Harpazo denotes taking someone or something decisively away, whether by force, rescue, or being caught up.

The attested uses chiefly describe an active, forceful or decisive taking: a wolf takes sheep, people intend to take Jesus by force, and someone is taken from a threatening setting. A smaller passive group describes persons being caught up or carried away to another place.

1. Taking away by force or urgent action · dominant

   Active forms describe taking persons or things from a place or holder: in Acts 23:10 the troops are ordered to seize Paul from the midst of an uprising, while in John 10:12 the wolf takes the sheep and scatters them. In John 6:15 the intended action is to take Jesus by force to make him king; in Jude 1:23 persons are taken out from the fire.

   Acts 23:10John 10:12John 6:15Jude 1:23Matthew 12:29Matthew 13:19
2. Being caught up or carried away · common

   Passive forms place the subject as the one taken: in 2 Corinthians 12:2 and 2 Corinthians 12:4, a man is caught up to the third heaven and into paradise. In 1 Thessalonians 4:17 those alive are caught up in the clouds, and in Revelation 12:5 the child is caught up to God and to his throne.

   2 Corinthians 12:22 Corinthians 12:41 Thessalonians 4:17Acts 8:39Revelation 12:5

In the Anselm Project Bible: The APB variously renders the clauses with “seize,” “snatches,” “take him by force,” and “caught up,” as well as “carried Philip away.” These renderings confirm the scenes' movement or removal rather than establish separate English definitions.