also for ξΘφΘΰ, etc.; (from Homer down); to lay hold of; i. e.: 1. 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, 1Co_9:24; Php_3:12 f; τήν δικαιοσύνην, Rom_9:30; equivalent to to make one's own, to take into oneself, appropriate: ἡ σκοτία αὐτό (i. e. τό φῶς) οὐ κατέλαβεν, Joh_1:5. 2. to seize upon, take possession of (Latinoccupare); a. of evils overtaking one (so in Greek writings from Homer down): τινα σκοτία, Joh_12:35; (so physically, Joh_6:17 Tdf.); of the last day overtaking the wicked with destruction, 1Th_5:4; of a demon about to torment one, Mar_9:18. b. in a good sense, of Christ by his holy power and influence laying hold of the human mind and will, in order to prompt and govern it, Php_3:12. 3. to detect, catch: τινα ἐν τίνι, in passive Joh_8:3 (WH ἐπί τίνι); with a participle indicating the crime, Joh_8:4. 4. to lay hold of with the mind; to understand, perceive, learn, comprehend (Plato, Phaedr., p. 250d.; Axioch., p. 370a.; Polybius 8, 4, 6; Philo, vita contempl. § 10; Dionysius Halicarnassus, Antiquities 5, 46); middle (Dionysius Halicarnassus, Antiquities 2, 66; (cf. Winer's Grammar, 253 (238))), followed by ὅτι, Act_4:13; Act_10:34; followed by the accusative with an infinitive, Act_25:25; followed by indirect discourse, Eph_3:18.

καταλαμβάνω katalambanō 15x to lay hold of, grasp; to obtain, attain, Rom_9:30 ; 1Co_9:24 ; Php_3:12-13 ; to seize, to take possession of, Mar_9:18 ; to come suddenly upon; overtake, surprise, Joh_12:35 ; 1Th_5:4 ; to detect in the act, seize, Joh_8:3-4 ; met. to comprehend, apprehend, Joh_1:5 ; mid. to understand, perceive, Act_4:13 ; Act_10:34 ; Act_25:25 ; Eph_3:18 * catch; grasp; obtain; seize; understand.

κατα -λαμβάνω , [in LXX for H5381 hi ., H3920 , etc.;] 1. to lap hold of, seize, appropriate: Mar_9:18 ; c . acc rei , 1Co_9:24 , Php_3:12-13 2. to overtake: as carrel, of διώκω ( Field, Notes , 158 f .), Rom_9:30 ; ἡ ἡμέρα , 1Th_5:4 ; of evils, Joh_1:5 ; Joh_12:35 ( cf. 617 T ); hence, to surprise, discover: Joh_8:3-4 ], 3. Of mental action, to apprehend, comprehend; so mid ., in NT ( M , Pr., 158): Eph_3:18 ; seq . ὅτι , Act_4:13 ; Act_10:34 ; c . acc et inf ., Act_25:25 ( MM , Exp., xv).†

καταλαμβάνω [page 328] Many of the NT meanings of this common verb can be paralleled from our sources. Thus P Oxy XII. 1413 .14 (A.D. 270 5) κατείληφα πόρον , τουτέστιν γενήματα ἀποκείμενα ἐν τῷ Μονίμου , I have impounded the property, that is to say produce deposited at the farmstead of Monimus (Edd.), Syll 933 fin (iv/B.C.) οἵδε ] κατέλαβον τὰν χώρ [αν καὶ ἐτείχιξ ]αν τὰν πόλιν then follow the names of colonists who I appropriated the land : this is Paul s regular use of the verb in active and passive. In the letter of Epicurus to a child, discovered at Herculaneum, 176 .4 (= Selections , p. 5), the philosopher writes ἀ ]φείγμεθα εἰς Λάμψακον . . . καὶ ἐκεῖ κατειλήφαμεν ὑγ [ι ]αίνοντας Θεμίσταν καὶ τοὺς λοιποὺς [θί ]λο [υ ]ς , we have arrived at Lampsacus, and there we have found Themistas and the rest of our friends in good health : cf. P Tebt I. 15 .5 (B.C. 114) ἡμῶν συνεκπηδησάντων κατέλαβονον ( l. κατέλαβον ) ὄχλον τῶν ἐκ τῆς κώ (μης ), on running out we found a crowd of the villagers (Edd.). For a weaker meaning meet with a person or thing, cf. P Fay 130 .8 (iii/A.D.) ἕως ἄν καταλαμβάνω σε πρὸς τὴν ἑορτήν , until I meet you at the festival (Edd.), P Meyer 20 .20 (1st half iii/A.D.) συνπεριφέρου τῷ καιρῷ ἕως σε καταλάβω , adapt yourself to circumstances until I join you, ib. 23 .2 (end iv/A.D.) ἤδ̣η γὰρ ὑμᾶς καταλάβω , P Oxy IX. 1223 .5 (late iv/A.D.) τὸ πλοῖον . . . καταλαμβάνει , P Oxy IX. ib. X. 1297 .14 (iv/A.D.) ἐὰν καταγάβῃ Θεόδωρος ἐκεῖ , if Theodorus reaches you there (Edd.). Hence in late papyri the verb comes to mean visit as in Chrest. I. 297 .6 (vi/A.D.) ἅμα ] δὲ Ἀπολλῶτι κατάλαβε , ἐπειδὴ ἀναγκαίως θέλω σοι λαλῆσαι , where Wilcken renders κατάλαβε komm, besuche mich. To overtake, of evils, as in Joh_12:35 , and probably in 1:5 is the meaning in Syll 214 .14 (iii/B.C.) καὶ νῦν δὲ καιρῶν ( crises ) κατειληφότων ὁμοίων τὴν Ἑλλάδα πᾶσαν : see also the Christian letter P Oxy VI.939 .5 (iv/A.D.) (= Selections , p. 128) ὥστε τὴν ] κυρίαν ἀνασφῆλαι ἐκ τῆς καταλαβούσης [αὐτὴν νόσ ]ου , in that my mistress has recovered from the illness that struck her down. 1Th_5:4 may be illustrated by Syll 803 .14 (Epidaurus, iii/B.C.) μεταξὺ δὲ ἁμέρα ἐπικαταλαμβάνει . For καταλαμβάνω = detect, catch, in a crime, cf. P Lille I. 3 .58 (after B.C. 241 0) ἀπεστάλκαμεν Ἡρακλείδην , συντάξαντες [α ]ὐτῶι , ἐά [ν τι ]νας καταλαμβάνηι διατιθεμένους [π ]λειόνων τι̣[μ ]ῶν συντεταγμένων , παραδιδ [ό ]ναι αὐ [το ]ὺς τοῖς φ [υ ]λακίταις , P Ryl II. 138 .15 (A.D. 34) κατέλαβα τοῦτον διὰ νυκτὸς ἡλμένον . . εἰς τῶι ( l. τὸ ) . . ἐποίκιον , I detected him when under cover of night he had sprung into the farmstead (Edd.),and especially BGU IV. 1024 iii. 11 (iv/v A.D.) γυναῖκα καταλημφθεῖσαν ὑπὸ τοῦ ἐ̣δι [κ ]η [μέ ]νος ( l . ἠδικημένου ) μετὰ μοίχου , which offers an almost exact parallel to Joh_8:3 f. . The mid. = perceive, comprehend, as in Act_4:13 al. , may be illustrated from Vett. Val. p. 225 .8 ἅπερ ἐκ τῆς τῶν ἀστέρων ἀφέσεως κατελαβόμην , and so frequently. See Dittenberger s note on OGIS 8 .20 for the verb = condemn in the Ionic and Aeolic dialects. MGr καταλαβαίνω , comprehend, understand.

καταλαμβάνω fut. -λήψομαι ionic -λάμψομαι perf. -είληφα ionic plup. -λελαβήκεε Pass., ionic aor1 -ελάμφθην "to seize upon, lay hold of", Lat. occupare, Od. , Hdt. , attic:—Mid. "to seize for oneself", Lat. capesso, Hdt. "to seize, overpower", of death and fatigue, Hom. "to seize with the mind, apprehend, comprehend", Plat. "to catch, overtake, come up with", τοὺς φεύγοντας Hdt. : of mischances, "to overtake, befall", id=Hdt. "to surprise, catch, find", Lat. deprehendo, with a partic., κ. τινὰ ζῶντα id=Hdt. ; καταλαμβάνει τοὺς ἄρχοντας ἐξιόντας Dem. , etc. impers., καταλαμβάνει τινά, c. inf., like the attic συμβαίνει, "it happens to" one, "it is" one's "fortune" to do so and so, τοῦτον κατέλαβε κεῖσθαι Hdt. absol., τὰ καταλαβόντα ῀ τὰ συμβάντα, "what happened, the circumstances", id=Hdt. ; ἢν πόλεμος καταλαβῇ Thuc. "to repress, arrest, check", τὴν δύναμιν Κύρου Hdt. ; κ. τὸ πῦρ "to get" it "under", id=Hdt. ; κ. ἑαυτόν id=Hdt. ; κ. τὰς διαφοράς "to put an end to" them, id=Hdt. :—Pass., ὁ θάνατος καταλαμφθεὶς ἐσιγήθη "inquiries about" the death "being checked", id=Hdt. "to bind", κ. πίστι, ὁρκίοις, Lat. jurejurando adstringere, to bind by oath, id=Hdt. , Thuc. "to force or compel" one "to do", c. inf., ἀναγκαίη μιν κ. φαίνειν "forces" him to bring out the truth, Hdt. :—Pass., καταλαμβανόμενος "being constrained", id=Hdt.

κατα-λαμβάνω [in LXX for נָשַׂג hi., לָכַד, etc. ;] __1. to lap hold of, seize, appropriate: Mrk.9:18; with accusative of thing(s), 1Co.9:24, Php.3:12-13 __2. to overtake: as carrel, of διώκω (Field, Notes, 158 f.), Rom.9:30; ἡ ἡμέρα, 1Th.5:4; of evils, Jhn.1:5 12:35 (cf. 617 T); hence, to surprise, discover: Jhn.8:3-4], __3. Of mental action, to apprehend, comprehend; so mid., in NT (M, Pr., 158): Eph.3:18; before ὅτι, Act.4:13 10:34; with accusative and inf., Act.25:25 (MM, Exp., xv).† (AS)