Apprehend

Greek Word Pronunciation: kata-lam-BA-no
Strong’s Number: 2638
Goodrich/Kohlenberger Number: 2898
Key Verse: “I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus.” -- Philippians 3:12

Katalambano is a compound verb, consisting of the root word lambano, meaning “to grasp or seize,” combined with kata, which strengthens the verb, giving it extra intensity. The basic meaning is “to lay hold of,” so as to possess as one’s own, to “appropriate.” The translations vary considerably, from “apprehend, attain, come, find, obtain, overtake, perceive, or take.”

It appears 15 times in the New Testament. In Romans 9:30, the reference is that Gentiles “attained righteousness.” In 1 Corinthians 9:24, Paul speaks of running that we may “win the prize.” The idea of “grasping” is obvious in Matthew 9:18 regarding a “spirit which seizes him” and in John 8:3,4 regarding the woman “caught in adultery.” In John 1:5 and 12:35 are references to the contrast of the Light and the darkness that “did not comprehend or overtake …,” as well as 1 Thessalonians 5:4, that the “day would overtake you like a thief.” The idea of “mental grasping” is apparent in Acts 4:13, 10:34, 25:25, and Ephesians 3:18 by use of the words “recognize, understand, found, and comprehend.”

[Note: In Acts 10:34 (above), Romans 2:11, Ephesians 6:9, Colossians 3:25, and James 2:1, the word “partiality” or “personal favoritism” has a closer translation in the KJV as “respecter of persons.” That is because in the Greek, it is one compound word, consisting of prosopon, meaning “a face,” and the root of our study here, lambano, “to lay hold of,” thereby meaning “receiver of face.” The idea is of paying regard to one’s looks or circumstances rather than his character.]

Paul uses this verb 3 times in PHILIPPIANS 3:12 and 13, “I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. ... I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet.” Paul wants to appropriate and make his own that for which Christ caught Paul and made him His own. It was Christlikeness that Paul was pursuing.