Exploring the Meaning of Paralambano in Greek

Paralambanō means “to take,” and in these Gospel scenes it marks decisive acts of taking someone or something into one’s company, custody, or movement from one place to another. The passages cluster around Joseph’s obedience regarding Mary and the child, the devil’s taking of Jesus to testing locations, and Jesus’ or a speaker’s taking others along for witness or instruction.

Occurrences

Matthew 1:20 But when he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, don’t be afraid to take to yourself Mary, your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.

Here the verb is framed as a deliberate personal action: Joseph is told not to fear “to take to yourself Mary, your wife.” The taking is relational and household-oriented—bringing Mary to himself as wife—set against Joseph’s hesitation and resolved by the angel’s reassurance and explanation.

Matthew 1:24 Joseph arose from his sleep, and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took his wife to himself;

This occurrence narrates the command’s fulfillment. The taking is presented as obedience in action (“did as the angel of the Lord commanded him”), and its object is again Mary described by her role (“his wife”), highlighting the concrete step of receiving her into his life and home.

Matthew 2:13 Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, “Arise and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and stay there until I tell you, for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him.”

The taking is urgent and protective. Joseph is instructed to take “the young child and his mother” as the necessary precondition for flight. The verb gathers the family unit into Joseph’s care for a dangerous journey, motivated by Herod’s intent “to destroy him.”

Matthew 2:14 He arose and took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt,

The narrative compresses the action into swift sequence: arising, taking, departing. “By night” underscores the stealth and immediacy of the taking—Joseph physically collects the child and mother and initiates the movement away from threat.

Matthew 2:20 “Arise and take the young child and his mother, and go into the land of Israel, for those who sought the young child’s life are dead.”

Again, taking is the first step toward relocation. The objects remain “the young child and his mother,” but the direction changes: the taking now enables return rather than escape, grounded in the changed situation (“those who sought the young child’s life are dead”).

Matthew 2:21 He arose and took the young child and his mother, and came into the land of Israel.

This mirrors Matthew 2:14 in structure but with a new destination. The verb marks Joseph’s re-assembling of the family for travel; the taking is the decisive act that precedes “came into the land of Israel,” portraying guardianship expressed through movement.

Matthew 4:5 Then the devil took him into the holy city. He set him on the pinnacle of the temple,

Here the subject changes to “the devil,” and the taking becomes a forceful or directive relocation of Jesus (“took him into the holy city”). The following clause (“He set him on the pinnacle of the temple”) depicts the taking as leading to a specific placement, positioning Jesus for the next stage of testing.

Matthew 4:8 Again, the devil took him to an exceedingly high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world, and their glory.

The taking again functions as transport to a chosen vantage point. The mountain is described as “exceedingly high,” and the taking serves the devil’s purpose of display (“showed him all the kingdoms of the world, and their glory”), linking the movement of taking with the attempt to influence through what is seen.

Matthew 12:45 Then he goes, and takes with himself seven other spirits more evil than he is, and they enter in and dwell there. The last state of that man becomes worse than the first. Even so will it be also to this evil generation.”

The verb marks the gathering of companions: “takes with himself seven other spirits more evil than he is.” The taking is not movement to a place in the first instance, but an act of bringing others into association with the subject, resulting in a larger invasion (“they enter in and dwell there”) and a worsened condition for the man.

Matthew 17:1 After six days, Jesus took with him Peter, James, and John his brother, and brought them up into a high mountain by themselves.

Jesus is the subject, and the taking is selective and intentional: he takes “with him” three named disciples. The subsequent action (“brought them up into a high mountain by themselves”) clarifies the taking as accompaniment—drawing particular followers into a private setting for what will occur there.

Matthew 18:16 But if he doesn’t listen, take one or two more with you, that at the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.

This instruction uses the verb for a practical step in addressing refusal to listen. The taking is adding “one or two more” to accompany the speaker, and its aim is explicitly stated: establishing matters through “two or three witnesses.” Taking here creates a small corroborating group, not merely for travel but for verified testimony.

Matthew 20:17 As Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside, and on the way he said to them,

The taking is relational and directional within a journey: Jesus “took the twelve disciples aside.” The act separates them from others, forming a distinct circle for instruction “on the way.” Taking, in this context, is a purposeful drawing near and setting apart, preparing for what he “said to them.”

Sense and Usage

Across these occurrences, “to take” consistently involves an agent who actively secures the presence of another person (or beings) with himself, often as the first move toward a new situation. In Matthew 1–2 the verb carries the weight of guardianship and household responsibility: Joseph takes Mary to himself, then repeatedly takes “the young child and his mother” as he responds to commands that require immediate relocation. The repetition of the same objects (“the young child and his mother”) gives the verb a steady, protective texture—taking is the action that gathers them under Joseph’s care before departure, whether “by night” for escape or later for return.

In Matthew 4 the verb’s basic sense remains the same—taking someone to a place—but the subject and intention reshape the scene. The devil’s taking of Jesus into “the holy city” and to “an exceedingly high mountain” is oriented toward placing and showing: Jesus is set “on the pinnacle of the temple,” and the kingdoms are displayed. The verb thus functions as a hinge between locations and the temptations that depend on those locations. The taking is not incidental travel; it is chosen transport that creates the conditions for what follows.

Several occurrences highlight taking as accompaniment and selection rather than simple relocation. Matthew 12:45 uses “takes with himself” for assembling additional spirits; the taking produces a collective that then enters and dwells, intensifying the outcome. Matthew 17:1 parallels the phrasing “took with him” for Jesus’ deliberate selection of three disciples, stressing that not all are brought along. Matthew 18:16 directs a similar accompaniment for a different purpose: adding witnesses so that “every word may be established.” In Matthew 20:17, “took the twelve disciples aside” makes taking an act of separating a group from the surrounding context during travel, creating a private setting for instruction. In these passages, the verb often implies a boundary: those taken are now with the taker, distinct from those not taken, and ready for the next step—flight, return, testing, witness, revelation, or teaching.

Imagery

The verb frequently stands at the moment where decisions become embodied in movement: a household formed when Joseph takes Mary to himself; a family gathered and led away “by night”; a figure moved to a city or mountain for a confrontation; companions taken “with him” for what they are meant to see or confirm. In each scene, taking is the concrete action that gathers persons into proximity and carries them into the next setting where the story’s stakes unfold.

Sources: Lexical data from Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance and the Translators Brief Lexicon of Extended Strongs for Greek (STEPBible, CC BY). Occurrence data from the Translators Amalgamated Greek New Testament (STEPBible, CC BY). Scripture quotations from the World English Bible (public domain).