Word study
Interpret
4 Hebrew and 3 Greek words behind this English word
The original-language words that the Berean Standard Bible translates with one of these: interpret, interpreted, interprets. 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 “interpret” 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)
- פְּשַׁר pesharinterpretationtranslated this way 6 times of its 31 uses · Strong’s H6591Noun · Translated: interpretation 23, interpret 6, well as its interpretation 1, give interpretations 1Full study and all 26 verses →
Daniel 4:6 So I issued a decree that all the wise men of Babylon be brought before me to interpret the dream for me.
Daniel 4:7 When the magicians, enchanters, astrologers, and diviners came in, I told them the dream, but they could not interpret it for me.
- פָּתַר pâtharinterprettranslated this way 5 times of its 7 uses · Strong’s H6622Verb · Translated: interpret 3, interpreted 2, interpretation 1, described 1Full study and all 6 verses →
Genesis 40:8 “We both had dreams,” they replied, “but there is no one to interpret them.” Then Joseph said to them, “Don’t interpretations belong to God? Tell me your dreams.”
Genesis 41:12 Now a young Hebrew was there with us, a servant of the captain of the guard. We told him our dreams and he interpreted them for us individually.
- פְּשַׁר pesharinterprettranslated this way 1 time of its 1 use · Strong’s H6590Verb · Translated: ability to interpret 1Full study and its 1 verse →
Daniel 5:12 did this because Daniel, the one he named Belteshazzar, was found to have an extraordinary spirit, as well as knowledge, understanding, and the ability to interpret dreams, explain riddles, and solve difficult problems. Summon Daniel, therefore, and he will give you the interpretation.”
- נָחַשׁ nâchashhiss, whisper, prognosticatetranslated this way 1 time of its 9 uses · Strong’s H5172Verb · Translated: divination 2Full study and all 9 verses →
Deuteronomy 18:10 Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, practices divination or conjury, interprets omens, practices sorcery,
Greek words (New Testament)
- διερμηνεύω diermēneúōI translate, interpret, explaintranslated this way 4 times of its 6 uses · Strong’s G1329Verb · Translated: interpret 3, explained 1, translated 1, interprets 1Full study and all 6 verses →
1 Corinthians 12:30 Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret?
1 Corinthians 14:5 I wish that all of you could speak in tongues, but I would rather have you prophesy. He who prophesies is greater than one who speaks in tongues, unless he interprets so that the church may be edified.
- δοκιμάζω dokimázōI put to the test, prove, examinetranslated this way 2 times of its 22 uses · Strong’s G1381Verb · Translated: test 4, interpret 2Full study and all 20 verses →
Luke 12:56 You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and sky. Why don’t you know how to interpret the present time?
- διακρίνω diakrínōI distinguish, discern, doubt, hesitatetranslated this way 1 time of its 19 uses · Strong’s G1252Verb · Translated: doubt 3, hesitation 2, doubts 2Full study and all 18 verses →
Matthew 16:3 and in the morning, ‘Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but not the signs of the times.
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.