Word study

Surely

32 Hebrew and 5 Greek words behind this English word

The original-language words that the Berean Standard Bible translates with “surely”. 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 “surely” 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)

  • כִּי kîburning, brandingtranslated this way 44 times of its 3,991 uses · Strong’s H3588Conjunction  ·  Translated: for 1,770, that 572, because 523, when 194

    Genesis 29:32 And Leah conceived and gave birth to a son, and she named him Reuben, for she said, “The LORD has seen my affliction. Surely my husband will love me now.”

    Exodus 3:12 “I will surely be with you,” God said, “and this will be the sign to you that I have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, all of you will worship God on this mountain.”

    Full study and all 3,583 verses →
  • מוּת mûthdietranslated this way 41 times of its 771 uses · Strong’s H4191Verb  ·  Translated: die 198, died 152, dead 89, put to death 47

    Genesis 2:17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil; for in the day that you eat of it, you will surely die.”

    Exodus 19:12 And you are to set up a boundary for the people around the mountain and tell them, ‘Be careful not to go up on the mountain or touch its base. Whoever touches the mountain shall surely be put to death.

    Full study and all 694 verses →
  • יְהֹוָה YehôvâhYahwehtranslated this way 39 times of its 6,473 uses · Strong’s H3068Noun  ·  Translated: lord 6,171, LORD's 127, surely as the lord 39, god 10Full study and all 5,509 verses →
  • הִנֵּה hinnêhlo! behold!translated this way 32 times of its 689 uses · Strong’s H2009Interjection  ·  Translated: Behold 175, Look 83, saw 47, indeed 36

    Genesis 17:20 As for Ishmael, I have heard you, and I will surely bless him; I will make him fruitful and multiply him greatly. He will become the father of twelve rulers, and I will make him into a great nation.

    Full study and all 662 verses →
  • אַךְ aksurelytranslated this way 30 times of its 138 uses · Strong’s H389Adverb  ·  Translated: but 31, Surely 29, only 11, Nevertheless 7

    Genesis 9:5 And surely I will require the life of any man or beast by whose hand your lifeblood is shed. I will demand an accounting from anyone who takes the life of his fellow man:

    Exodus 31:13 “Tell the Israelites, ‘Surely you must keep My Sabbaths, for this will be a sign between Me and you for the generations to come, so that you may know that I am the LORD who sanctifies you.

    Full study and all 135 verses →
  • אִם imiftranslated this way 26 times of its 889 uses · Strong’s H518Conjunction  ·  Translated: if 398, but if 95, or 64, and if 36

    Numbers 14:30 Surely none of you will enter the land in which I swore to settle you, except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun.

    Numbers 14:35 I, the LORD, have spoken, and I will surely do these things to this entire wicked congregation, which has conspired against Me. They will meet their end in the wilderness, and there they will die.”

    Full study and all 761 verses →
  • אֲנִי ănîItranslated this way 20 times of its 858 uses · Strong’s H589Pronoun  ·  Translated: i 580, and i 59, but i 36, surely 20

    Numbers 14:21 “Yet as surely as I live and as surely as the whole earth is filled with the glory of the LORD,

    Numbers 14:28 So tell them: As surely as I live, declares the LORD, I will do to you exactly as I heard you say.

    Full study and all 787 verses →
  • הֵן hênlo! beholdtranslated this way 15 times of its 249 uses · Strong’s H2005Interjection  ·  Translated: Behold 108, indeed 23, if 16, Surely 15

    Job 8:19 Surely this is the joy of his way; yet others will spring from the dust.

    Psalm 51:5 Surely I was brought forth in iniquity; I was sinful when my mother conceived me.

    Full study and all 241 verses →
  • גַּם gamalso, moreover, yeatranslated this way 10 times of its 625 uses · Strong’s H1571Conjunction  ·  Translated: even 107, and 100, also 64, too 43

    Genesis 17:16 And I will bless her and will surely give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she will be the mother of nations; kings of peoples will descend from her.”

    Exodus 18:18 Surely you and these people with you will wear yourselves out, because the task is too heavy for you. You cannot handle it alone.

    Full study and all 565 verses →
  • חָיָה châyâhlivetranslated this way 10 times of its 265 uses · Strong’s H2421Verb  ·  Translated: live 96, lived 24, was 17, revive 14

    2 Kings 8:10 Elisha answered, “Go and tell him, ‘You will surely recover.’ But the LORD has shown me that in fact he will die.”

    Ezekiel 18:9 He follows My statutes and faithfully keeps My ordinances. That man is righteous; surely he will live, declares the Lord GOD.

    Full study and all 254 verses →
  • אָכֵן âkênsurely, trulytranslated this way 8 times of its 18 uses · Strong’s H403Adverb  ·  Translated: Surely 8, but 5

    Genesis 28:16 When Jacob woke up, he said, “Surely the LORD is in this place, and I was unaware of it.”

    Exodus 2:14 But the man replied, “Who made you ruler and judge over us? Are you planning to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?” Then Moses was afraid and thought, “This thing I have done has surely become known.”

    Full study and all 17 verses →
  • אַף aphalso, yeatranslated this way 6 times of its 110 uses · Strong’s H637Conjunction  ·  Translated: and 12, indeed 10, much more 9, much less 7

    Deuteronomy 33:3 Surely You love the people; all the holy ones are in Your hand, and they sit down at Your feet; each receives Your words —

    Psalm 16:6 The lines of my boundary have fallen in pleasant places; surely my inheritance is delightful.

    Full study and all 102 verses →
  • פָּקַד pâqadattend to, visit, muster, appointtranslated this way 5 times of its 294 uses · Strong’s H6485Verb  ·  Translated: punish 41, numbered 26, appointed 15, counted 14

    Genesis 50:24 Then Joseph said to his brothers, “I am about to die, but God will surely visit you and bring you up from this land to the land He promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”

    Exodus 3:16 Go, assemble the elders of Israel and say to them, ‘The LORD, the God of your fathers — the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob — has appeared to me and said: I have surely attended to you and have seen what has been done to you in Egypt.

    Full study and all 267 verses →
  • הָיָה hâyâhfall out, come to pass, become, betranslated this way 4 times of its 2,848 uses · Strong’s H1961Verb  ·  Translated: will be 206, become 178, came 169, was 151

    Genesis 18:18 Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation, and through him all the nations of the earth will be blessed.

    Full study and all 2,573 verses →
  • רַק raqthintranslated this way 4 times of its 97 uses · Strong’s H7535Adverb  ·  Translated: only 27, but 24, Nevertheless 8, However 7

    Genesis 20:11 Abraham replied, “I thought to myself, ‘Surely there is no fear of God in this place. They will kill me on account of my wife.’

    Deuteronomy 4:6 Observe them carefully, for this will show your wisdom and understanding in the sight of the peoples, who will hear of all these statutes and say, “Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.”

    Full study and all 96 verses →
  • בּוֹא bôcome in, come, go in, gotranslated this way 4 times of its 2,442 uses · Strong’s H935Verb  ·  Translated: come 358, came 298, bring 209, brought 201Full study and all 2,217 verses →
  • יָדַע yâdaknowtranslated this way 4 times of its 914 uses · Strong’s H3045Verb  ·  Translated: know 453, known 53, knows 48, knew 38

    2 Samuel 3:25 Surely you realize that Abner son of Ner came to deceive you and to track your movements and all that you are doing.”

    Full study and all 863 verses →
  • נֶפֶשׁ nepheshsoul, living being, life, self, person, desire, appetite, emotion, and passiontranslated this way 3 times of its 666 uses · Strong’s H5315Noun  ·  Translated: soul 178, life 119, lives 30, person 22Full study and all 622 verses →
  • עָשָׂה âsâhdo, maketranslated this way 3 times of its 2,478 uses · Strong’s H6213Verb  ·  Translated: done 292, made 265, make 143, did 112Full study and all 2,206 verses →
  • נָתַן nâthangive, put, settranslated this way 3 times of its 1,957 uses · Strong’s H5414Verb  ·  Translated: give 326, gave 206, given 187, put 135Full study and all 1,785 verses →
  • גָּלָה gâlâhuncover, removetranslated this way 3 times of its 170 uses · Strong’s H1540Verb  ·  Translated: revealed 14, uncovered 13, exiled 12, sexual relations 11Full study and all 161 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 →
  • בָּרַךְ bârakkneel, blesstranslated this way 2 times of its 323 uses · Strong’s H1288Verb  ·  Translated: blessed 155, bless 114, blesses 13, pronounce blessings 3Full study and all 289 verses →
  • פַּרְעֹה ParôhPharaohtranslated this way 2 times of its 265 uses · Strong’s H6547Noun  ·  Translated: Pharaoh 199, Pharaoh's 54, surely as pharaoh 2, means of pharaoh 2Full study and all 234 verses →
  • סָקַל sâqalstone, put to death by stoningtranslated this way 2 times of its 20 uses · Strong’s H5619Verb  ·  Translated: stoned 6, stone 6, surely be stoned 2, threw stones 2Full study and all 20 verses →
  • 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 →
  • הָרַג hâragkill, slaytranslated this way 2 times of its 159 uses · Strong’s H2026Verb  ·  Translated: killed 50, kill 49, slain 12, slaughtered 6Full study and all 156 verses →
  • אָבַד âbadperishtranslated this way 2 times of its 179 uses · Strong’s H6Verb  ·  Translated: perish 53, destroy 27, perished 15, destroyed 14Full study and all 173 verses →
  • אֱלֹהִים ĕlôhîmGodtranslated this way 2 times of its 2,563 uses · Strong’s H430Noun  ·  Translated: God 2,295, gods 202, God's 18, judges 4Full study and all 2,240 verses →
  • יָצָא yâtsâgo or come outtranslated this way 2 times of its 1,035 uses · Strong’s H3318Verb  ·  Translated: brought 108, went 103, go 82, came 78Full study and all 975 verses →
  • נָצַל nâtsalstrip, plundertranslated this way 2 times of its 205 uses · Strong’s H5337Verb  ·  Translated: deliver 75, delivered 34, rescue 30, rescued 9Full study and all 191 verses →
  • יָשַׁע yâshadelivertranslated this way 2 times of its 203 uses · Strong’s H3467Verb  ·  Translated: save 98, saved 40, saves 13, Savior 12Full study and all 198 verses →

Greek words (New Testament)

How to study a word well
  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. Look at how it is translated. A word rendered five different ways has a wider meaning than any one English word can carry.
  4. 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.
  5. See what it keeps company with. The words that appear beside it again and again show how the Bible itself connects ideas.
  6. Then read the dictionaries. They give the considered view of scholars, with their evidence.
  7. 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.