Word study
Spread
18 Hebrew and 4 Greek words behind this English word
The original-language words that the Berean Standard Bible translates with one of these: spread, spreads, spreading. 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 “spread” 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)
- פָּרַשׂ pârasspread out, spreadtranslated this way 50 times of its 65 uses · Strong’s H6566Verb · Translated: spread 44, spreading 3, scattered 3, spreads 3Full study and all 64 verses →
Exodus 9:29 Moses said to him, “When I have left the city, I will spread out my hands to the LORD. The thunder will cease, and there will be no more hail, so that you may know that the earth is the LORD’s.
Numbers 4:6 They are to place over this a covering of fine leather, spread a solid blue cloth over it, and insert its poles.
- פָּשָׂה pâsâhspreadtranslated this way 18 times of its 18 uses · Strong’s H6581Verb · Translated: spread 14, spreads further 2, spreads any further 1, spread further 1Full study and all 18 verses →
Leviticus 13:5 On the seventh day the priest is to reexamine him, and if he sees that the infection is unchanged and has not spread on the skin, the priest must isolate him for another seven days.
Leviticus 13:6 The priest will examine him again on the seventh day, and if the sore has faded and has not spread on the skin, the priest shall pronounce him clean; it is a rash. The person must wash his clothes and be clean.
- נָתַן nâthangive, put, settranslated this way 8 times of its 1,957 uses · Strong’s H5414Verb · Translated: give 326, gave 206, given 187, put 135Full study and all 1,785 verses →
- יָצָא yâtsâgo or come outtranslated this way 7 times of its 1,035 uses · Strong’s H3318Verb · Translated: brought 108, went 103, go 82, came 78Full study and all 975 verses →
- הָיָה hâyâhfall out, come to pass, become, betranslated this way 6 times of its 2,848 uses · Strong’s H1961Verb · Translated: will be 206, become 178, came 169, was 151Full study and all 2,573 verses →
Genesis 41:56 When the famine had spread over all the land, Joseph opened up all the storehouses and sold grain to the Egyptians; for the famine was severe in the land of Egypt.
Exodus 10:21 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward heaven, so that darkness may spread over the land of Egypt — a palpable darkness.”
- נָטַשׁ nâṭashleave, forsake, permittranslated this way 5 times of its 40 uses · Strong’s H5203Verb · Translated: forsake 6, abandoned 5, spread 5, forsaken 4Full study and all 39 verses →
1 Samuel 4:2 The Philistines arrayed themselves against Israel, and as the battle spread, Israel was defeated by the Philistines, who struck down about four thousand men on the battlefield.
2 Samuel 5:18 Now the Philistines had come and spread out in the Valley of Rephaim.
- נָטָה nâṭâhstretch out, spread out, extend, incline, bendtranslated this way 4 times of its 215 uses · Strong’s H5186Verb · Translated: incline 24, stretch 23, stretched 21, outstretched 19Full study and all 207 verses →
Numbers 24:6 They spread out like palm groves, like gardens beside a stream, like aloes the LORD has planted, like cedars beside the waters.
2 Samuel 21:10 And Rizpah the daughter of Aiah took sackcloth and spread it out for herself on a rock. From the beginning of the harvest until the rain from heaven poured down on the bodies, she did not allow the birds of the air to rest on them by day, nor the beasts of the field by night.
- רָקַע râqabeat, stamp, beat out, spread outtranslated this way 4 times of its 11 uses · Strong’s H7554Verb · Translated: spread 4, hammered 3, trampled 1, overlays 1Full study and all 11 verses →
Job 37:18 can you, like Him, spread out the skies, as strong as a mirror of bronze?
Psalm 136:6 He spread out the earth upon the waters. His loving devotion endures forever.
- פָּרַד pâraddividetranslated this way 3 times of its 26 uses · Strong’s H6504Verb · Translated: separated 3, spread 3, separates 3, divided 2Full study and all 26 verses →
Genesis 10:32 All these are the clans of Noah’s sons, according to their generations and nations. From these the nations of the earth spread out after the flood.
Nehemiah 4:19 Then I said to the nobles, the officials, and the rest of the people: “The work is great and extensive, and we are spread out far from one another along the wall.
- נָשָׂא nâsâlift, take, carrytranslated this way 3 times of its 642 uses · Strong’s H5375Verb · Translated: bear 49, lift 45, lifted 41, carried 38Full study and all 601 verses →
Exodus 23:1 “You shall not spread a false report. Do not join the wicked by being a malicious witness.
- הָלַךְ hâlakgo, come, walktranslated this way 3 times of its 1,461 uses · Strong’s H1980Verb · Translated: go 338, went 173, walk 116, Come 84Full study and all 1,299 verses →
- זָרָה zârâhscatter, fan, winnowtranslated this way 3 times of its 39 uses · Strong’s H2219Verb · Translated: scatter 18, scattered 7, spread 3, winnow 3Full study and all 38 verses →
Proverbs 1:17 How futile it is to spread the net where any bird can see it!
Malachi 2:3 Behold, I will rebuke your descendants, and I will spread dung on your faces, the waste from your feasts, and you will be carried off with it.
- מִשְׁטוֹחַ mishṭôachid.translated this way 3 times of its 3 uses · Strong’s H4894Noun · Translated: spread 2, place to spread 1Full study and all 3 verses →
Ezekiel 26:5 She will become a place to spread nets in the sea, for I have spoken, declares the Lord GOD. She will become plunder for the nations,
Ezekiel 26:14 I will make you a bare rock, and you will become a place to spread the fishing nets. You will never be rebuilt, for I, the LORD, have spoken, declares the Lord GOD.’
- שָׁרַץ shâratsswarm, teemtranslated this way 2 times of its 12 uses · Strong’s H8317Verb · Translated: teem 2, teemed 2, spread 2, moves 2Full study and all 12 verses →
Genesis 8:17 Bring out all the living creatures that are with you— birds, livestock, and everything that crawls upon the ground— so that they can spread out over the earth and be fruitful and multiply upon it.”
Genesis 9:7 But as for you, be fruitful and multiply; spread out across the earth and multiply upon it.”
- פָּרַץ pâratsbreak throughtranslated this way 2 times of its 49 uses · Strong’s H6555Verb · Translated: broken 7, break 5, broke 3, spread 2Full study and all 48 verses →
Genesis 28:14 Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and east and north and south. All the families of the earth will be blessed through you and your offspring.
Isaiah 54:3 For you will spread out to the right and left; your descendants will dispossess the nations and inhabit the desolate cities.
- שָׁטַח shâṭachspread, spread abroadtranslated this way 2 times of its 5 uses · Strong’s H7849Verb · Translated: spread 2, scattered 1, enlarges 1, exposed 1Full study and all 5 verses →
Numbers 11:32 All that day and night, and all the next day, the people stayed up gathering the quail. No one gathered less than ten homers, and they spread them out all around the camp.
Psalm 88:9 My eyes grow dim with grief. I call to You daily, O LORD; I spread out my hands to You.
- רָפַד râphadspreadtranslated this way 2 times of its 3 uses · Strong’s H7502Verb · Translated: spread 1, spreading 1, refresh 1Full study and all 3 verses →
Job 17:13 If I look for Sheol as my home, if I spread out my bed in darkness,
Job 41:30 His undersides are jagged potsherds, spreading out the mud like a threshing sledge.
- שָׁלַח shâlachsendtranslated this way 2 times of its 829 uses · Strong’s H7971Verb · Translated: sent 334, send 126, go 43, sending 19Full study and all 783 verses →
Greek words (New Testament)
- ἐξέρχομαι exérchomaiI go out, come outtranslated this way 5 times of its 215 uses · Strong’s G1831Verb · Translated: went 56, came 26, left 23, come 23Full study and all 209 verses →
Matthew 9:26 And the news about this spread throughout that region.
Mark 1:28 And the news about Jesus spread quickly through the whole region of Galilee.
- στρώννυμι strṓnnymiI spread, make a bedtranslated this way 3 times of its 6 uses · Strong’s G4766Verb · Translated: spread 3, furnished 1, already furnished 1, put away your mat 1Full study and all 5 verses →
Matthew 21:8 A massive crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road.
Mark 11:8 Many in the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others spread branches they had cut from the fields.
- αὐξάνω auxánōI cause to increase, become greater, growtranslated this way 3 times of its 23 uses · Strong’s G837Verb · Translated: grow 5, grew 4, grows 3, continued to spread 3Full study and all 23 verses →
Acts 6:7 So the word of God continued to spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem grew rapidly, and a great number of priests became obedient to the faith.
Acts 12:24 But the word of God continued to spread and multiply.
- διαφημίζω diaphēmízōI report, publish abroadtranslated this way 2 times of its 3 uses · Strong’s G1310Verb · Translated: spread the news 1, circulated 1, spread 1Full study and all 3 verses →
Matthew 9:31 But they went out and spread the news about Him throughout the land.
Mark 1:45 But the man went out and openly began to proclaim and spread the news. Consequently, Jesus could no longer enter a town in plain view, but He stayed out in solitary places. Yet people came to Him from every quarter.
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.