Word study
Ask
9 Hebrew and 11 Greek words behind this English word
The original-language words that the Berean Standard Bible translates with one of these: asked, ask, asking, asks. English often uses one word where Hebrew or Greek has several, each with its own shade of meaning. Under each word are verses where it is translated this way; choose the word itself for its full study: every verse, how else it is translated, the forms it takes and what the dictionaries say.
At a glance
How often each original word is translated “ask” or one of its forms.
Compare the Hebrew words side by side Compare the Greek words side by side
Hebrew and Aramaic words (Old Testament)
- אָמַר âmarutter, saytranslated this way 294 times of its 4,555 uses · Strong’s H559Verb · Translated: said 1,531, says 576, say 352, replied 341Full study and all 3,827 verses →
Genesis 3:11 “Who told you that you were naked?” asked the LORD God. “Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?”
Exodus 1:18 So the king of Egypt summoned the midwives and asked them, “Why have you done this? Why have you let the boys live?”
- שָׁאַל shâalask, inquiretranslated this way 73 times of its 165 uses · Strong’s H7592Verb · Translated: ask 31, asked 28, inquired 16, requested 7Full study and all 156 verses →
Genesis 24:47 Then I asked her, ‘Whose daughter are you?’ She replied, ‘The daughter of Bethuel son of Nahor, whom Milcah bore to him.’ So I put the ring on her nose and the bracelets on her wrists.
Exodus 3:22 Every woman shall ask her neighbor and any woman staying in her house for silver and gold jewelry and clothing, and you will put them on your sons and daughters. So you will plunder the Egyptians.”
- דָבַר dâbarspeaktranslated this way 10 times of its 1,113 uses · Strong’s H1696Verb · Translated: speak 209, said 157, spoken 142, spoke 110Full study and all 1,025 verses →
Exodus 33:17 So the LORD said to Moses, “I will do this very thing you have asked, for you have found favor in My sight, and I know you by name.”
- אֲמַר ămarsay, tell, commandtranslated this way 6 times of its 47 uses · Strong’s H560Verb · Translated: said 10, asked 6, tell 6, told 4Full study and all 46 verses →
Ezra 5:3 At that time Tattenai the governor of the region west of the Euphrates, Shethar-bozenai, and their associates went to the Jews and asked, “Who authorized you to rebuild this temple and restore this structure?”
Daniel 3:24 Suddenly King Nebuchadnezzar jumped up in amazement and asked his advisers, “Did we not throw three men, firmly bound, into the fire?” “Certainly, O king,” they replied.
- עָנָה ânâhanswer, respondtranslated this way 3 times of its 317 uses · Strong’s H6030Verb · Translated: answered 79, answer 75, replied 47, respond 14Full study and all 308 verses →
1 Samuel 26:6 And David asked Ahimelech the Hittite and Abishai son of Zeruiah, Joab’s brother, “Who will go down with me to Saul in the camp?” “I will go with you,” answered Abishai.
- בָּקַשׁ bâqashseektranslated this way 3 times of its 222 uses · Strong’s H1245Verb · Translated: seek 78, sought 21, seeking 13, search 13Full study and all 212 verses →
Ezra 8:21 And there by the Ahava Canal I proclaimed a fast, so that we might humble ourselves before our God and ask Him for a safe journey for us and our children, with all our possessions.
Esther 2:15 Now Esther was the daughter of Abihail, the uncle from whom Mordecai had adopted her as his own daughter. And when it was her turn to go to the king, she did not ask for anything except what Hegai, the king’s trusted official in charge of the harem, had advised. And Esther found favor in the eyes of everyone who saw her.
- דָּבָר dâbârspeech, wordtranslated this way 2 times of its 1,244 uses · Strong’s H1697Noun · Translated: word 342, words 299, acts 51, Chronicles 42Full study and all 1,120 verses →
- שְׁאֵל sheêltranslated this way 2 times of its 6 uses · Strong’s H7593Verb · Translated: asked 2, questioned 1, require 1, requests 1Full study and all 6 verses →
Ezra 5:10 We also asked for their names, so that we could write down the names of their leaders for your information.
Daniel 2:10 The astrologers answered the king, “No one on earth can do what the king requests! No king, however great and powerful, has ever asked anything like this of any magician, enchanter, or astrologer.
- בְּעָא beâask, seektranslated this way 2 times of its 11 uses · Strong’s H1156Verb · Translated: asked 2, petitions 2Full study and all 11 verses →
Daniel 2:16 So Daniel went in and asked the king to give him some time, so that he could give him the interpretation.
Daniel 7:16 I approached one of those who were standing there, and I asked him the true meaning of all this. So he told me the interpretation of these things:
Greek words (New Testament)
- ἔπω épōto speak or say (by word or writing)translated this way 107 times of its 962 uses · Strong’s G2036Verb · Translated: said 426, asked 95, told 88, replied 69Full study and all 891 verses →
Matthew 9:11 When the Pharisees saw this, they asked His disciples, “Why does your Teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”
Matthew 11:3 to ask Him, “Are You the One who was to come, or should we look for someone else?”
- λέγω légōI say, speaktranslated this way 83 times of its 993 uses · Strong’s G3004Verb · Translated: said 216, tell 164, say 105, saying 86Full study and all 936 verses →
Matthew 2:2 asking, “Where is the One who has been born King of the Jews? We saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.”
Matthew 8:27 The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the sea obey Him!”
- αἰτέω aitéōI ask, request, beg, petitiontranslated this way 58 times of its 70 uses · Strong’s G154Verb · Translated: ask 35, asked 10, asks 9, asking 4Full study and all 67 verses →
Matthew 5:42 Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.
Mark 6:22 When the daughter of Herodias came and danced, she pleased Herod and his guests, and the king said to the girl, “Ask me for whatever you wish, and I will give it to you.”
- ἐρωτάω erōtáōI ask, question, requesttranslated this way 44 times of its 63 uses · Strong’s G2065Verb · Translated: ask 20, asked 18, question 3, asking 3Full study and all 61 verses →
Matthew 19:17 “Why do you ask Me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, keep the commandments.”
Mark 4:10 As soon as Jesus was alone with the Twelve and those around Him, they asked Him about the parable.
- ἐπερωτάω eperōtáōI interrogate, question, demand oftranslated this way 34 times of its 56 uses · Strong’s G1905Verb · Translated: asked 25, questioned 12, ask 7, question 5Full study and all 56 verses →
Matthew 12:10 and a man with a withered hand was there. In order to accuse Jesus, they asked Him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”
Mark 5:9 “What is your name?” Jesus asked. “My name is Legion,” he replied, “for we are many.”
- ἀποκρίνομαι apokrínomaiI answer, replytranslated this way 11 times of its 206 uses · Strong’s G611Verb · Translated: replied 84, answered 64, said 14, answer 13Full study and all 206 verses →
Matthew 27:21 “Which of the two do you want me to release to you?” asked the governor. “Barabbas,” they replied.
Mark 10:51 “What do you want Me to do for you?” Jesus asked. “Rabboni,” said the blind man, “let me see again.”
- πυνθάνομαι pynthánomaiI ask, inquiretranslated this way 8 times of its 12 uses · Strong’s G4441Verb · Translated: asked 5, ask 3, inquired 1, began to question 1Full study and all 12 verses →
Matthew 2:4 And when he had assembled all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he asked them where the Christ was to be born.
Luke 15:26 So he called one of the servants and asked what was going on.
- ἐρέω eréōI say, speaktranslated this way 4 times of its 96 uses · Strong’s G2046Verb · Translated: say 24, spoken 17, said 15, tell 9Full study and all 96 verses →
Matthew 21:25 What was the source of John’s baptism? Was it from heaven or from men?” They deliberated among themselves and said, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will ask, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’
Mark 11:31 They deliberated among themselves what they should answer: “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will ask, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’
- φημί phēmíI saytranslated this way 3 times of its 62 uses · Strong’s G5346Verb · Translated: said 25, replied 15, declared 6, asked 3Full study and all 61 verses →
Matthew 27:23 “Why?” asked Pilate. “What evil has He done?” But they shouted all the louder, “Crucify Him!”
John 18:29 So Pilate went out to them and asked, “What accusation are you bringing against this man?”
- δέομαι déomaiI request, begtranslated this way 3 times of its 22 uses · Strong’s G1189Verb · Translated: beg 6, pray 4, begged 3, prayed 3Full study and all 22 verses →
Matthew 9:38 Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into His harvest.”
Luke 10:2 And He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into His harvest.
- ζητέω zētéōI seek, search for, desiretranslated this way 3 times of its 117 uses · Strong’s G2212Verb · Translated: seek 17, seeking 14, looking 11, trying 9Full study and all 114 verses →
Mark 3:32 and a crowd was sitting around Him. “Look,” He was told, “Your mother and brothers are outside, asking for You.”
John 16:19 Aware that they wanted to question Him, Jesus said to them, “Are you asking one another why I said, ‘In a little while you will not see Me, and then after a little while you will see Me’?
How to study a word well
- Start from the verse, not the dictionary. Find which Hebrew or Greek word stands in the verse you are studying. One English word often translates several different original words.
- Read every place the word is used. A word means what its writers used it to mean. The list of verses and the count by book show its range, and who uses it most.
- Look at how it is translated. A word rendered five different ways has a wider meaning than any one English word can carry.
- Notice the form. A command is not a statement, and a passive verb is something done to the subject. The form in your verse is part of the meaning.
- See what it keeps company with. The words that appear beside it again and again show how the Bible itself connects ideas.
- Then read the dictionaries. They give the considered view of scholars, with their evidence.
- Come back to the verse. Context decides. A word does not carry every one of its meanings into every verse, and where a word came from does not settle what it means in a sentence written centuries later.
Scripture text and translation counts: Berean Standard Bible. Full entry: Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906, public domain), in the digital edition Brown-Driver-Briggs Enhanced by unfoldingWord (Joel Ruark, J. de Joode), based on data by Eliran Wong and Stephen Ku; its additions are used under CC BY 4.0. Strong’s Hebrew Dictionary: Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible Project, CC BY 4.0. Hebrew-to-English verse numbering: original work of the Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible available at https://github.com/openscriptures/morphhb, CC BY 4.0. We reformatted the data, linked the references to this site’s Bible text and left out words in other scripts that the source holds only as images. These are historical reference works; an entry gives its authors’ view, and a word’s meaning in any verse depends on how it is used there.