Word study
Command
12 Hebrew and 6 Greek words behind this English word
The original-language words that the Berean Standard Bible translates with one of these: commanded, command, commands, commanding. 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 “command” 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)
- צָוָה tsâvâhlay charge (upon), give charge (to), charge, command, ordertranslated this way 337 times of its 491 uses · Strong’s H6680Verb · Translated: commanded 271, command 41, gave 16, instructed 13Full study and all 473 verses →
Genesis 2:16 And the LORD God commanded him, “You may eat freely from every tree of the garden,
Exodus 1:22 Then Pharaoh commanded all his people: “Every son born to the Hebrews you must throw into the Nile, but every daughter you may allow to live.”
- פֶּה pehmouthtranslated this way 41 times of its 423 uses · Strong’s H6310Noun · Translated: mouth 207, mouths 43, command 38, lips 10Full study and all 396 verses →
Genesis 41:40 You shall be in charge of my house, and all my people are to obey your commands. Only with regard to the throne will I be greater than you.”
Exodus 17:1 Then the whole congregation of Israel left the Desert of Sin, moving from place to place as the LORD commanded. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink.
- מִצְוָה mitsvâhcommandmenttranslated this way 25 times of its 180 uses · Strong’s H4687Noun · Translated: commandments 133, command 17, commandment 12, according to the command 4Full study and all 176 verses →
Exodus 15:26 saying, “If you will listen carefully to the voice of the LORD your God, and do what is right in His eyes, and pay attention to His commands, and keep all His statutes, then I will not bring on you any of the diseases I inflicted on the Egyptians. For I am the LORD who heals you.”
1 Samuel 13:13 “You have acted foolishly,” Samuel declared. “You have not kept the command that the LORD your God gave you; if you had, the LORD would have established your kingdom over Israel for all time.
- אָמַר âmarutter, saytranslated this way 20 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 43:17 The man did as Joseph had commanded and took the brothers to Joseph’s house.
- דָּבָר dâbârspeech, wordtranslated this way 19 times of its 1,244 uses · Strong’s H1697Noun · Translated: word 342, words 299, acts 51, Chronicles 42Full study and all 1,120 verses →
Exodus 12:24 And you are to keep this command as a permanent statute for you and your descendants.
Deuteronomy 15:15 Remember that you were slaves in the land of Egypt, and the LORD your God redeemed you; that is why I am giving you this command today.
- אֲמַר ămarsay, tell, commandtranslated this way 5 times of its 47 uses · Strong’s H560Verb · Translated: said 10, asked 6, tell 6, told 4Full study and all 46 verses →
Daniel 3:4 Then the herald loudly proclaimed, “O people of every nation and language, this is what you are commanded:
Daniel 3:20 and he commanded some mighty men of valor in his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and throw them into the blazing fiery furnace.
- עַל alheighttranslated this way 4 times of its 4,859 uses · Strong’s H5921Preposition · Translated: on 777, over 297, in 218, against 216Full study and all 3,996 verses →
- יָד yâdhandtranslated this way 3 times of its 1,403 uses · Strong’s H3027Noun · Translated: hand 664, hands 349, through 64, power 22Full study and all 1,290 verses →
Numbers 31:49 and said, “Your servants have counted the soldiers under our command, and not one of us is missing.
2 Samuel 10:10 And he placed the rest of the troops under the command of his brother Abishai, who arrayed them against the Ammonites.
- טְעֵם ṭeêmtaste, judgment, commandtranslated this way 2 times of its 18 uses · Strong’s H2942Noun · Translated: decree 11, order 2Full study and all 16 verses →
Ezra 6:14 So the Jewish elders built and prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah son of Iddo. They finished building according to the command of the God of Israel and the decrees of Cyrus, Darius, and Artaxerxes, kings of Persia.
Ezra 7:23 Whatever is commanded by the God of heaven must be done diligently for His house. For why should wrath fall on the realm of the king and his sons?
- אַחַר acharbehindtranslated this way 2 times of its 556 uses · Strong’s H310Preposition · Translated: after 123, behind 56, and after 22, after that 19Full study and all 533 verses →
2 Samuel 23:9 Next in command was Eleazar son of Dodo the Ahohite. As one of the three mighty men, he went with David to taunt the Philistines who had gathered for battle at Pas-dammim. The men of Israel retreated,
- מַאֲמַר maămarword, commandtranslated this way 2 times of its 3 uses · Strong’s H3982Noun · Translated: command 2, decree 1Full study and all 3 verses →
Esther 1:15 “According to law,” he asked, “what should be done with Queen Vashti, since she refused to obey the command of King Xerxes delivered by the eunuchs?”
Esther 2:20 Esther still had not revealed her lineage or her people, just as Mordecai had instructed. She obeyed Mordecai’s command, as she had done under his care.
- מִלָּה millâhword, thingtranslated this way 2 times of its 22 uses · Strong’s H4406Noun · Translated: words 3, matter 3, word 2, command 2Full study and all 20 verses →
Daniel 3:22 The king’s command was so urgent and the furnace so hot that the fiery flames killed the men who carried up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
Daniel 3:28 Nebuchadnezzar declared, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent His angel and delivered His servants who trusted in Him. They violated the king’s command and risked their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God.
Greek words (New Testament)
- παραγγέλλω parangéllōI notify, command, chargetranslated this way 12 times of its 29 uses · Strong’s G3853Verb · Translated: instructed 7, command 5, commanded 4, ordered 3Full study and all 29 verses →
Luke 8:29 For Jesus had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. Many times it had seized him, and though he was bound with chains and shackles, he had broken the chains and been driven by the demon into solitary places.
Acts 1:4 And while they were gathered together, He commanded them: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift the Father promised, which you have heard Me discuss .
- ἐντέλλομαι entéllomaiI give orders, commandtranslated this way 11 times of its 15 uses · Strong’s G1781Verb · Translated: commanded 6, command 5, order 1, instructed 1Full study and all 15 verses →
Matthew 4:6 “If You are the Son of God,” he said, “throw Yourself down. For it is written: ‘He will command His angels concerning You, and they will lift You up in their hands, so that You will not strike Your foot against a stone.’”
Mark 10:3 “What did Moses command you?” He replied.
- ἐντολή entolḗan ordinance, injunction, commandtranslated this way 10 times of its 66 uses · Strong’s G1785Noun · Translated: commandment 28, commandments 23, command 4, commanded 4Full study and all 61 verses →
Matthew 15:3 Jesus replied, “And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition?
Mark 7:9 He went on to say, “You neatly set aside the command of God to maintain your own tradition.
- ἐπιταγή epitagḗinstruction, command, order, authoritytranslated this way 6 times of its 7 uses · Strong’s G2003Noun · Translated: command 6, authority 1Full study and all 7 verses →
Romans 16:26 but now revealed and made known through the writings of the prophets by the command of the eternal God, in order to lead all nations to the obedience that comes from faith —
1 Corinthians 7:6 I say this as a concession, not as a command.
- ἐπιτάσσω epitássōI give order, commandtranslated this way 5 times of its 10 uses · Strong’s G2004Verb · Translated: commands 3, order 2, ordered 2, commanded 1Full study and all 10 verses →
Mark 1:27 All the people were amazed and began to ask one another, “What is this? A new teaching with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him!”
Luke 4:36 All the people were overcome with amazement and asked one another, “What is this message? With authority and power He commands the unclean spirits, and they come out!”
- κελεύω keleúōI command, ordertranslated this way 3 times of its 25 uses · Strong’s G2753Verb · Translated: ordered 16, gave orders 2, directed 2Full study and all 25 verses →
Matthew 14:28 “Lord, if it is You,” Peter replied, “command me to come to You on the water.”
Acts 23:3 Then Paul said to him, “God will strike you, you whitewashed wall! You sit here to judge me according to the law, yet you yourself violate the law by commanding that I be struck.”
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.