Word study
However
13 Hebrew and 2 Greek words behind this English word
The original-language words that the Berean Standard Bible translates with “however”. 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 “however” 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)
- אִם imiftranslated this way 18 times of its 889 uses · Strong’s H518Conjunction · Translated: if 398, but if 95, or 64, and if 36Full study and all 761 verses →
Exodus 21:11 If, however, he does not provide her with these three things, she is free to go without monetary payment.
Leviticus 1:10 If, however, one’s offering is a burnt offering from the flock — from the sheep or goats — he is to present an unblemished male.
- הָיָה hâyâhfall out, come to pass, become, betranslated this way 8 times of its 2,848 uses · Strong’s H1961Verb · Translated: will be 206, become 178, came 169, was 151Full study and all 2,573 verses →
Genesis 39:11 One day, however, Joseph went into the house to attend to his work, and not a single household servant was inside.
- רַק raqthintranslated this way 7 times of its 97 uses · Strong’s H7535Adverb · Translated: only 27, but 24, Nevertheless 8, However 7Full study and all 96 verses →
Genesis 47:22 However, he did not acquire the priests’ portion of the land, for it had been given to them by Pharaoh. They ate the rations that Pharaoh supplied; so they did not sell their land.
Deuteronomy 20:16 However, in the cities of the nations that the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance, you must not leave alive anything that breathes.
- אַךְ aksurelytranslated this way 6 times of its 138 uses · Strong’s H389Adverb · Translated: but 31, Surely 29, only 11, Nevertheless 7Full study and all 135 verses →
Exodus 21:21 However, if the servant gets up after a day or two, the owner shall not be punished, since the servant is his property.
Leviticus 11:21 However, you may eat the following kinds of flying insects that walk on all fours: those having jointed legs above their feet for hopping on the ground.
- כִּי kîburning, brandingtranslated this way 4 times of its 3,991 uses · Strong’s H3588Conjunction · Translated: for 1,770, that 572, because 523, when 194Full study and all 3,583 verses →
- אֵת êthmark of the accusativetranslated this way 3 times of its 1,485 uses · Strong’s H853Direct object marker · Translated: and 348, them 229, you 199, him 146Full study and all 1,311 verses →
Genesis 15:10 So Abram brought all these to Him, split each of them down the middle, and laid the halves opposite each other. The birds, however, he did not cut in half.
- אוּלָם ûlâmbut, but indeedtranslated this way 3 times of its 19 uses · Strong’s H199Conjunction · Translated: but 8, however 3, though 2, yet 2Full study and all 19 verses →
Job 5:8 However, if I were you, I would appeal to God and lay my cause before Him—
Micah 3:8 As for me, however, I am filled with power by the Spirit of the LORD, with justice and courage, to declare to Jacob his transgression and to Israel his sin.
- יְהֹוָה YehôvâhYahwehtranslated this way 2 times of its 6,473 uses · Strong’s H3068Noun · Translated: lord 6,171, LORD's 127, surely as the lord 39, god 10Full study and all 5,509 verses →
Genesis 12:17 The LORD, however, afflicted Pharaoh and his household with severe plagues because of Abram’s wife Sarai.
- אַתָּה attâhthoutranslated this way 2 times of its 1,026 uses · Strong’s H859Pronoun · Translated: you 592, but you 62, and you 48, are you 47Full study and all 941 verses →
Genesis 15:15 You, however, will go to your fathers in peace and be buried at a ripe old age.
- לֵוִיִּי LêvîîLevitetranslated this way 2 times of its 285 uses · Strong’s H3881Noun · Translated: Levites 221, Levite 34, Levitical 14, Levi 7Full study and all 258 verses →
Numbers 1:47 The Levites, however, were not numbered along with them by the tribe of their fathers.
2 Chronicles 24:5 So he gathered the priests and Levites and said, “Go out to the cities of Judah and collect the money due annually from all Israel, to repair the house of your God. Do it quickly.” The Levites, however, did not make haste.
- גַּם gamalso, moreover, yeatranslated this way 2 times of its 625 uses · Strong’s H1571Conjunction · Translated: even 107, and 100, also 64, too 43Full study and all 565 verses →
Judges 2:17 Israel, however, did not listen to their judges. Instead, they prostituted themselves with other gods and bowed down to them. They quickly turned from the way of their fathers, who had walked in obedience to the LORD’s commandments; they did not do as their fathers had done.
- אִישׁ îshmantranslated this way 2 times of its 1,399 uses · Strong’s H376Noun · Translated: man 650, men 198, one 79, each 79Full study and all 1,278 verses →
- יוֹנָה YônâhJonahtranslated this way 2 times of its 21 uses · Strong’s H3124Noun · Translated: Jonah 16, however 2, Jonah's 2, time jonah 1Full study and all 17 verses →
Jonah 1:3 Jonah, however, got up to flee to Tarshish, away from the presence of the LORD. He went down to Joppa and found a ship bound for Tarshish. So he paid the fare and went aboard to sail for Tarshish, away from the presence of the LORD.
Jonah 4:1 Jonah, however, was greatly displeased, and he became angry.
Greek words (New Testament)
- δέ début, on the other hand, andtranslated this way 43 times of its 1,642 uses · Strong’s G1161Conjunction · Translated: but 784, and 340, now 117, then 101Full study and all 1,541 verses →
Matthew 14:6 On Herod’s birthday, however, the daughter of Herodias danced before them and pleased Herod
- ἀλλά allábut, excepttranslated this way 9 times of its 565 uses · Strong’s G235Conjunction · Translated: but 433, Instead 49, However 9, contrary 8Full study and all 541 verses →
Luke 22:36 “Now, however,” He told them, “the one with a purse should take it, and likewise a bag; and the one without a sword should sell his cloak and buy one.
John 6:23 However, some boats from Tiberias landed near the place where the people had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks.
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.