Original Word: αἰχμαλωτίζω
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: aichmalótizó
Pronunciation: aikh-mal-o-TID-zo
Phonetic Spelling: (aheekh-mal-o-tid'-zo)
KJV: lead away captive, bring into captivity
NASB: captivate, led captive, making a prisoner, taking captive
Word Origin: [from G164 (αἰχμαλωτός - captives)]

1. to make captive

lead away captive, bring into captivity.

From aichmalotos; to make captive -- lead away captive, bring into captivity.

see GREEK aichmalotos

Word Origin
from aichmalótos
Definition
to take or lead captive
NASB Translation
captivate (1), led captive (1), making...a prisoner (1), taking...captive (1).

STRONGS NT 163: αἰχμαλωτίζω

αἰχμαλωτίζω; 1 future passive αἰχμαλωτισθήσομαι;

a. equivalent to αἰχμάλωτον ποιῶ, which the earlier Greeks use.

b. to lead away captive: followed by εἰς with the accusative of place, Luke 21:24 (1 Macc. 10:33; Tobit 1:10).

c. figuratively, to subjugate, bring under control: 2 Corinthians 10:5 (on which passage see νόημα, 2); τινα τίνι, Romans 7:23 (yet T Tr א etc. insert ἐν before the dative); to take captive one's mind, captivate: γυναικάρια, 2 Timothy 3:6 (not Rec.) (Judith 16:9 τό κάλλος αὐτῆς ᾐχμαλώτισε ψυχήν αὐτοῦ). The word is used also in the Sept., Diodorus, Josephus, Plutarch, Arrian, Heliodorus; cf. Lob. ad Phryn., p. 442; (Winer's Grammar, 91 (87); Ellicott on 2 Timothy, the passage cited).

Root Meaning and Imagery

The verb translated “to take captive” evokes the picture of prisoners seized in war and carried away under the conqueror’s power. In Scripture the idea is never merely political; it exposes the deeper bondage of mind, heart, and destiny that results when God’s rule is rejected. The term therefore stands at the intersection of history, personal morality, and spiritual warfare, making it a vivid vehicle for teaching on both judgment and redemption.

Old Testament Background

The Old Testament repeatedly recounts Israel’s literal captivities—most notably the Assyrian and Babylonian exiles—which function as a prophetic backdrop for the New Testament’s spiritual use of the concept. Captivity demonstrates divine justice against persistent sin while simultaneously preserving a remnant for future restoration (Jeremiah 29:10–14). The motif prepares readers to understand why, when the Messiah comes, deliverance must reach beyond political chains to liberate the soul itself.

Usage in the Gospel Tradition: Luke 21:24

In Luke 21:24, Jesus foresees the fall of Jerusalem: “They will fall by the edge of the sword and be led captive into all the nations. Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.” The prediction was historically fulfilled in the Roman destruction of the city in A.D. 70, validating Jesus’ prophetic authority. Yet the saying also frames world history: Jewish dispersion (“led captive”) and Gentile ascendancy will continue until God’s redemptive timetable is complete. Here captivity underscores both temporal judgment and the certainty of future restoration when the “times of the Gentiles” draw to a close.

Pauline Usage: Spiritual Captivity and Liberation

1. Romans 7:23 describes internal warfare: “I see another law at work in my body, warring against the law of my mind and holding me captive to the law of sin that dwells within me.” Captivity images the believer’s inability, in the flesh, to fulfill God’s righteous requirements. The solution is not self-reformation but deliverance “through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 7:25).

2. 2 Corinthians 10:5 turns the metaphor on its head: “We tear down arguments and every presumption set up against the knowledge of God; and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” The gospel does not merely release prisoners; it commissions them as soldiers who now capture enemy strongholds—false ideas and rebellious imaginations—by the power of the Spirit and the sufficiency of Scripture.

3. 2 Timothy 3:6 warns of false teachers who “worm their way into households and captivate vulnerable women who are weighed down with sins and led astray by various passions.” Spiritual predators exploit guilt and desire, illustrating that captivity can be voluntary when discernment is neglected. The church must therefore guard sound doctrine and cultivate mature discipleship to prevent such exploitation.

Theological Themes

• Sin’s Tyranny: Romans 7 reveals sin as an enslaving power; liberation requires the atoning work of Christ and the indwelling Holy Spirit.
• Intellectual Warfare: 2 Corinthians 10 places the battlefield in the mind, insisting that every thought must be made obedient to Christ’s authority. Truth is not one option among many; it rules.
• Eschatological Hope: Luke 21 ties historical captivity to God’s sovereign timetable, assuring believers that apparent triumphs of evil are temporary.
• Pastoral Vigilance: 2 Timothy 3 highlights the vulnerability of the undiscerning and the responsibility of leaders to protect the flock through teaching that accords with Scripture.

Ministry Implications

1. Evangelism: Presenting the gospel as liberation from bondage resonates with those chained by addictions, fears, or ideological confusion.
2. Discipleship: Renewing the mind through Scripture memorization, corporate worship, and accountable community fulfills the mandate to “take captive every thought.”
3. Counseling: Understanding sin as captivity helps counselees move from mere behavior modification to a dependence on Christ’s freeing grace.
4. Apologetics: The church engages intellectual strongholds not by accommodation but by proclaiming truth with gentleness and confidence in the power of the Word.
5. Spiritual Warfare: Prayer, fasting, and obedience act as weapons that demolish unseen fortresses, acknowledging that the battle is the Lord’s yet requires active participation.

Applications for Contemporary Believers

• Examine personal thought patterns; submit them to Christ’s lordship daily.
• Cultivate theological depth so that persuasive yet deceptive voices cannot gain a foothold.
• Intercede for persecuted believers who face literal captivity, remembering that the spiritual victory secured in Christ guarantees ultimate freedom.
• Anticipate Christ’s return, when all forms of bondage—physical, moral, intellectual—will end and the liberty of the children of God will be revealed in fullness.

Summary

Strong’s Greek 163 captures a sobering reality and a triumphant promise: humanity apart from Christ is enslaved, yet in Christ every chain can be broken and every thought can be brought under His benevolent reign. The four New Testament occurrences trace a movement from predicted national judgment, through personal struggle with sin, to victorious spiritual conquest, and finally to pastoral concern for the vulnerable—together forming a comprehensive theology of captivity and liberation under the sovereign hand of God.

αιχμαλωτεύσωσιν αιχμαλώτιδας αιχμαλωτίδος αιχμαλώτιζε αιχμαλωτιζοντα αιχμαλωτίζοντά αἰχμαλωτίζοντά αιχμαλωτιζοντες αιχμαλωτίζοντες αἰχμαλωτίζοντες αιχμαλωτισάντων αιχμαλωτισθέντων αιχμαλωτισθήναι αιχμαλωτισθησονται αιχμαλωτισθήσονται αἰχμαλωτισθήσονται ηχμαλώτευσαν ηχμαλώτισαν aichmalotisthesontai aichmalotisthḗsontai aichmalōtisthēsontai aichmalōtisthḗsontai aichmalotizonta aichmalotízontá aichmalōtizonta aichmalōtízontá aichmalotizontes aichmalotízontes aichmalōtizontes aichmalōtízontesInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts