Harpazō (G726) means to seize, snatch, carry off by force. It conveys sudden, forceful taking — a wolf snatching a sheep, a thief grabbing property, or the Spirit suddenly transporting someone. It appears 13 times in the New Testament. The Latin translation raptus ('to be caught up') is the basis for the English theological term 'rapture.'
Harpazō describes some of the most dramatic divine interventions in Scripture. Philip was 'caught away' (hērpasen) by the Spirit after baptizing the Ethiopian eunuch (Acts 8:39). Paul was 'caught up' (harpagenta) into the third heaven (2 Corinthians 12:2, 4). The child in Revelation 12:5 was 'caught up' (hērpasthē) to God and his throne.
The key eschatological use is 1 Thessalonians 4:17: 'Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.' This verse is central to Christian eschatological debates about the timing and nature of Christ's return. Regardless of eschatological framework, harpazō expresses the ultimate truth: Christ seizes his people out of the domain of death and brings them irresistibly to himself. This is not passive acceptance but active, powerful rescue.