to grasp/seize
krateo denotes taking a firm hold—of people or objects, and also of teachings, hope, or a confession.
The dominant usage concerns taking hold of a person or tangible object, often in acts of arrest, restraint, or help. The same verb also marks continuing adherence to traditions, teaching, a confession, hope, or a name, and in a smaller group of clauses it describes something being kept under restraint or retained.
Senses in use
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Taking hold of people or tangible things · dominant
This use describes a direct hold on people or objects: in Mark 14:46 the APB renders the action after they laid hands on Jesus as "seized him," while Matthew 18:28 places it in a slave's forceful treatment of a fellow slave. In Luke 8:54 and Matthew 9:25, the participial form accompanies taking a girl's hand before she rises; Matthew 28:9 similarly depicts taking hold of Jesus' feet.
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Holding firmly to what is received or confessed · common
Present forms occur with continued adherence: 2 Thessalonians 2:15 joins the command with standing firm and holding the traditions taught, and Hebrews 4:14 applies it to the confession. Mark 7:3 and Mark 7:8 place the term with tradition, while Revelation 2:13 and Revelation 2:25 describe holding a name and holding fast what is possessed.
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Keeping or restraining · occasional
The clause can portray a thing as unable to remain under another's hold: Acts 2:24 says death could not hold him, and Luke 24:16 says the disciples' eyes were held so that they did not recognize him. John 20:23 uses the verb in the conditional clause concerning sins being retained, while Revelation 7:1 depicts angels holding the winds so that they would not blow.
In the Anselm Project Bible: Across these verses the APB variously uses "seized," "grasped," "took hold," "hold fast," "holding," and "retained." These renderings reflect the clauses' differing situations.