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ἅλωσις

hálōsis

G259 noun

SILEX Entry

Definition

The act of seizing, taking captive, or conquering, especially the conquest or capture of a city, person, or territory. In broader usage, denotes the process, result, or event of being taken by force or falling into enemy hands. In some contexts, can refer more generally to any form of capture or seizure, not limited to military or martial contexts.

Semantic Range

act of taking or capturing, military conquest or capture of a city, the event of being seized or occupied, process or result of being taken by force, (rarely) capture of individuals

Root / Etymology

From a collateral form of αἱρέω (haireō, 'to take, seize, capture'), specifically a nominalization indicating the act or event of being taken or seized. Related to the verb αἱρέω, which underlies several nouns related to taking or seizure. The -σις (-sis) suffix denotes action or result.

Historical & Contextual Notes

ἅλωσις is a rare noun in extant Greek, attested in classical literature (e.g., Herodotus) and later in the Septuagint and New Testament. In Classical and Hellenistic Greek, it largely refers to the taking or fall of cities, military conquests, or sometimes the capture of individuals. In the Septuagint (e.g., Jeremiah 29:2[36:2 LXX]), it translates Hebrew terms for destruction, captivity, or conquest, signifying not merely capture but the historical event of a city's fall. In the New Testament (Luke 21:24), ἅλωσις describes the capture and conquest of Jerusalem, focusing on the event and its implications rather than the victim or the captor. English translations often render it as 'capture' or 'fall,' but these may not fully convey the sense of dramatic, often violent, historical event underlying the Greek term. Related words: αἱρετός (chosen), αἱρετίζω (to choose), but ἅλωσις specifically emphasizes the passive experience of being taken, not the action of choosing.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from a collateral form of αἱρέομαι; capture, be taken.

Root Family

ἅλωσις (halōsis) — seizing, capture, conquest, being taken

Root ἁλ- to take, seize, capture

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
G259-01 ἅλωσιν alosin N ACC F SG capture capture capture 1

Occurrences in Scripture

1 occurrence

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
G259-01 2 Peter 2:12 ἅλωσιν alosin N ACC F SG capture capture capture
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