Word study
Devote
4 Hebrew and 5 Greek words behind this English word
The original-language words that the Berean Standard Bible translates with one of these: devoted, devote, devoting. 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 “devote” 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)
- חָרַם châramban, devote, exterminatetranslated this way 42 times of its 49 uses · Strong’s H2763Verb · Translated: devoted to destruction 12, devote to destruction 6, devote them to destruction 5, set apart for destruction 4Full study and all 47 verses →
Numbers 21:2 So Israel made a vow to the LORD: “If You will deliver this people into our hands, we will devote their cities to destruction.”
Deuteronomy 2:34 At that time we captured all his cities and devoted to destruction the people of every city, including women and children. We left no survivors.
- חֵרֶם chêremdevoted thingtranslated this way 16 times of its 35 uses · Strong’s H2764Noun · Translated: devoted 5, set apart for destruction 4, things devoted to destruction 4, net 4Full study and all 30 verses →
Leviticus 27:21 When the field is released in the Jubilee, it will become holy, like a field devoted to the LORD; it becomes the property of the priests.
Numbers 18:14 Every devoted thing in Israel belongs to you.
- שָׁלֵם shâlêmcomplete, safe, at peacetranslated this way 6 times of its 25 uses · Strong’s H8003Adjective · Translated: fully devoted 5, whole 3, accurate 2, uncut 2Full study and all 25 verses →
1 Kings 8:61 So let your heart be fully devoted to the LORD our God, as it is this day, to walk in His statutes and to keep His commandments.”
2 Chronicles 15:17 The high places were not removed from Israel, but Asa’s heart was fully devoted all his days.
- חָזַק châzaqbe or grow firm, strong, strengthentranslated this way 2 times of its 290 uses · Strong’s H2388Verb · Translated: strong 37, made repairs 22, strengthened 16, repaired 15Full study and all 264 verses →
2 Chronicles 31:4 Moreover, he commanded the people living in Jerusalem to make a contribution for the priests and Levites so that they could devote themselves to the Law of the LORD.
Nehemiah 5:16 Instead, I devoted myself to the construction of the wall, and all my servants were gathered there for the work; we did not acquire any land.
Greek words (New Testament)
- προσκαρτερέω proskarteréōI persisttranslated this way 4 times of its 10 uses · Strong’s G4342Verb · Translated: devote 3, continued 2Full study and all 10 verses →
Acts 2:42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.
Romans 13:6 This is also why you pay taxes. For the authorities are God’s servants, who devote themselves to their work.
- ἀντέχομαι antéchomaiI hold fast totranslated this way 2 times of its 4 uses · Strong’s G472Verb · Translated: devoted 2, help 1, hold firmly 1Full study and all 4 verses →
Matthew 6:24 No one can serve two masters: Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.
Luke 16:13 No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”
- δῶρον dōrona gift, presenttranslated this way 2 times of its 17 uses · Strong’s G1435Noun · Translated: gifts 8, gift 7, gift devoted 2Full study and all 16 verses →
Matthew 15:5 But you say that if anyone says to his father or mother, ‘Whatever you would have received from me is a gift devoted to God,’
Mark 7:11 But you say that if a man says to his father or mother, ‘Whatever you would have received from me is Corban’ (that is, a gift devoted to God),
- προσέχω proséchōI pay attention to, devote myself totranslated this way 2 times of its 24 uses · Strong’s G4337Verb · Translated: Beware 7, paid close attention 2, devote 2, Watch 2Full study and all 24 verses →
1 Timothy 1:4 or devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies, which promote speculation rather than the stewardship of God’s work, which is by faith.
1 Timothy 4:13 Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, and to teaching.
- προΐστημι proḯstēmiI ruletranslated this way 2 times of its 8 uses · Strong’s G4291Verb · Translated: manage 2, devote 2, leading 1, care 1Full study and all 8 verses →
Titus 3:8 This saying is trustworthy. And I want you to emphasize these things, so that those who have believed God will take care to devote themselves to good deeds. These things are excellent and profitable for the people.
Titus 3:14 And our people must also learn to devote themselves to good works in order to meet the pressing needs of others, so that they will not be unfruitful.
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.