Word study
Safely
4 Hebrew and 2 Greek words behind this English word
The original-language words that the Berean Standard Bible translates with “safely”. 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 “safely” 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)
- שָׁלוֹם shâlômcompleteness, soundness, welfare, peacetranslated this way 10 times of its 223 uses · Strong’s H7965Noun · Translated: peace 135, safely 10, prosperity 8, well 5Full study and all 200 verses →
Genesis 28:21 so that I may return safely to my father’s house, then the LORD will be my God.
Joshua 10:21 The whole army returned safely to Joshua in the camp at Makkedah, and no one dared to utter a word against the Israelites.
- נוּחַ nûachresttranslated this way 1 time of its 140 uses · Strong’s H5117Verb · Translated: rest 20, leave 10, placed 9, set 7Full study and all 139 verses →
Genesis 19:16 But when Lot hesitated, the men grabbed his hand and the hands of his wife and his two daughters. And they led them safely out of the city, because of the LORD’s compassion for them.
- שָׁלֵם shâlêmcomplete, safe, at peacetranslated this way 1 time of its 25 uses · Strong’s H8003Adjective · Translated: fully devoted 5, whole 3, accurate 2, uncut 2Full study and all 25 verses →
Genesis 33:18 After Jacob had come from Paddan-aram, he arrived safely at the city of Shechem in the land of Canaan, and he camped just outside the city.
- בֶּטַח beṭachsecuritytranslated this way 1 time of its 39 uses · Strong’s H983Noun · Translated: securely 21, safety 8, unsuspecting 2, secure 2Full study and all 38 verses →
Psalm 78:53 He led them safely, so they did not fear, but the sea engulfed their enemies.
Greek words (New Testament)
- διασώζω diasṓzōI save, bring safely totranslated this way 2 times of its 8 uses · Strong’s G1295Verb · Translated: saved 2Full study and all 8 verses →
Acts 27:44 The rest were to follow on planks and various parts of the ship. In this way everyone was brought safely to land.
Acts 28:1 Once we were safely ashore, we learned that the island was called Malta.
- σφραγίζω sphragízōI set a seal upontranslated this way 1 time of its 13 uses · Strong’s G4972Verb · Translated: sealed 5, Seal 2Full study and all 13 verses →
Romans 15:28 So after I have completed this service and have safely delivered this bounty to them, I will set off to Spain by way of you.
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.