Word study
Live
18 Hebrew and 18 Greek words behind this English word
The original-language words that the Berean Standard Bible translates with one of these: live, living, lived. 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 “live” 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)
- יָשַׁב yâshabsit, remain, dwelltranslated this way 231 times of its 1,049 uses · Strong’s H3427Verb · Translated: lived 103, dwell 89, live 84, sit 70Full study and all 960 verses →
Genesis 13:7 And there was discord between the herdsmen of Abram and the herdsmen of Lot. At that time the Canaanites and the Perizzites were also living in the land.
Leviticus 13:46 As long as he has the infection, he remains unclean. He must live alone in a place outside the camp.
- חַי chayalive, livingtranslated this way 144 times of its 485 uses · Strong’s H2416Noun · Translated: life 112, lives 62, living 59, live 53Full study and all 441 verses →
Genesis 1:21 So God created the great sea creatures and every living thing that moves, with which the waters teemed according to their kinds, and every winged bird after its kind. And God saw that it was good.
Exodus 6:16 These were the names of the sons of Levi according to their records: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. Levi lived 137 years.
- חָיָה châyâhlivetranslated this way 144 times of its 265 uses · Strong’s H2421Verb · Translated: live 96, lived 24, was 17, revive 14Full study and all 254 verses →
Genesis 3:22 Then the LORD God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil. And now, lest he reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever...”
Exodus 1:16 “When you help the Hebrew women give birth, observe them on the birthstools. If the child is a son, kill him; but if it is a daughter, let her live.”
- הָיָה hâyâhfall out, come to pass, become, betranslated this way 18 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 5:4 And after he had become the father of Seth, Adam lived 800 years and had other sons and daughters.
Genesis 5:5 So Adam lived a total of 930 years, and then he died.
- גּוּר gûrsojourntranslated this way 13 times of its 88 uses · Strong’s H1481Verb · Translated: residing 8, reside 6, living 6, dwell 6Full study and all 85 verses →
Exodus 6:4 I also established My covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan, the land where they lived as foreigners.
Leviticus 17:8 Tell them that if anyone from the house of Israel or any foreigner living among them offers a burnt offering or a sacrifice
- שָׁכַן shâkansettle down, abide, dwelltranslated this way 10 times of its 129 uses · Strong’s H7931Verb · Translated: dwell 45, dwelling 9, settle 8, settled 7Full study and all 124 verses →
Genesis 14:13 Then an escapee came and reported this to Abram the Hebrew. Now Abram was living near the Oaks of Mamre the Amorite, a brother of Eshcol and Aner, all of whom were bound by treaty to Abram.
Job 30:6 so that they lived on the slopes of the wadis, among the rocks and in holes in the ground.
- מוֹשָׁב môshâbseat, assembly, dwelling-place, dwelling, dwellerstranslated this way 9 times of its 42 uses · Strong’s H4186Noun · Translated: live 9, dwellings 4, seat 4, settlements 4Full study and all 42 verses →
Leviticus 3:17 This is a permanent statute for the generations to come, wherever you live: You must not eat any fat or any blood.”
Numbers 35:29 This will be a statutory ordinance for you for the generations to come, wherever you live.
- בָּשָׂר bâsârfleshtranslated this way 6 times of its 231 uses · Strong’s H1320Noun · Translated: flesh 91, meat 59, body 22, himself 8Full study and all 212 verses →
Genesis 6:12 And God looked upon the earth and saw that it was corrupt; for all living creatures on the earth had corrupted their ways.
Genesis 6:13 Then God said to Noah, “The end of all living creatures has come before Me, because through them the earth is full of violence. Now behold, I will destroy both them and the earth.
- אָרַךְ ârakbe longtranslated this way 6 times of its 33 uses · Strong’s H748Verb · Translated: prolong 6, live long 5, long 3, lingered 2Full study and all 33 verses →
Deuteronomy 4:26 I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you this day that you will quickly perish from the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess. You will not live long upon it, but will be utterly destroyed.
Ecclesiastes 7:15 In my futile life I have seen both of these: A righteous man perishing in his righteousness, and a wicked man living long in his wickedness.
- הָלַךְ hâlakgo, come, walktranslated this way 5 times of its 1,461 uses · Strong’s H1980Verb · Translated: go 338, went 173, walk 116, Come 84Full study and all 1,299 verses →
- חֲיָא chăyâlivetranslated this way 5 times of its 6 uses · Strong’s H2418Verb · Translated: live 5, kept alive 1Full study and all 6 verses →
Daniel 2:4 Then the astrologers answered the king in Aramaic, “O king, may you live forever! Tell your servants the dream, and we will give the interpretation.”
Daniel 3:9 saying to King Nebuchadnezzar, “O king, may you live forever!
- יוֹם yômdaytranslated this way 4 times of its 2,013 uses · Strong’s H3117Noun · Translated: day 1,009, days 524, today 141, time 72Full study and all 1,744 verses →
Genesis 9:29 So Noah lived a total of 950 years, and then he died.
- יְקוּם yeqûmsubstance, existencetranslated this way 3 times of its 3 uses · Strong’s H3351Noun · Translated: living thing 3Full study and all 3 verses →
Genesis 7:4 For seven days from now I will send rain on the earth for forty days and forty nights, and I will wipe from the face of the earth every living thing I have made.”
Deuteronomy 11:6 and what He did in the midst of all the Israelites to Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab the Reubenite, when the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them, their households, their tents, and every living thing that belonged to them.
- חַי chaylivingtranslated this way 3 times of its 7 uses · Strong’s H2417Adjective · Translated: living 3, lives 2, alive 1, life 1Full study and all 7 verses →
Daniel 4:17 This decision is the decree of the watchers, the verdict declared by the holy ones, so that the living will know that the Most High rules over the kingdom of mankind and gives it to whom He wishes, setting over it the lowliest of men.’
Daniel 6:20 When he reached the den, he cried out in a voice of anguish, “O Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to deliver you from the lions?”
- שָׁם shâmthere, thithertranslated this way 3 times of its 551 uses · Strong’s H8033Adverb · Translated: there 309, from there 42, and there 38, where 29Full study and all 502 verses →
Genesis 12:10 Now there was a famine in the land. So Abram went down to Egypt to live there for a while because the famine was severe.
- נֶפֶשׁ nepheshsoul, living being, life, self, person, desire, appetite, emotion, and passiontranslated this way 2 times of its 666 uses · Strong’s H5315Noun · Translated: soul 178, life 119, lives 30, person 22Full study and all 622 verses →
Genesis 1:20 And God said, “Let the waters teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth in the open expanse of the sky.”
- לוּן lûnlodge, pass the nighttranslated this way 2 times of its 80 uses · Strong’s H3885Verb · Translated: spend the night 17, spent the night 7, grumbled 7, remain 6Full study and all 76 verses →
Ruth 1:16 But Ruth replied: “Do not urge me to leave you or to turn from following you. For wherever you go, I will go, and wherever you live, I will live; your people will be my people, and your God will be my God.
- מְדוֹר medôrdwelling placetranslated this way 2 times of its 4 uses · Strong’s H4070Noun · Translated: dwelling 2, live 1, lived 1Full study and all 4 verses →
Daniel 4:32 You will be driven away from mankind to live with the beasts of the field, and you will feed on grass like an ox. And seven times will pass you by, until you acknowledge that the Most High rules over the kingdom of mankind and gives it to whom He wishes.”
Daniel 5:21 He was driven away from mankind, and his mind was like that of a beast. He lived with the wild donkeys and ate grass like an ox, and his body was drenched with the dew of heaven until he acknowledged that the Most High God rules over the kingdom of mankind, setting over it whom He wishes.
Greek words (New Testament)
- ζάω záōI livetranslated this way 85 times of its 140 uses · Strong’s G2198Verb · Translated: live 51, living 28, alive 18, lives 15Full study and all 124 verses →
Matthew 4:4 But Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
Mark 5:23 and pleaded with Him urgently, “My little daughter is near death. Please come and place Your hands on her, so that she will be healed and live.”
- ζῶον zōonan animaltranslated this way 17 times of its 20 uses · Strong’s G2226Noun · Translated: living creatures 13, living creature 4, animals 3Full study and all 20 verses →
- κατοικέω katoikéōI dwell in, settle in, inhabittranslated this way 16 times of its 41 uses · Strong’s G2730Verb · Translated: dwell 16, lived 7, living 7, dwells 4Full study and all 39 verses →
- οἰκέω oikéōI inhabit, dwelltranslated this way 5 times of its 9 uses · Strong’s G3611Verb · Translated: living 3, lives 2, dwells 2, live 2Full study and all 9 verses →
- εἰμί eimíI am, existtranslated this way 5 times of its 2,236 uses · Strong’s G1510Verb · Translated: is 523, are 214, was 183, am 83Full study and all 1,922 verses →
- περιπατέω peripatéōI walk, conduct my lifetranslated this way 5 times of its 95 uses · Strong’s G4043Verb · Translated: walk 35, walking 14, walked 6, walks 5Full study and all 88 verses →
- κάθημαι káthēmaiI sit, am seatedtranslated this way 3 times of its 84 uses · Strong’s G2521Verb · Translated: sitting 26, seated 23, Sit 11, sat 10Full study and all 82 verses →
- συζάω syzáōI live together withtranslated this way 3 times of its 3 uses · Strong’s G4800Verb · Translated: live 3Full study and all 3 verses →
- εἰρηνεύω eirēneúōI am peaceful, keep the peace, am at peacetranslated this way 3 times of its 4 uses · Strong’s G1514Verb · Translated: live in peace 2, peace 1, live at peace 1Full study and all 4 verses →
- ἀναστρέφω anastréphōI overturn, turn upside down, return, mid. and pass: I conduct myself, livetranslated this way 3 times of its 9 uses · Strong’s G390Verb · Translated: conduct 2, live 2Full study and all 9 verses →
- γίνομαι gínomaiI come into being, am borntranslated this way 3 times of its 544 uses · Strong’s G1096Verb · Translated: become 58, came 42, became 34, happened 28Full study and all 515 verses →
- πορεύομαι poreúomaiI travel, journey, gotranslated this way 2 times of its 147 uses · Strong’s G4198Verb · Translated: go 59, went 22, going 10, way 8Full study and all 141 verses →
- ἐργάζομαι ergázomaiI word, trade, dotranslated this way 2 times of its 39 uses · Strong’s G2038Verb · Translated: work 10, doing 4, worked 4, done 2Full study and all 37 verses →
- μένω ménōI remain, abidetranslated this way 2 times of its 115 uses · Strong’s G3306Verb · Translated: remain 29, remains 20, stay 13, stayed 10Full study and all 101 verses →
- ζωή zōḗlifetranslated this way 2 times of its 134 uses · Strong’s G2222Noun · Translated: life 129, living 2, lifetime 1, alive 1Full study and all 127 verses →
- βίος bíoslife, manner of life, livelihoodtranslated this way 2 times of its 9 uses · Strong’s G979Noun · Translated: live 2, life 2Full study and all 9 verses →
- στοιχέω stoichéōI walktranslated this way 2 times of its 5 uses · Strong’s G4748Verb · Translated: live 2, walk 2, walk in step 1Full study and all 5 verses →
- στρηνιάω strēniáōI live luxuriouslytranslated this way 2 times of its 2 uses · Strong’s G4763Verb · Translated: lived in luxury 2Full study and all 2 verses →
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.