Word study
Proclaim
11 Hebrew and 8 Greek words behind this English word
The original-language words that the Berean Standard Bible translates with one of these: proclaim, proclaimed, proclaiming, proclaims. 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 “proclaim” 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)
- קָרָא qârâcall, proclaim, readtranslated this way 49 times of its 709 uses · Strong’s H7121Verb · Translated: called 211, call 104, named 58, summoned 50Full study and all 663 verses →
Exodus 32:5 When Aaron saw this, he built an altar before the calf and proclaimed: “Tomorrow shall be a feast to the LORD.”
Leviticus 23:2 “Speak to the Israelites and say to them, ‘These are My appointed feasts, the feasts of the LORD that you are to proclaim as sacred assemblies.
- שָׁמַע shâmaheartranslated this way 24 times of its 1,132 uses · Strong’s H8085Verb · Translated: heard 311, hear 253, listen 218, obey 60Full study and all 1,063 verses →
Deuteronomy 30:12 It is not in heaven, that you should need to ask, ‘Who will ascend into heaven to get it for us and proclaim it, that we may obey it?’
Deuteronomy 30:13 And it is not beyond the sea, that you should need to ask, ‘Who will cross the sea to get it for us and proclaim it, that we may obey it?’
- נָגַד nâgadbe conspicuoustranslated this way 16 times of its 360 uses · Strong’s H5046Verb · Translated: tell 83, told 67, reported 31, declare 18Full study and all 339 verses →
- אָמַר âmarutter, saytranslated this way 15 times of its 4,555 uses · Strong’s H559Verb · Translated: said 1,531, says 576, say 352, replied 341Full study and all 3,827 verses →
- סָפַר sâpharcounttranslated this way 8 times of its 154 uses · Strong’s H5608Verb · Translated: scribe 41, count 19, told 15, declare 13Full study and all 150 verses →
Exodus 9:16 But I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display My power to you, and that My name might be proclaimed in all the earth.
Psalm 2:7 I will proclaim the decree spoken to Me by the LORD: “You are My Son; today I have become Your Father.
- בָּשַׂר bâsarbear tidingstranslated this way 8 times of its 23 uses · Strong’s H1319Verb · Translated: proclaim 4, herald of good news 3, proclaim the news 2, brings good news 2Full study and all 21 verses →
1 Samuel 31:9 They cut off Saul’s head, stripped off his armor, and sent messengers throughout the land of the Philistines to proclaim the news in the temples of their idols and among their people.
2 Samuel 1:20 Tell it not in Gath; proclaim it not in the streets of Ashkelon, lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice, and the daughters of the uncircumcised exult.
- דָבַר dâbarspeaktranslated this way 7 times of its 1,113 uses · Strong’s H1696Verb · Translated: speak 209, said 157, spoken 142, spoke 110Full study and all 1,025 verses →
- יָדַע yâdaknowtranslated this way 3 times of its 914 uses · Strong’s H3045Verb · Translated: know 453, known 53, knows 48, knew 38Full study and all 863 verses →
- מָלַךְ mâlakbe or become king, or queen, reigntranslated this way 2 times of its 340 uses · Strong’s H4427Verb · Translated: reigned 132, became king 68, reign 36, king 32Full study and all 283 verses →
2 Kings 11:12 Then Jehoiada brought out the king’s son, put the crown on him, presented him with the Testimony, and proclaimed him king. They anointed him, and the people clapped their hands and declared, “Long live the king!”
2 Chronicles 23:11 Then Jehoiada and his sons brought out the king’s son, put the crown on him, presented him with the Testimony, and proclaimed him king. They anointed him and shouted, “Long live the king!”
- נָתַן nâthangive, put, settranslated this way 2 times of its 1,957 uses · Strong’s H5414Verb · Translated: give 326, gave 206, given 187, put 135Full study and all 1,785 verses →
- הָגָה hâgâhmoan, growl, utter, speak, musetranslated this way 2 times of its 24 uses · Strong’s H1897Verb · Translated: moan 4, meditate 2Full study and all 24 verses →
Psalm 35:28 Then my tongue will proclaim Your righteousness and Your praises all day long.
Psalm 71:24 My tongue will indeed proclaim Your righteousness all day long, for those who seek my harm are disgraced and confounded.
Greek words (New Testament)
- κηρύσσω kērýssōI proclaim, herald, preachtranslated this way 28 times of its 61 uses · Strong’s G2784Verb · Translated: proclaimed 16, preach 16, preached 9, preaching 8Full study and all 60 verses →
Matthew 10:27 What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the housetops.
Mark 1:7 And he proclaimed: “After me will come One more powerful than I, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie.
- καταγγέλλω katangéllōI declare openly, preachtranslated this way 14 times of its 18 uses · Strong’s G2605Verb · Translated: proclaimed 6, proclaiming 4, proclaim 4, preach 2Full study and all 18 verses →
Acts 3:24 Indeed, all the prophets from Samuel on, as many as have spoken, have proclaimed these days.
Romans 1:8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being proclaimed all over the world.
- εὐαγγελίζω euangelízōI bring good news, preach good tidingstranslated this way 11 times of its 54 uses · Strong’s G2097Verb · Translated: preached 8, preach the gospel 8, proclaiming the good news 4, preaching the gospel 4Full study and all 52 verses →
Luke 3:18 With these and many other exhortations, John proclaimed the good news to the people.
Acts 5:42 Every day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they did not stop teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ.
- ἀπαγγέλλω apangéllōI report, bring a report, announcetranslated this way 5 times of its 46 uses · Strong’s G518Verb · Translated: reported 11, tell 7, told 6, report 5Full study and all 46 verses →
Matthew 12:18 “Here is My Servant, whom I have chosen, My beloved, in whom My soul delights. I will put My Spirit on Him, and He will proclaim justice to the nations.
1 Corinthians 14:25 and the secrets of his heart will be made known. So he will fall facedown and worship God, proclaiming, “God is truly among you!”
- κατά katádown from, against, according to, throughout, duringtranslated this way 2 times of its 381 uses · Strong’s G2596Preposition · Translated: according 65, against 46, in 41, by 38Full study and all 349 verses →
Romans 2:16 on the day when God will judge men’s secrets through Christ Jesus, as proclaimed by my gospel.
2 Timothy 2:8 Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, descended from David, as proclaimed by my gospel,
- διαγγέλλω diangéllōI announce throughout, spread the news oftranslated this way 2 times of its 3 uses · Strong’s G1229Verb · Translated: proclaim 1, give notice 1, proclaimed 1Full study and all 3 verses →
Luke 9:60 But Jesus told him, “Let the dead bury their own dead. You, however, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”
Romans 9:17 For the Scripture says to Pharaoh: “I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display My power in you, and that My name might be proclaimed in all the earth.”
- πληρόω plēróōI fill, fulfill, completetranslated this way 2 times of its 85 uses · Strong’s G4137Verb · Translated: fulfilled 25, fulfill 13, filled 13, complete 8Full study and all 85 verses →
Romans 15:19 by the power of signs and wonders, and by the power of the Spirit of God. So from Jerusalem all the way around to Illyricum, I have fully proclaimed the gospel of Christ.
Colossians 1:25 I became its servant by the commission God gave me to fully proclaim to you the word of God,
- λαλέω laléōI speak, saytranslated this way 2 times of its 291 uses · Strong’s G2980Verb · Translated: speak 69, spoke 36, speaking 31, spoken 27Full study and all 268 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.