to seize and take control of someone or something, by force or as if caught in a trap
The core image is of something being firmly grabbed and brought under another's power, whether by a conquering army, a hunter's snare, or the grip of one's own sin. The word describes the moment of capture, the point at which resistance ends and possession begins.
In its most common use, it describes the military capture of a city or territory. Dozens of battles in Joshua, Judges, Kings, and Chronicles turn on whether a city is taken: the repeated formula "he took the city and struck it with the edge of the sword" makes this verb the hinge of conquest narrative. The matching form, where a city "is taken," is equally frequent, especially in the prophets, where the fall of Samaria, Jerusalem, Babylon, and Moab are announced with this word.
From military conquest the word extends naturally to the capture of persons, a king seized in flight, a young man grabbed for interrogation, even foxes caught by Samson. It also extends inward: sin, words, pride, and a seductive woman are all described as traps that catch a person, using the same verb. The Wisdom literature is especially fond of this: the wicked set snares to catch the innocent; a man's own sins seize him; the lips that make a rash vow trap their speaker.
A distinct but related use appears in the lot-casting scenes of Joshua and Samuel, where the lot "takes" a tribe, family, or individual, the divine selection is described as a form of capture, as if the lot closes in on its quarry. Finally, in two places in Job the word describes physical things locking or clinging together, which reflects the same core image of things being bound up in an irresistible grip.