Word study
Prepare
10 Hebrew and 7 Greek words behind this English word
The original-language words that the Berean Standard Bible translates with one of these: prepared, prepare, preparing, prepares. 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 “prepare” 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)
- עָשָׂה âsâhdo, maketranslated this way 44 times of its 2,478 uses · Strong’s H6213Verb · Translated: done 292, made 265, make 143, did 112Full study and all 2,206 verses →
Genesis 18:7 Meanwhile, Abraham ran to the herd, selected a tender and choice calf, and gave it to a servant, who hurried to prepare it.
Exodus 12:39 Since their dough had no leaven, the people baked what they had brought out of Egypt into unleavened loaves. For when they had been driven out of Egypt, they could not delay and had not prepared any provisions for themselves.
- כּוּן kûnbe firmtranslated this way 42 times of its 213 uses · Strong’s H3559Verb · Translated: established 43, prepared 23, prepare 16, establish 15Full study and all 204 verses →
Genesis 43:16 When Joseph saw Benjamin with his brothers, he said to the steward of his house, “Take these men to my house. Slaughter an animal and prepare it, for they shall dine with me at noon.”
Exodus 16:5 Then on the sixth day, when they prepare what they bring in, it will be twice as much as they gather on the other days.”
- עָרַךְ ârakarrange or set in ordertranslated this way 9 times of its 75 uses · Strong’s H6186Verb · Translated: arrayed 14, prepared 5, compare 5, set 4Full study and all 71 verses →
1 Chronicles 12:35 From Dan: 28,600 prepared for battle.
Job 13:18 See now, I have prepared my case; I know that I will be vindicated.
- פָּנָה pânâhturntranslated this way 5 times of its 128 uses · Strong’s H6437Verb · Translated: turned 27, turn 21, facing 11, turn back 4Full study and all 122 verses →
Genesis 24:31 “Come, you who are blessed by the LORD,” said Laban. “Why are you standing out here? I have prepared the house and a place for the camels.”
Isaiah 40:3 A voice of one calling: “Prepare the way for the LORD in the wilderness; make a straight highway for our God in the desert.
- קָדַשׁ qâdashbe set apart, consecratedtranslated this way 4 times of its 169 uses · Strong’s H6942Verb · Translated: consecrate 40, consecrated 33, dedicated 10, sanctifies 8Full study and all 151 verses →
Jeremiah 6:4 ‘Prepare for battle against her; rise up, let us attack at noon. Woe to us, for the daylight is fading; the evening shadows grow long.
Joel 3:9 Proclaim this among the nations: “Prepare for war; rouse the mighty men; let all the men of war advance and attack!
- קוּם qûmarise, stand up, standtranslated this way 3 times of its 594 uses · Strong’s H6965Verb · Translated: rise 68, got 61, set 44, Get 42Full study and all 570 verses →
Judges 19:5 On the fourth day, they got up early in the morning and prepared to depart, but the girl’s father said to his son-in-law, “Refresh your heart with a morsel of bread, and then you can go.”
Ruth 1:6 When Naomi heard in Moab that the LORD had attended to His people by providing them with food, she and her daughters-in-law prepared to leave the land of Moab.
- אָסַר âsartie, bind, imprisontranslated this way 2 times of its 66 uses · Strong’s H631Verb · Translated: bound 16, tied 5, prisoners 4, confined 3Full study and all 62 verses →
Genesis 46:29 Joseph prepared his chariot and went there to meet his father Israel. Joseph presented himself to him, embraced him, and wept profusely.
1 Kings 18:44 On the seventh time the servant reported, “There is a cloud as small as a man’s hand rising from the sea.” And Elijah replied, “Go and tell Ahab, ‘Prepare your chariot and go down before the rain stops you.’”
- שׂוּם sûmput, place, settranslated this way 2 times of its 560 uses · Strong’s H7760Verb · Translated: put 84, set 71, make 45, made 39Full study and all 533 verses →
Psalm 85:13 Righteousness will go before Him to prepare the way for His steps.
- אָזַר âzargird, encompass, equiptranslated this way 2 times of its 15 uses · Strong’s H247Verb · Translated: armed 3, brace 2, prepare for battle 2Full study and all 14 verses →
Isaiah 8:9 Huddle together, O peoples, and be shattered; pay attention, all you distant lands; prepare for battle, and be shattered; prepare for battle, and be shattered!
- זָבַח zâbachslaughter for sacrificetranslated this way 2 times of its 132 uses · Strong’s H2076Verb · Translated: sacrifice 38, sacrificed 29, offer 17, offered 11Full study and all 127 verses →
Ezekiel 39:17 And as for you, son of man, this is what the Lord GOD says: Call out to every kind of bird and to every beast of the field: ‘Assemble and come together from all around to the sacrificial feast that I am preparing for you, a great feast on the mountains of Israel. There you will eat flesh and drink blood.
Ezekiel 39:19 At the sacrifice I am preparing, you will eat fat until you are gorged and drink blood until you are drunk.
Greek words (New Testament)
- ἑτοιμάζω hetoimázōI make ready, preparetranslated this way 32 times of its 40 uses · Strong’s G2090Verb · Translated: prepared 18, prepare 14, Make preparations 3Full study and all 40 verses →
Matthew 3:3 This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah: “A voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for Him.’”
Mark 1:3 “A voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for Him.’”
- κατασκευάζω kataskeuázōI build, prepare, maketranslated this way 6 times of its 11 uses · Strong’s G2680Verb · Translated: prepare 3, prepared 3, built 3, builder 2Full study and all 10 verses →
Matthew 11:10 This is the one about whom it is written: ‘Behold, I will send My messenger ahead of You, who will prepare Your way before You.’
Mark 1:2 As it is written in Isaiah the prophet: “Behold, I will send My messenger ahead of You, who will prepare Your way.”
- παρασκευάζω paraskeuázōI preparetranslated this way 4 times of its 4 uses · Strong’s G3903Verb · Translated: prepared 2, meal was being prepared 1, prepare 1Full study and all 4 verses →
Acts 10:10 He became hungry and wanted something to eat, but while the meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance.
1 Corinthians 14:8 Again, if the trumpet sounds a muffled call, who will prepare for battle?
- ποιέω poiéōI do, maketranslated this way 4 times of its 544 uses · Strong’s G4160Verb · Translated: do 50, done 44, doing 40, made 34Full study and all 494 verses →
Matthew 22:2 “The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son.
Luke 14:16 But Jesus replied, “A certain man prepared a great banquet and invited many guests.
- καταρτίζω katartízōI fit together, preparetranslated this way 2 times of its 13 uses · Strong’s G2675Verb · Translated: mending 2, prepared 2, restore 2Full study and all 13 verses →
Romans 9:22 What if God, intending to show His wrath and make His power known, bore with great patience the vessels of His wrath, prepared for destruction?
Hebrews 10:5 Therefore, when Christ came into the world, He said: “Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, but a body You prepared for Me.
- προετοιμάζω proetoimázōI prepare beforehand, predestinetranslated this way 2 times of its 2 uses · Strong’s G4282Verb · Translated: prepared in advance 2Full study and all 2 verses →
Romans 9:23 What if He did this to make the riches of His glory known to the vessels of His mercy, whom He prepared in advance for glory —
Ephesians 2:10 For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance as our way of life.
- ἕτοιμος hétoimosready, preparedtranslated this way 2 times of its 17 uses · Strong’s G2092Adjective · Translated: ready 13, prepared 2, hand 1, already done 1Full study and all 17 verses →
2 Corinthians 9:5 So I thought it necessary to urge the brothers to visit you beforehand and make arrangements for the generous gift you had promised. This way, your gift will be prepared generously and not begrudgingly.
1 Peter 3:15 But in your hearts sanctify Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give a defense to everyone who asks you the reason for the hope that is in you. But respond with gentleness and respect,
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.