Word study
Resist
7 Hebrew and 4 Greek words behind this English word
The original-language words that the Berean Standard Bible translates with one of these: resist, resisted, resists. 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 “resist” 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)
- עָמַד âmadtake one's stand, standtranslated this way 3 times of its 508 uses · Strong’s H5975Verb · Translated: stood 99, stand 95, standing 50, stands 12Full study and all 485 verses →
Judges 2:14 Then the anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and He delivered them into the hands of those who plundered them. He sold them into the hands of their enemies all around, whom they were no longer able to resist.
- חָזַק châzaqbe or grow firm, strong, strengthentranslated this way 2 times of its 290 uses · Strong’s H2388Verb · Translated: strong 37, made repairs 22, strengthened 16, repaired 15Full study and all 264 verses →
2 Chronicles 13:7 Then worthless and wicked men gathered around him to resist Rehoboam son of Solomon when he was young, inexperienced, and unable to resist them.
2 Chronicles 13:8 And now you think you can resist the kingdom of the LORD, which is in the hands of David’s descendants. You are indeed a vast army, and you have with you the golden calves that Jeroboam made for you as gods.
- אָמַץ âmatsbe alerttranslated this way 1 time of its 41 uses · Strong’s H553Verb · Translated: courageous 13, strengthen 3, mighty 2, haste 2Full study and all 41 verses →
2 Chronicles 13:7 Then worthless and wicked men gathered around him to resist Rehoboam son of Solomon when he was young, inexperienced, and unable to resist them.
- גָּרָה gârâhengage in strifetranslated this way 1 time of its 14 uses · Strong’s H1624Verb · Translated: provoke 3, stirs 3, stir 2Full study and all 13 verses →
Proverbs 28:4 Those who forsake the law praise the wicked, but those who keep the law resist them.
- מָאֵן mâênrefusetranslated this way 1 time of its 40 uses · Strong’s H3985Verb · Translated: refused 20, refuse 8, refuses 3, refusing 3Full study and all 39 verses →
Isaiah 1:20 But if you resist and rebel, you will be devoured by the sword.” For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.
- עָשָׂה âsâhdo, maketranslated this way 1 time of its 2,478 uses · Strong’s H6213Verb · Translated: done 292, made 265, make 143, did 112Full study and all 2,206 verses →
- קָשָׁה qâshâhbe hard, severe, fiercetranslated this way 1 time of its 28 uses · Strong’s H7185Verb · Translated: stiffened 6, difficult 2, harden 2, stiffen 2Full study and all 28 verses →
Job 9:4 God is wise in heart and mighty in strength. Who has resisted Him and prospered?
Greek words (New Testament)
- ἀνθίστημι anthístēmiI take a stand against, oppose, resisttranslated this way 5 times of its 13 uses · Strong’s G436Verb · Translated: resist 5, opposed 3Full study and all 12 verses →
Matthew 5:39 But I tell you not to resist an evil person. If someone slaps you on your right cheek, turn to him the other also;
Luke 21:15 For I will give you speech and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict.
- ἀντιτάσσομαι antitássomaiI set myself against, resisttranslated this way 2 times of its 5 uses · Strong’s G498Verb · Translated: opposes 2, opposed 1, resists 1, resist 1Full study and all 5 verses →
Romans 13:2 Consequently, whoever resists authority is opposing what God has set in place, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.
James 5:6 You have condemned and murdered the righteous, who did not resist you.
- ἀντιπίπτω antipíptōI fall foul of, resist, opposetranslated this way 1 time of its 1 use · Strong’s G496Verb · Translated: resist 1Full study and its 1 verse →
Acts 7:51 You stiff-necked people with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit, just as your fathers did.
- ἀντικαθίστημι antikathístēmiI resisttranslated this way 1 time of its 1 use · Strong’s G478Verb · Translated: resisted 1Full study and its 1 verse →
Hebrews 12:4 In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.
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.