Word study
Say
16 Hebrew and 12 Greek words behind this English word
The original-language words that the Berean Standard Bible translates with one of these: said, says, say, saying, sayings. 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 “say” 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)
- אָמַר âmarutter, saytranslated this way 2,858 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 →
Genesis 1:3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.
Genesis 1:6 And God said, “Let there be an expanse between the waters, to separate the waters from the waters.”
- דָבַר dâbarspeaktranslated this way 210 times of its 1,113 uses · Strong’s H1696Verb · Translated: speak 209, said 157, spoken 142, spoke 110Full study and all 1,025 verses →
Genesis 8:15 Then God said to Noah,
Genesis 17:3 Then Abram fell facedown, and God said to him,
- דָּבָר dâbârspeech, wordtranslated this way 20 times of its 1,244 uses · Strong’s H1697Noun · Translated: word 342, words 299, acts 51, Chronicles 42Full study and all 1,120 verses →
Genesis 24:33 Then a meal was set before the man, but he said, “I will not eat until I have told you what I came to say.” So Laban said, “Please speak.”
Genesis 30:34 “Agreed,” said Laban. “Let it be as you have said.”
- אֲמַר ămarsay, tell, commandtranslated this way 13 times of its 47 uses · Strong’s H560Verb · Translated: said 10, asked 6, tell 6, told 4Full study and all 46 verses →
Daniel 2:24 Therefore Daniel went to Arioch, whom the king had appointed to destroy the wise men of Babylon, and said to him, “Do not execute the wise men of Babylon! Bring me before the king, and I will give him the interpretation.”
Daniel 2:25 Arioch hastily brought Daniel before the king and said to him, “I have found a man among the exiles from Judah who will tell the king the interpretation.”
- עָנָה ânâhanswer, respondtranslated this way 11 times of its 317 uses · Strong’s H6030Verb · Translated: answered 79, answer 75, replied 47, respond 14Full study and all 308 verses →
Deuteronomy 27:15 ‘Cursed is the man who makes a carved idol or molten image — an abomination to the LORD, the work of the hands of a craftsman — and sets it up in secret.’ And let all the people say, ‘Amen!’
- חָרַשׁ chârashcut in, engrave, plough, devisetranslated this way 7 times of its 69 uses · Strong’s H2790Verb · Translated: silent 11, plow 6, plowed 5, quiet 5Full study and all 65 verses →
Numbers 30:4 and her father hears about her vow or pledge but says nothing to her, then all the vows or pledges by which she has bound herself shall stand.
2 Samuel 19:10 But Absalom, the man we anointed over us, has died in battle. So why do you say nothing about restoring the king?”
- כִּי kîburning, brandingtranslated this way 6 times of its 3,991 uses · Strong’s H3588Conjunction · Translated: for 1,770, that 572, because 523, when 194Full study and all 3,583 verses →
Genesis 4:25 And Adam again had relations with his wife, and she gave birth to a son and named him Seth, saying, “God has granted me another seed in place of Abel, since Cain killed him.”
- נָגַד nâgadbe conspicuoustranslated this way 4 times of its 360 uses · Strong’s H5046Verb · Translated: tell 83, told 67, reported 31, declare 18Full study and all 339 verses →
Genesis 45:26 “Joseph is still alive,” they said, “and he is ruler over all the land of Egypt!” But Jacob was stunned, for he did not believe them.
- עֲנָה ănâhanswertranslated this way 4 times of its 20 uses · Strong’s H6032Verb · Translated: replied 6, answered 3, said 3, declared 2Full study and all 19 verses →
Daniel 2:47 The king said to Daniel, “Your God is truly the God of gods and Lord of kings, the Revealer of Mysteries, since you were able to reveal this mystery.”
Daniel 3:9 saying to King Nebuchadnezzar, “O king, may you live forever!
- קָרָא qârâcall, proclaim, readtranslated this way 3 times of its 709 uses · Strong’s H7121Verb · Translated: called 211, call 104, named 58, summoned 50Full study and all 663 verses →
Numbers 22:5 he sent messengers to summon Balaam son of Beor at Pethor, which is by the Euphrates in the land of his people. “Behold, a people has come out of Egypt,” said Balak. “They cover the face of the land and have settled next to me.
Job 17:14 and say to corruption, ‘You are my father,’ and to the worm, ‘My mother,’ or ‘My sister,’
- פֶּה pehmouthtranslated this way 3 times of its 423 uses · Strong’s H6310Noun · Translated: mouth 207, mouths 43, command 38, lips 10Full study and all 396 verses →
Deuteronomy 34:5 So Moses the servant of the LORD died there in the land of Moab, as the LORD had said.
2 Samuel 17:5 Then Absalom said, “Summon Hushai the Archite as well, and let us hear what he too has to say.”
- נְאֻם neumutterancetranslated this way 3 times of its 376 uses · Strong’s H5002Noun · Translated: declares 359, prophecy 6, oracle 3, Thus declares 3Full study and all 358 verses →
Psalm 110:1 A Psalm of David. The LORD said to my Lord: “Sit at My right hand until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.”
Jeremiah 9:22 Declare that this is what the LORD says: “The corpses of men will fall like dung upon the open field, like newly cut grain behind the reaper, with no one to gather it.”
- שָׁמַע shâmaheartranslated this way 2 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 9:2 The people are strong and tall, the descendants of the Anakim. You know about them, and you have heard it said, “Who can stand up to the sons of Anak?”
- מִלָּה millâhword, speech, utterancetranslated this way 2 times of its 37 uses · Strong’s H4405Noun · Translated: words 22, word 2, speaking 2, speeches 2Full study and all 37 verses →
- קוֹל qôlsound, voicetranslated this way 2 times of its 425 uses · Strong’s H6963Noun · Translated: voice 197, sound 63, voices 22, thunder 11Full study and all 378 verses →
- שׁוּב shûbturn back, returntranslated this way 2 times of its 1,007 uses · Strong’s H7725Verb · Translated: return 218, returned 105, restore 62, turn 56Full study and all 920 verses →
Greek words (New Testament)
- ἔπω épōto speak or say (by word or writing)translated this way 511 times of its 962 uses · Strong’s G2036Verb · Translated: said 426, asked 95, told 88, replied 69Full study and all 891 verses →
- λέγω légōI say, speaktranslated this way 471 times of its 993 uses · Strong’s G3004Verb · Translated: said 216, tell 164, say 105, saying 86Full study and all 936 verses →
- ἐρέω eréōI say, speaktranslated this way 40 times of its 96 uses · Strong’s G2046Verb · Translated: say 24, spoken 17, said 15, tell 9Full study and all 96 verses →
- λαλέω laléōI speak, saytranslated this way 33 times of its 291 uses · Strong’s G2980Verb · Translated: speak 69, spoke 36, speaking 31, spoken 27Full study and all 268 verses →
- φημί phēmíI saytranslated this way 29 times of its 62 uses · Strong’s G5346Verb · Translated: said 25, replied 15, declared 6, asked 3Full study and all 61 verses →
- ἀποκρίνομαι apokrínomaiI answer, replytranslated this way 15 times of its 206 uses · Strong’s G611Verb · Translated: replied 84, answered 64, said 14, answer 13Full study and all 206 verses →
- λόγος lógosa word, speech, divine utterance, analogytranslated this way 12 times of its 311 uses · Strong’s G3056Noun · Translated: word 142, words 52, message 32, account 10Full study and all 298 verses →
- ἀσπάζομαι aspázomaiI greet, salute, pay my respects totranslated this way 2 times of its 60 uses · Strong’s G782Verb · Translated: Greet 32, send you greetings 11, sends you greetings 8, greeted 4Full study and all 49 verses →
- ἀποτάσσομαι apotássomaiI withdraw from, take leave of, renounce, send awaytranslated this way 2 times of its 6 uses · Strong’s G657Verb · Translated: bidding them farewell 1, bid farewell 1, give 1, saying goodbye 1Full study and all 6 verses →
- προλέγω prolégōI forewarntranslated this way 2 times of its 14 uses · Strong’s G4302Verb · Translated: foretold 3, said 2, warn 2Full study and all 12 verses →
- ῥῆμα rhēmaa thing spokentranslated this way 2 times of its 60 uses · Strong’s G4487Noun · Translated: words 19, word 17, message 6, statement 4Full study and all 58 verses →
- ἀντιλέγω antilégōI speak or say in opposition, contradicttranslated this way 2 times of its 11 uses · Strong’s G483Verb · Translated: contradict 2Full study and all 11 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.