Word study
Most
13 Hebrew and 6 Greek words behind this English word
The original-language words that the Berean Standard Bible translates with “most”. 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 “most” 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)
- קֹדֶשׁ qôdeshsacred, sanctitytranslated this way 49 times of its 437 uses · Strong’s H6944Noun · Translated: holy 192, sanctuary 42, sacred 31, according to the sanctuary 24Full study and all 379 verses →
Exodus 26:33 And hang the veil from the clasps and place the ark of the Testimony behind the veil. So the veil will separate the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place.
Leviticus 2:3 The remainder of the grain offering shall belong to Aaron and his sons; it is a most holy part of the food offerings to the LORD.
- עֶלְיוֹן elyônhightranslated this way 31 times of its 52 uses · Strong’s H5945Adjective · Translated: Most High 31, Upper 15, heap of rubble 2, highest 2Full study and all 52 verses →
Genesis 14:18 Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine — since he was priest of God Most High —
Numbers 24:16 the prophecy of one who hears the words of God, who has knowledge from the Most High, who sees a vision from the Almighty, who bows down with eyes wide open:
- עִלַּי illayhighesttranslated this way 10 times of its 10 uses · Strong’s H5943Adjective · Translated: Most High 10Full study and all 10 verses →
Daniel 3:26 Then Nebuchadnezzar approached the door of the blazing fiery furnace and called out, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out!” So Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came out of the fire,
Daniel 4:2 I am pleased to declare the signs and wonders that the Most High God has performed for me.
- עָרִיץ ârîtsawe-inspiring, terror-strikingtranslated this way 4 times of its 20 uses · Strong’s H6184Adjective · Translated: ruthless 12, most ruthless 4, ruthless man 1, ruthless men 1Full study and all 20 verses →
Ezekiel 28:7 behold, I will bring foreigners against you, the most ruthless of nations. They will draw their swords against the beauty of your wisdom and will defile your splendor.
Ezekiel 30:11 He and his people with him, the most ruthless of the nations, will be brought in to destroy the land. They will draw their swords against Egypt and fill the land with the slain.
- עֶלְיוֹן elyônid.translated this way 4 times of its 4 uses · Strong’s H5946Adjective · Translated: Most High 4Full study and all 4 verses →
Daniel 7:18 But the saints of the Most High will receive the kingdom and possess it forever — yes, forever and ever.’
Daniel 7:22 until the Ancient of Days arrived and pronounced judgment in favor of the saints of the Most High, and the time came for them to possess the kingdom.
- כָּבַד kâbadbe heavy, weighty, burdensome, honouredtranslated this way 3 times of its 109 uses · Strong’s H3513Verb · Translated: honor 19, honored 11, heavy 10, hardened 6Full study and all 105 verses →
Genesis 34:19 The young man, who was the most respected of all his father’s household, did not hesitate to fulfill this request, because he was delighted with Jacob’s daughter.
2 Samuel 23:23 He was most honored among the Thirty, but he did not become one of the Three. And David appointed him over his guard.
- מְאֹד meôdmuchness, force, abundance, exceedinglytranslated this way 3 times of its 195 uses · Strong’s H3966Adverb · Translated: greatly 28, very 12, was very 8, exceedingly 8Full study and all 186 verses →
Deuteronomy 28:54 The most gentle and refined man among you will begrudge his brother, the wife he embraces, and the rest of his children who have survived,
1 Kings 21:26 He committed the most detestable acts by going after idols, just like the Amorites whom the LORD had driven out before the Israelites.)
- בָּרַךְ bârakkneel, blesstranslated this way 3 times of its 323 uses · Strong’s H1288Verb · Translated: blessed 155, bless 114, blesses 13, pronounce blessings 3Full study and all 289 verses →
Deuteronomy 33:24 And concerning Asher he said: “May Asher be the most blessed of sons; may he be the most favored among his brothers and dip his foot in oil.
Judges 5:24 Most blessed among women is Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, most blessed of tent-dwelling women.
- חַיִל chayilstrength, efficiency, wealth, armytranslated this way 2 times of its 233 uses · Strong’s H2428Noun · Translated: army 73, valor 49, wealth 26, strength 9Full study and all 219 verses →
Judges 21:10 So the congregation sent 12,000 of their most valiant men and commanded them: “Go and put to the sword those living in Jabesh-gilead, including women and children.
2 Samuel 17:10 Then even the most valiant soldier with the heart of a lion will melt with fear, because all Israel knows that your father is a mighty man who has valiant men with him.
- יָשָׁר yâshârstraight, righttranslated this way 2 times of its 119 uses · Strong’s H3477Adjective · Translated: upright 54, right 41, seems right 4, Jashar 2Full study and all 119 verses →
2 Kings 10:3 select the best and most worthy son of your master, set him on his father’s throne, and fight for your master’s house.”
Micah 7:4 The best of them is like a brier; the most upright is sharper than a hedge of thorns. The day for your watchmen has come, the day of your visitation. Now is the time of their confusion.
- יָפֶה yâphehfair, beautifultranslated this way 2 times of its 42 uses · Strong’s H3303Adjective · Translated: beautiful 25, handsome 4, sleek 3, lovely 2Full study and all 38 verses →
Song of Solomon 5:9 How is your beloved better than others, O most beautiful among women? How is your beloved better than another, that you charge us so?
Song of Solomon 6:1 Where has your beloved gone, O most beautiful among women? Which way has he turned? We will seek him with you.
- רַע rabad, eviltranslated this way 2 times of its 651 uses · Strong’s H7451Adjective · Translated: evil 263, disaster 72, harm 38, wicked 31Full study and all 615 verses →
- עַל alheighttranslated this way 2 times of its 4 uses · Strong’s H5920Noun · Translated: Most High 2, high 1, above 1Full study and all 4 verses →
Hosea 7:16 They turn, but not to the Most High; they are like a faulty bow. Their leaders will fall by the sword for the cursing of their tongue; for this they will be ridiculed in the land of Egypt.
Hosea 11:7 My people are bent on turning from Me. Though they call to the Most High, He will by no means exalt them.
Greek words (New Testament)
- ὕψιστος hýpsistoshighest, most high, the heightstranslated this way 6 times of its 13 uses · Strong’s G5310Adjective · Translated: Most High 6, highest 4, of 3Full study and all 13 verses →
Mark 5:7 And he shouted in a loud voice, “What do You want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg You before God not to torture me!”
Luke 6:35 But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them, expecting nothing in return. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.
- πλείων pleíōnmore, greatertranslated this way 5 times of its 52 uses · Strong’s G4119Adjective · Translated: more 19, greater 7, many 5, most 5Full study and all 51 verses →
Acts 19:32 Meanwhile the assembly was in turmoil. Some were shouting one thing and some another, and most of them did not even know why they were there.
1 Corinthians 10:5 Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them, for they were struck down in the wilderness.
- κράτιστος krátistosmost excellenttranslated this way 3 times of its 4 uses · Strong’s G2903Adjective · Translated: most excellent 3, Excellency 1Full study and all 4 verses →
Luke 1:3 Therefore, having carefully investigated everything from the beginning, it seemed good also to me to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus,
Acts 24:3 In every way and everywhere, most excellent Felix, we acknowledge this with all gratitude.
- πλεῖστος pleîstosthe greatest, the mosttranslated this way 2 times of its 4 uses · Strong’s G4118Adjective · Translated: most 2, massive 1, large 1Full study and all 4 verses →
Matthew 11:20 Then Jesus began to denounce the cities in which most of His miracles had been performed, because they did not repent.
1 Corinthians 14:27 If anyone speaks in a tongue, two, or at most three, should speak in turn, and someone must interpret.
- πρῶτος prōtosfirst, beforetranslated this way 2 times of its 94 uses · Strong’s G4413Adjective · Translated: first 76, leading 3, leaders 3, most important 2Full study and all 89 verses →
Mark 12:28 Now one of the scribes had come up and heard their debate. Noticing how well Jesus had answered them, he asked Him, “Which commandment is the most important of all?”
Mark 12:29 Jesus replied, “This is the most important: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One.
- ἅγιος hágiosset apart, holy, sacredtranslated this way 2 times of its 231 uses · Strong’s G40Adjective · Translated: Holy 149, saints 60, of 5, Holy Place 5Full study and all 221 verses →
Hebrews 9:3 Behind the second curtain was a room called the Most Holy Place,
Jude 1:20 But you, beloved, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit,
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.