Word study
Past
6 Hebrew and 2 Greek words behind this English word
The original-language words that the Berean Standard Bible translates with “past”. 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 “past” 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)
- עָבַר âbarpass over, through, by, pass ontranslated this way 6 times of its 542 uses · Strong’s H5674Verb · Translated: pass 62, crossed 57, cross 52, passed 35Full study and all 487 verses →
Genesis 31:52 This mound is a witness, and this pillar is a witness, that I will not go past this mound to harm you, and you will not go past this mound and pillar to harm me.
Joshua 15:3 proceeded south of the Ascent of Akrabbim, continued on to Zin, went over to the south of Kadesh-barnea, ran past Hezron up to Addar, and curved toward Karka.
- עַל alheighttranslated this way 4 times of its 4,859 uses · Strong’s H5921Preposition · Translated: on 777, over 297, in 218, against 216Full study and all 3,996 verses →
- רִאשׁוֹן rishônformer, first, chieftranslated this way 4 times of its 171 uses · Strong’s H7223Adjective · Translated: first 85, beginning 10, former 9, former things 6Full study and all 164 verses →
Job 8:8 Please inquire of past generations and consider the discoveries of their fathers.
Psalm 79:8 Do not hold past sins against us; let Your compassion come quickly, for we are brought low.
- תְּמוֹל temôlyesterdaytranslated this way 2 times of its 16 uses · Strong’s H8543Adverb · Translated: yesterday 4, before 3, past 2, habit 2Full study and all 15 verses →
Exodus 4:10 “Please, Lord,” Moses replied, “I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since You have spoken to Your servant, for I am slow of speech and tongue.”
2 Samuel 3:17 Now Abner conferred with the elders of Israel and said, “In the past you sought David as your king.
- שִׁלְשׁוֹם shilshômthree days agotranslated this way 2 times of its 5 uses · Strong’s H8032Adverb · Translated: times past 2, prior 1, usual 1, thirty sayings 1Full study and all 5 verses →
2 Samuel 5:2 Even in times past, while Saul was king over us, you were the one who led Israel out and brought them back. And to you the LORD said, ‘You will shepherd My people Israel, and you will be ruler over them.’”
1 Chronicles 11:2 Even in times past, while Saul was king, you were the one who led Israel out and brought them back. And the LORD your God said, ‘You will shepherd My people Israel, and you will be ruler over them.’”
- עוֹלָם ôlâmlong duration, antiquity, futuritytranslated this way 2 times of its 341 uses · Strong’s H5769Noun · Translated: forever 114, everlasting 60, endures forever 43, permanent 38Full study and all 324 verses →
Psalm 77:5 I considered the days of old, the years long in the past.
Isaiah 42:14 “I have kept silent from ages past; I have remained quiet and restrained. But now I will groan like a woman in labor; I will at once gasp and pant.
Greek words (New Testament)
- αἰών aiṓnan age, a cycle of timetranslated this way 2 times of its 108 uses · Strong’s G165Noun · Translated: forever 43, age 22, ever 21, ages 5Full study and all 85 verses →
Luke 1:70 as He spoke through His holy prophets, those of ages past,
Ephesians 3:9 and to illuminate for everyone the stewardship of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things.
- πάλαι pálaiof old, long agotranslated this way 2 times of its 6 uses · Strong’s G3819Adverb · Translated: long ago 3, past 2, along 1Full study and all 6 verses →
Hebrews 1:1 On many past occasions and in many different ways, God spoke to our fathers through the prophets.
2 Peter 1:9 But whoever lacks these traits is nearsighted to the point of blindness, having forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins.
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.