Prepared for Advanced New Testament Theology on September 17, 2004.
Introduction
The Greek word ἕλκω is far more significant than its number of NT occurrences may suggest. It occurs only eight times1 in the NT: five times in John’s gospel (6:44; 12:32; 18:10; 21:6, 11), twice in Acts (16:19; 21:30), and once in James (2:6); but two of these passages are very theologically significant (Jn 6:44; 12:32). A proper understanding of ἕλκω is vital for accurately exegeting these two passages. Most English versions translate it in a variety of ways. The NASB renders it “draw” (4×), “drag” (3×), and “haul” (1×). The NET renders it “drag” (3×), “pull” (3×), and “draw” (2×).2 The KJV, however, translates every occurrence “draw.” The basic meaning of the word is “to move by exertion.” Since the number of occurrences of ἕλκω is few, it is helpful to consider the LXX usage as well. It occurs 25 times in the OT3 and an additional eleven times in the Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha.4 The Hebrew words normally underlying the LXX translation are משׁך “to drag” (9×) and שׁלף “to draw out” (6×).5 There is only one cognate in the NT. The verb ἐξέλκω occurs only once (Jas 1:14).6 It carries the meaning “to drag out” or “to drag away.” Three other cognates exist in the LXX and Apocrypha: ἐφέλκω “draw over,”7 παρέλκω “draw away from,”8 and συνέλκω “to drag away with.”9 There are a few synonyms in the Greek Scriptures: σύρω “to drag or pull,”10 κατασύρω “to drag away,”11 and σπάω “to draw.”12
Organization
The NT occurrences of ἕλκω divide into two categories: (1) theological, i.e., God’s drawing in a spiritual or figurative sense (Jn 6:44; 12:32) and (2) non-theological, i.e., man’s drawing in a physical or literal sense (Jn 18:10; 21:6, 11; Acts 16:19; 21:30; Jas 2:6). It is not best, however, to regard these as two different senses. ἕλκω has only one sense in the NT, “to move by exertion.” That movement may be physical or spiritual. The meaning of ἕλκω may be best expressed with different English words depending on the specific usage. The NET is a good example of this (see note 2). For example, dragging a man has different connotations than dragging a chair. The subject of ἕλκω is always personal. The object may be a person, an animal, or an inanimate object. (1) For the two theological passages, the subjects are the Father (Jn 6:44) and Jesus (Jn 12:32). The objects are an unbeliever (Jn 6:44) and all people (Jn 12:32). (2) For the non-theological passages, the subjects are Peter (Jn 18:10; 21:11), the disciples (Jn 21:6), the masters of a demon-possessed slave-girl (Acts 16:19), the people of Jerusalem (Acts 21:30), and the rich (Jas 2:6). The objects are persons: Paul (Acts 21:30), Paul and Silas (Acts 16:19), and believers (Jas 2:6); animal life: a net of fish (21:6, 11); and an inanimate object: a sword (Jn 18:10).
The LXX data are significantly more varied and difficult. A handful of passages do not seem to correspond to the Hebrew (Prv 25:20?; Jb 20:28; Dn 4:17) or are very difficult to translate or categorize (Jgs 5:14; Eccl 1:5; 2:3; Sg 1:4; Jb 28:18). The other passages may be divided up into (1) theological (2 Sm 22:17; Jer 38:3 [31:3]), (2) literal (Dt 21:3; Jb 39:10; Is 10:15; Jer 45:13 [38:13]), (3) idiomatic: a soldier (Jgs 20:2, 15, 17, 25, 35, 46), to breathe (Ps 118:131 [119:131]; Jer 14:6), to be patient (Neh 9:30),13 others (Ps 9:30 [10:9]), and (4) poetic (Hb 1:15).14 The idiomatic and poetic are less relevant than the theological and literal. (1) In the theological passages, God draws David from his troubles (2 Sm 22:17) and He draws His people back to Him from exile (Jer 38:3). (2) The literal usages include a heifer dragging a yoke (Dt 21:3), an ox plowing a field (Jb 39:10), a man using a saw (Is 10:15), and men pulling Jeremiah from a pit with ropes (Jer 45:13 [38:13]). Each of these usages is in harmony with the way the NT uses ἕλκω.
Conclusion
The common NT usage of ἕλκω always designates effectual acting upon a person or thing.15 Peter effectually pulls out his sword (Jn 18:10) and effectually pulls the net of fish to land (Jn 21:11),16 the masters of the demon-possessed slave-girl effectually drag Paul and Silas into the market before the authorities (Acts 16:19), the Jews effectually drag Paul out of the temple (21:30), and the rich effectually drag believers into court (Jas 2:6). In each of these non-theological occurrences, it is clear that the action is inherently an effectual one; that is, in order for it to be said that someone “drew,” the object being acted upon must arrive at the desired destination. These secular uses of ἕλκω provide an important key for understanding the theological ones. It was with this understanding of ἕλκω that the recipients of the NT understood the statements of John 6:44 and John 12:32. In John 6:44 Jesus said that no one is able to come to Him (i.e., savingly believe on Him) unless the Father draws him. That is, if a person is going to arrive at faith in Christ, God is going to have to effectually bring him there.17 All whom the Father draws believe, and all who believe do so because they are drawn by the Father. The mundane usages make this interpretation the most probable. But what of John 12:32 where Jesus says that He will draw all people to Himself? It seems that “drawing” here must be ineffectual, for not all people come to Christ. Many begin with this text and use it as the interpretive paradigm for 6:44, but this does not do justice to the other passages or to the context of this one. A better explanation is to find the resolution in the meaning of πάντας. Many interpreters take it in the fullest sense possible: every single individual. However, the preceding context points a different direction. Beginning in verse 20, certain Greeks had come to the feast to worship, and they wanted to see Jesus. Jesus, addressing the issue of Jews and Gentiles, spoke of His death and how it would bring forth much fruit (i.e., Gentile conversions). The Gentile world was currently under judgment, but through His death, Jesus would release the Gentiles from the power of Satan (v. 31). As a result, He would effectually draw “all people,” that is, all people without distinction or people from all the nations, unto Himself.18 In light of the meaning of ἕλκω in the non-theological passages, the immediate textual contexts, and a broader theological context, the best interpretation of both 6:44 and 12:32 is to see the drawing as having the same scope (i.e., limited only to those who believe) and the same effect (i.e., effectual).
Sources
F. F. Bruce (The Gospel and Epistles of John), Carson (The Gospel according to John), Danker (BDAG), Hendriksen (John), Lenski (John), Oepke (TDNT).
Notes
1. Cf. ἑλκύω, an alternate lexical form for ἕλκω, which some consider the source in Jn 6:44; 12:32; 18:10; 21:6, 11; and Acts 16:19. ↩
2. The NET is consistent in its choice of words. “Draw” is used for the two theological passages (Jn 6:44; 12:32), “drag” is used when people are the object (Acts 16:19; 21:30; Jas 2:6), and “pull” is used when impersonal items are the object (Jn 18:10; 21:6, 11). ↩
3. Dt 21:3; Jgs 5:14; 20:2, 15, 17, 25, 35, 46; 2 Sm 22:17; Neh 9:30; Ps 9:30; 118:131; Prv 25:20; Eccl 1:5; 2:3; Sg 1:4; Jb 20:28; 28:18; 39:10; Hb 1:15; Is 10:15; Jer 14:6; 38:3; 45:13; Dn 4:17. ↩
4. Apocrypha: 1 Mc 10:82; 3 Mc 4:7; 5:49; 4 Mc 11:9; 14:13; 15:11; Ws 19:4; Sir 28:19; Dat 7:10. Pseudepigrapha: JosAs 23:13; 29:2. Additional support could be derived from examining the 19 occurrences of the word in Josephus (Ant 3:221; 5:33, 45; 7:161, 189; 13:92, 234; 15:27; 19:221; Wars 1:10, 19, 338, 591; 4:60, 170, 480; 5:444, 479, 560). ↩
5. See also שׁאף “to pant” (3×), משׁה “to draw out” (1×), שׂדד “to pull” (1×), גרר “to drag away” (1×), and נוף “to swing” (1×). ↩
6. It occurs four times in the OT (Gn 37:28; Prv 30:33; Jb 20:15; 36:20) and twice in the Apocrypha (Jda 20:31; 3 Mc 2:23). ↩
7. It occurs once in the OT (Ps 27:3). ↩
8. It occurs four times in the Apocrypha (Sir 4:1, 3; 29:5, 8). ↩
9. It occurs five times: twice in the OT (Nm 9:19; Jo 24:29) and three times in the Apocrypha (4 Mc 15:21; Ws 14:20; Ep Jer 1:43). ↩
10. It occurs 13 times: six times in the OT (Dt 32:24; 2 Sm 17:13; Mi 7:17; Is 3:16; 28:2; 30:28), twice in the Apocryphal literature (4 Mc 6:1; Od 2:24), and five times in the NT (Jn 21:8; Acts 8:3; 14:19; 17:6; Rv 12:4). ↩
11. It occurs four times: three times in the OT (Jer 30:4; Dn 11:10, 26) and once in the NT (Lk 12:58). ↩
12. It occurs 33 times: 19 times in the OT (Nm 22:23, 31; Jo 5:13; Jgs 8:10, 20; 9:54; 1 Sm 31:4; 2 Sm 23:8; 24:9; 2 Kgs 3:26; 1 Chr 10:4; 11:11, 20; 21:5, 16; Ps 36:14; 151:7; Ez 21:33; 26:15), 12 times in the Apocrypha (Jda 8:10, 20; 9:54; 20:2, 15, 17, 25, 35, 46; 1 Esd 3:22; Ws 7:3; Sir 22:21), and twice in the NT (Mk 14:47; Acts 16:27). ↩
13. This passage might seem to undermine the following conclusion, but there are three reasons why it should not. (1) The construction is idiomatic. (2) It is not subject, verb, object, like the other passages, but subject, verb, preposition, object. (3) The Hebrew verb משׁך was capable of a broader range of meaning than ἕλκω. ↩
14. The subjects are heifers (Dt 21:3), soldiers (Jgs 20:2, 15, 17, 25, 35, 46), the Lord (2 Sm 22:17; Neh 9:30; Jer 38:3 [31:3]), a sinner (Ps 9:30 [10:9]), David (Ps 118:131 [119:131]), vinegar (Prv 25:20), the sun (Eccl 1:5), a wild ox (Jb 39:10), the Chaldeans (Hb 1:15), a man (Is 10:15), wild asses (Jer 14:6), and Ebed Melech (Jer 45:13 [38:13]). The objects are a yoke (Dt 21:3), a sword (Jgs 20:2, 15, 17, 25, 35, 46), David (2 Sm 22:17), the poor (Ps 9:30 [10:9]), breath (Ps 118:131 [119:131]; Jer 14:6), a saw (Is 10:15), Israel (Jer 38:3 [31:3]), and Jeremiah (Jer 45:13 [38:13]). ↩
15. The implication of resistance or unwillingness is not inherent in the word, but in all of the NT occurrences where living beings are the object, the idea of unwillingness seems to be present. ↩
16. The first occurrence in v. 6 might at a glance seem like it contradicts this conclusion. They were not able to drag the net in because it was too heavy. But this negative example actually proves the point quite well. If ἕλκω were not by definition an effectual act, then it would not have been true to say that they were not able to drag it in. If exerting effort, not success, constitutes drawing, then they were able to draw it. ↩
17. That this drawing work of God is indeed effectual is supported by the final phrase of the verse: “I will raise him up on the last day.” The one whom God draws, Jesus will raise up. ↩
18. The NKJV brings this out nicely by translating πάντας “all peoples,” that is, all people groups. ↩