Word study
Reveal
5 Hebrew and 4 Greek words behind this English word
The original-language words that the Berean Standard Bible translates with one of these: revealed, reveal, reveals, revealing. 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 “reveal” 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)
- גָּלָה gâlâhuncover, removetranslated this way 22 times of its 170 uses · Strong’s H1540Verb · Translated: revealed 14, uncovered 13, exiled 12, sexual relations 11Full study and all 161 verses →
Genesis 35:7 There Jacob built an altar, and he called that place El-bethel, because it was there that God had revealed Himself to Jacob as he fled from his brother.
Deuteronomy 29:29 The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, so that we may follow all the words of this law.’’
- יָדַע yâdaknowtranslated this way 10 times of its 914 uses · Strong’s H3045Verb · Translated: know 453, known 53, knows 48, knew 38Full study and all 863 verses →
Numbers 12:6 He said, “Hear now My words: If there is a prophet among you, I, the LORD, will reveal Myself to him in a vision; I will speak to him in a dream.
2 Samuel 7:21 For the sake of Your word and according to Your own heart, You have accomplished this great thing and revealed it to Your servant.
- נָגַד nâgadbe conspicuoustranslated this way 9 times of its 360 uses · Strong’s H5046Verb · Translated: tell 83, told 67, reported 31, declare 18Full study and all 339 verses →
Genesis 41:25 At this, Joseph said to Pharaoh, “The dreams of Pharaoh are one and the same. God has revealed to Pharaoh what He is about to do.
Judges 16:15 “How can you say, ‘I love you,’” she asked, “when your heart is not with me? This is the third time you have mocked me and failed to reveal to me the source of your great strength!”
- גְּלָה gelâhtranslated this way 5 times of its 9 uses · Strong’s H1541Verb · Translated: revealed 2, reveals 2, Revealer 2, deported 1Full study and all 8 verses →
Daniel 2:19 During the night, the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision, and he blessed the God of heaven
Daniel 2:22 He reveals the deep and hidden things; He knows what lies in darkness, and light dwells with Him.
- רָאָה rââhseetranslated this way 3 times of its 1,266 uses · Strong’s H7200Verb · Translated: see 354, saw 285, seen 124, look 45Full study and all 1,181 verses →
Numbers 23:3 “Stay here by your burnt offering while I am gone,” Balaam said to Balak. “Perhaps the LORD will meet with me. And whatever He reveals to me, I will tell you.” So Balaam went off to a barren height,
Greek words (New Testament)
- ἀποκαλύπτω apokalýptōI uncover, bring to light, revealtranslated this way 23 times of its 26 uses · Strong’s G601Verb · Translated: revealed 18, reveal 4, disclosed 2, reveals 1Full study and all 26 verses →
Matthew 11:25 At that time Jesus declared, “I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because You have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children.
Luke 2:35 so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed — and a sword will pierce your soul as well.”
- φανερόω phaneróōI make clear, visible, or manifesttranslated this way 17 times of its 49 uses · Strong’s G5319Verb · Translated: revealed 17, appeared 6, appears 4, made 3Full study and all 43 verses →
John 1:31 I myself did not know Him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that He might be revealed to Israel.”
Romans 3:21 But now, apart from the law, the righteousness of God has been revealed, as attested by the Law and the Prophets.
- ἀποκάλυψις apokálypsisan unveiling, uncovering, revealingtranslated this way 2 times of its 18 uses · Strong’s G602Noun · Translated: revelation 14, revealed 2, revelations 2Full study and all 18 verses →
Romans 2:5 But because of your hard and unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of wrath, when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed.
2 Thessalonians 1:7 and to grant relief to you who are oppressed and to us as well. This will take place when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels
- ἐμφανίζω emphanízōI make visible, report against, appear beforetranslated this way 2 times of its 10 uses · Strong’s G1718Verb · Translated: reveal 2, presented their case 2Full study and all 10 verses →
John 14:21 Whoever has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me. The one who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and reveal Myself to him.”
John 14:22 Judas (not Iscariot) asked Him, “Lord, why are You going to reveal Yourself to us and not to the world?”
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.