Word study
Hinder
4 Hebrew and 3 Greek words behind this English word
The original-language words that the Berean Standard Bible translates with one of these: hinder, hindered, hindering. 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 “hinder” 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)
- מָנַע mânawithhold, hold backtranslated this way 1 time of its 29 uses · Strong’s H4513Verb · Translated: withheld 7, withhold 5, denied 2, withholds 2Full study and all 29 verses →
Numbers 22:16 They came to Balaam and said, “This is what Balak son of Zippor says: ‘Please let nothing hinder you from coming to me,
- מַעְצוֹר matsôrrestraint, hindrancetranslated this way 1 time of its 1 use · Strong’s H4622Noun · Translated: hinder 1Full study and its 1 verse →
1 Samuel 14:6 Jonathan said to the young man bearing his armor, “Come, let us cross over to the outpost of these uncircumcised men. Perhaps the LORD will work on our behalf. Nothing can hinder the LORD from saving, whether by many or by few.”
- גָּרַע gâradiminish, restrain, withdrawtranslated this way 1 time of its 22 uses · Strong’s H1639Verb · Translated: reduce 3, reduced 3, taken away 2, subtract 2Full study and all 21 verses →
Job 15:4 But you even undermine the fear of God and hinder meditation before Him.
- בְּטֵל beṭêlceasetranslated this way 1 time of its 6 uses · Strong’s H989Verb · Translated: stopped 2, stop 1, ceased 1, standstill 1Full study and all 5 verses →
Ezra 6:8 I hereby decree what you must do for these elders of the Jews who are rebuilding this house of God: The cost is to be paid in full to these men from the royal treasury out of the taxes of the provinces west of the Euphrates, so that the work will not be hindered.
Greek words (New Testament)
- κωλύω kōlýōI prevent, hindertranslated this way 6 times of its 23 uses · Strong’s G2967Verb · Translated: hinder 4, prevented 3, tried to stop 2, stop 2Full study and all 23 verses →
Matthew 19:14 But Jesus said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not hinder them! For the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”
Mark 10:14 But when Jesus saw this, He was indignant and told them, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not hinder them! For the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.
- ἐγκόπτω enkóptōI interrupt, hindertranslated this way 2 times of its 5 uses · Strong’s G1465Verb · Translated: obstructed 2, delay 1, often been hindered 1, hindered 1Full study and all 5 verses →
Romans 15:22 That is why I have often been hindered from coming to you.
1 Peter 3:7 Husbands, in the same way, treat your wives with consideration as a delicate vessel, and with honor as fellow heirs of the gracious gift of life, so that your prayers will not be hindered.
- δίδωμι dídōmiI offer, givetranslated this way 1 time of its 403 uses · Strong’s G1325Verb · Translated: give 110, given 107, gave 72, gives 14Full study and all 370 verses →
1 Corinthians 9:12 If others have this right to your support, shouldn’t we have it all the more? But we did not exercise this right. Instead, we put up with anything rather than hinder the gospel of Christ.
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.