The Greek verb zōgreō (ζωγρέω) means to capture alive, to take alive, to catch living. It appears twice in the NT — Luke 5:10 and 2 Timothy 2:26. The word is a compound of zōos (alive) and agreō (to catch, hunt), literally 'to catch alive.' Originally a military term for taking prisoners alive rather than killing them.
In Luke 5:10, after the miraculous catch of fish, Jesus tells Simon Peter: 'From now on you will be catching men' — zōgrōn, catching them alive. The word transforms the fisherman's deadly trade (fish die when caught) into a life-giving mission (people are rescued alive). In 2 Timothy 2:26, the word appears in its darker military sense: those in the 'snare of the devil' have been 'captured by him to do his will' — ezōgrēmenoi. The same word used for gospel rescue is also used for satanic captivity, creating a powerful tension between two captures: one that gives life, one that enslaves.