Word study
Search
9 Hebrew and 2 Greek words behind this English word
The original-language words that the Berean Standard Bible translates with one of these: search, searched, searching, searches. 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 “search” 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)
- בָּקַשׁ bâqashseektranslated this way 31 times of its 222 uses · Strong’s H1245Verb · Translated: seek 78, sought 21, seeking 13, search 13Full study and all 212 verses →
Joshua 2:22 So the spies went out into the hill country and stayed there three days, until their pursuers had returned without finding them, having searched all along the road.
1 Samuel 23:14 And David stayed in the wilderness strongholds and in the hill country of the Wilderness of Ziph. Day after day Saul searched for him, but God would not deliver David into his hand.
- דָּרַשׁ dârashresort to, seektranslated this way 10 times of its 160 uses · Strong’s H1875Verb · Translated: seek 47, inquire 29, sought 14, search 6Full study and all 151 verses →
Leviticus 10:16 Later, Moses searched carefully for the goat of the sin offering, and behold, it had been burned up. He was angry with Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron’s remaining sons, and asked,
1 Chronicles 26:31 As for the Hebronites, Jerijah was the chief of the Hebronites, according to the genealogies of his ancestors. In the fortieth year of David’s reign the records were searched, and strong, capable men were found among the Hebronites at Jazer in Gilead.
- חָקַר châqarsearchtranslated this way 9 times of its 26 uses · Strong’s H2713Verb · Translated: searched 5, explore 4, search 3, determined 2Full study and all 25 verses →
Job 28:27 then He looked at wisdom and appraised it; He established it and searched it out.
Psalm 139:1 For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. O LORD, You have searched me and known me.
- חָפַשׂ châphassearchtranslated this way 7 times of its 23 uses · Strong’s H2664Verb · Translated: search 4, disguised 4, disguise 2Full study and all 20 verses →
Genesis 31:35 Rachel said to her father, “Sir, do not be angry that I cannot stand up before you; for I am having my period.” So Laban searched but could not find the household idols.
1 Samuel 23:23 Observe and find out all the places where he hides. Then come back to me with certainty, and I will go with you. If he is in the land, I will search him out among all the clans of Judah.”
- חֵקֶר chêqersearching, thing (to be) searched outtranslated this way 4 times of its 11 uses · Strong’s H2714Noun · Translated: searching 2Full study and all 11 verses →
Job 9:10 He does great things beyond searching out, and wonders without number.
Proverbs 25:3 As the heavens are high and the earth is deep, so the hearts of kings cannot be searched.
- בְּקַר beqarinquire, seektranslated this way 4 times of its 5 uses · Strong’s H1240Verb · Translated: search should be made 1, search was conducted 1, search be made 1, search 1Full study and all 5 verses →
Ezra 4:15 that a search should be made of the record books of your fathers. In these books you will discover and verify that the city is a rebellious city, harmful to kings and provinces, inciting sedition from ancient times. That is why this city was destroyed.
Ezra 4:19 I issued a decree, and a search was conducted. It was discovered that this city has revolted against kings from ancient times, engaging in rebellion and sedition.
- מָשַׁשׁ mâshashfeel, gropetranslated this way 2 times of its 8 uses · Strong’s H4959Verb · Translated: grope 3, searched 2, touches 1, touched 1Full study and all 8 verses →
Genesis 31:34 Now Rachel had taken Laban’s household idols, put them in the saddlebag of her camel, and was sitting on them. And Laban searched everything in the tent but found nothing.
Genesis 31:37 You have searched all my goods! Have you found anything that belongs to you? Put it here before my brothers and yours, that they may judge between the two of us.
- שָׁחַר shâcharlook early, diligently fortranslated this way 2 times of its 12 uses · Strong’s H7836Verb · Translated: earnestly seek 2Full study and all 12 verses →
Psalm 78:34 When He slew them, they would seek Him; they repented and searched for God.
Proverbs 11:27 He who searches out good finds favor, but evil will come to him who seeks it.
- חָפַר châphardig, search fortranslated this way 2 times of its 21 uses · Strong’s H2658Verb · Translated: dug 11, search 2, spy 2Full study and all 21 verses →
Deuteronomy 1:22 Then all of you approached me and said, “Let us send men ahead of us to search out the land and bring us word of what route to follow and which cities to enter.”
Job 3:21 who long for death that does not come, and search for it like hidden treasure,
Greek words (New Testament)
- ζητέω zētéōI seek, search for, desiretranslated this way 9 times of its 117 uses · Strong’s G2212Verb · Translated: seek 17, seeking 14, looking 11, trying 9Full study and all 114 verses →
Matthew 2:13 When the Magi had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up!” he said. “Take the Child and His mother and flee to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the Child to kill Him.”
Luke 2:48 When His parents saw Him, they were astonished. “Child, why have You done this to us?” His mother asked. “Your father and I have been anxiously searching for You.”
- ἐρευνάω ereunáōI search diligentlytranslated this way 3 times of its 6 uses · Strong’s G2045Verb · Translated: searches 3, pore 1, Look 1, trying to determine 1Full study and all 6 verses →
Romans 8:27 And He who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.
1 Corinthians 2:10 But God has revealed it to us by the Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God.
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.