Word study
Obtain
8 Hebrew and 7 Greek words behind this English word
The original-language words that the Berean Standard Bible translates with one of these: obtained, obtain, obtains, obtaining. 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 “obtain” 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)
- פּוּק pûqbring out, furnish, promotetranslated this way 3 times of its 7 uses · Strong’s H6329Verb · Translated: obtains 3, promote 1, supplying 1, acquires 1Full study and all 7 verses →
Proverbs 8:35 For whoever finds me finds life and obtains the favor of the LORD.
Proverbs 12:2 The good man obtains favor from the LORD, but the LORD condemns a man who devises evil.
- שָׂכַל sâkalbe prudenttranslated this way 1 time of its 61 uses · Strong’s H7919Verb · Translated: wise 11, prosper 5, understand 5, prospered 3Full study and all 61 verses →
Genesis 3:6 When the woman saw that the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eyes, and that it was desirable for obtaining wisdom, she took the fruit and ate it. She also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate it.
- לָקַח lâqachtaketranslated this way 1 time of its 938 uses · Strong’s H3947Verb · Translated: take 247, took 245, taken 40, get 26Full study and all 890 verses →
Leviticus 14:42 So different stones must be obtained to replace the contaminated ones, as well as additional mortar to replaster the house.
- שָׁאַל shâalask, inquiretranslated this way 1 time of its 165 uses · Strong’s H7592Verb · Translated: ask 31, asked 28, inquired 16, requested 7Full study and all 156 verses →
Nehemiah 13:6 While all this was happening, I was not in Jerusalem, because I had returned to Artaxerxes king of Babylon in the thirty-second year of his reign. Some time later I obtained leave from the king
- נָשָׂא nâsâlift, take, carrytranslated this way 1 time of its 642 uses · Strong’s H5375Verb · Translated: bear 49, lift 45, lifted 41, carried 38Full study and all 601 verses →
Esther 2:9 And the young woman pleased him and obtained his favor, so he quickly provided her with beauty treatments and the special diet. He assigned to her seven select maidservants from the palace and transferred her with them to the best place in the harem.
- עָנַשׁ ânashfine, mulcttranslated this way 1 time of its 8 uses · Strong’s H6064Verb · Translated: surely be fined 1, fine 1, imposed 1, punish 1Full study and all 8 verses →
Amos 2:8 They lie down beside every altar on garments taken in pledge. And in the house of their God, they drink wine obtained through fines.
- מָצָא mâtsâattain to, findtranslated this way 1 time of its 436 uses · Strong’s H4672Verb · Translated: found 197, find 87, finds 13, present 7Full study and all 411 verses →
Leviticus 25:28 But if he cannot obtain enough to repay him, what he sold will remain in possession of the buyer until the Year of Jubilee. In the Jubilee, however, it is to be released, so that he may return to his property.
- תָּמַךְ tâmakgrasp, support, attaintranslated this way 1 time of its 21 uses · Strong’s H8551Verb · Translated: uphold 3, held 2, lay hold 2, wields 2Full study and all 20 verses →
Proverbs 29:23 A man’s pride will bring him low, but a humble spirit will obtain honor.
Greek words (New Testament)
- ἐπιτυγχάνω epitynchánōI attain, obtain, acquiretranslated this way 3 times of its 4 uses · Strong’s G2013Verb · Translated: failed to obtain 1, obtained 1, gained 1, obtain 1Full study and all 4 verses →
Romans 11:7 What then? What Israel was seeking, it failed to obtain, but the elect did. The others were hardened,
Hebrews 6:15 And so Abraham, after waiting patiently, obtained the promise.
- δέχομαι déchomaiI take, receive, accept, welcometranslated this way 1 time of its 56 uses · Strong’s G1209Verb · Translated: welcomes 10, welcome 9, receives 6, receive 6Full study and all 45 verses →
Acts 22:5 as the high priest and the whole Council can testify about me. I even obtained letters from them to their brothers in Damascus, and I was on my way to apprehend these people and bring them to Jerusalem to be punished.
- καταλαμβάνω katalambánōI seize tight hold of, overtake, comprehendtranslated this way 1 time of its 15 uses · Strong’s G2638Verb · Translated: caught 2, overtake 2Full study and all 14 verses →
Romans 9:30 What then will we say? That the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained it, a righteousness that is by faith;
- λαμβάνω lambánōI receive, taketranslated this way 1 time of its 241 uses · Strong’s G2983Verb · Translated: receive 43, received 37, took 36, take 25Full study and all 227 verses →
Philippians 3:12 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.
- ἔχω échōI have, hold, possesstranslated this way 1 time of its 624 uses · Strong’s G2192Verb · Translated: has 63, have 52, with 35, you have 29Full study and all 560 verses →
Matthew 19:16 Just then a man came up to Jesus and inquired, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to obtain eternal life?”
- περιποίησις peripoíēsisobtaining, possessing, possessiontranslated this way 1 time of its 5 uses · Strong’s G4047Noun · Translated: possession 2, obtain 1, share 1, preserve 1Full study and all 5 verses →
1 Thessalonians 5:9 For God has not appointed us to suffer wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.
- τυγχάνω tynchánōI obtain, I happen, perhapstranslated this way 1 time of its 11 uses · Strong’s G5177Verb · Translated: extraordinary 2Full study and all 11 verses →
2 Timothy 2:10 For this reason I endure all things for the sake of the elect, so that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory.
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.