Word study
Rescue
6 Hebrew and 2 Greek words behind this English word
The original-language words that the Berean Standard Bible translates with one of these: rescue, rescued, rescues, rescuing. 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 “rescue” 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)
- נָצַל nâtsalstrip, plundertranslated this way 44 times of its 205 uses · Strong’s H5337Verb · Translated: deliver 75, delivered 34, rescue 30, rescued 9Full study and all 191 verses →
Genesis 37:21 When Reuben heard this, he tried to rescue Joseph from their hands. “Let us not take his life,” he said.
Exodus 2:19 “An Egyptian rescued us from the shepherds,” they replied. “He even drew water for us and watered the flock.”
- חָלַץ châlatsdraw off or out, withdrawtranslated this way 7 times of its 42 uses · Strong’s H2502Verb · Translated: armed 5, rescued 4, delivered 4, arm 4Full study and all 42 verses →
2 Samuel 22:20 He brought me out into the open; He rescued me because He delighted in me.
Job 36:15 God rescues the afflicted by their affliction and opens their ears in oppression.
- מָלַט mâlaṭslip awaytranslated this way 4 times of its 93 uses · Strong’s H4422Verb · Translated: escaped 22, escape 20, deliver 6, delivered 5Full study and all 85 verses →
Job 22:30 He will deliver even one who is not innocent, rescuing him through the cleanness of your hands.”
Psalm 107:20 He sent forth His word and healed them; He rescued them from the Pit.
- יָשַׁע yâshadelivertranslated this way 2 times of its 203 uses · Strong’s H3467Verb · Translated: save 98, saved 40, saves 13, Savior 12Full study and all 198 verses →
2 Samuel 10:11 “If the Arameans are too strong for me,” said Joab, “then you will come to my rescue. And if the Ammonites are too strong for you, then I will come to your rescue.
1 Chronicles 19:12 “If the Arameans are too strong for me,” said Joab, “then you will come to my rescue. And if the Ammonites are too strong for you, then I will come to your rescue.
- פָּלַט pâlaṭescapetranslated this way 2 times of its 26 uses · Strong’s H6403Verb · Translated: deliverer 5, deliver 5, delivered 4, delivers 2Full study and all 24 verses →
Psalm 37:40 The LORD helps and delivers them; He rescues and saves them from the wicked, because they take refuge in Him.
Psalm 82:4 Rescue the weak and needy; save them from the hand of the wicked.
- נְצַל netsalrescue, delivertranslated this way 2 times of its 3 uses · Strong’s H5338Verb · Translated: deliver 1, rescue 1, rescues 1Full study and all 3 verses →
Daniel 6:14 As soon as the king heard this, he was deeply distressed and set his mind on delivering Daniel, and he labored until sundown to rescue him.
Daniel 6:27 He delivers and rescues; He performs signs and wonders in the heavens and on the earth, for He has rescued Daniel from the power of the lions.”
Greek words (New Testament)
- ῥύομαι rhýomaiI rescuetranslated this way 6 times of its 17 uses · Strong’s G4506Verb · Translated: delivered 4, deliver 3, rescue 3, rescued 3Full study and all 15 verses →
Romans 7:24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?
Colossians 1:13 He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of His beloved Son,
- ἐξαιρέω exairéōI remove, choose, rescuetranslated this way 5 times of its 8 uses · Strong’s G1807Verb · Translated: rescue 3, gouge 2, rescued 2, deliver 1Full study and all 8 verses →
Acts 7:10 and rescued him from all his troubles. He granted Joseph favor and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh king of Egypt, who appointed him ruler over Egypt and all his household.
Galatians 1:4 who gave Himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father,
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.