Word study
Warn
7 Hebrew and 7 Greek words behind this English word
The original-language words that the Berean Standard Bible translates with one of these: warned, warn, warning, warnings, warns. 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 “warn” 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)
- זָהַר zâharbe light, shiningtranslated this way 19 times of its 22 uses · Strong’s H2094Verb · Translated: warn 9, warned 2, heed the warning 2Full study and all 19 verses →
2 Kings 6:10 So the king of Israel sent word to the place the man of God had pointed out. Time and again Elisha warned the king, so that he was on his guard in such places.
2 Chronicles 19:10 For every dispute that comes before you from your brothers who dwell in their cities— whether it regards bloodshed or some other violation of law, commandments, statutes, or ordinances— you are to warn them, so that they will not incur guilt before the LORD and wrath will not come upon you and your brothers. Do this, and you will not incur guilt.
- עוּד ûdreturn, go about, repeat, do againtranslated this way 13 times of its 39 uses · Strong’s H5749Verb · Translated: warned 5, testify 5, warn 3, admonished 3Full study and all 39 verses →
Genesis 43:3 But Judah replied, “The man solemnly warned us, ‘You will not see my face again unless your brother is with you.’
Exodus 19:21 and the LORD said to him, “Go down and warn the people not to break through to see the LORD, lest many of them perish.
- אָמַר âmarutter, saytranslated this way 6 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 →
- דָבַר dâbarspeaktranslated this way 4 times of its 1,113 uses · Strong’s H1696Verb · Translated: speak 209, said 157, spoken 142, spoke 110Full study and all 1,025 verses →
- צָוָה tsâvâhlay charge (upon), give charge (to), charge, command, ordertranslated this way 2 times of its 491 uses · Strong’s H6680Verb · Translated: commanded 271, command 41, gave 16, instructed 13Full study and all 473 verses →
Genesis 26:11 So Abimelech warned all the people, saying, “Whoever harms this man or his wife will surely be put to death.”
- נָגַד nâgadbe conspicuoustranslated this way 2 times of its 360 uses · Strong’s H5046Verb · Translated: tell 83, told 67, reported 31, declare 18Full study and all 339 verses →
1 Samuel 19:2 so he warned David, saying, “My father Saul intends to kill you. Be on your guard in the morning; find a secret place and hide there.
1 Samuel 19:11 Then Saul sent messengers to David’s house to watch him and kill him in the morning. But David’s wife Michal warned him, “If you do not run for your life tonight, tomorrow you will be dead!”
- 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 →
Greek words (New Testament)
- χρηματίζω chrēmatízōI warn, am publicly calledtranslated this way 5 times of its 9 uses · Strong’s G5537Verb · Translated: warned 5, revealed 1, instructed 1, first called 1Full study and all 9 verses →
Matthew 2:12 And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they withdrew to their country by another route.
Hebrews 8:5 The place where they serve is a copy and shadow of what is in heaven. This is why Moses was warned when he was about to build the tabernacle: “See to it that you make everything according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.”
- ἐπιτιμάω epitimáōI rebuke, chide, admonish, warntranslated this way 4 times of its 29 uses · Strong’s G2008Verb · Translated: rebuked 16, rebuke 6, admonished 3, warned 2Full study and all 29 verses →
Matthew 12:16 warning them not to make Him known.
Mark 3:12 But He warned them sternly not to make Him known.
- προλέγω prolégōI forewarntranslated this way 4 times of its 14 uses · Strong’s G4302Verb · Translated: foretold 3, said 2, warn 2Full study and all 12 verses →
2 Corinthians 13:2 I already warned you the second time I was with you. So now in my absence I warn those who sinned earlier and everyone else: If I return, I will not spare anyone,
Galatians 5:21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
- διαμαρτύρομαι diamartýromaiI give solemn evidence, testify solemnlytranslated this way 3 times of its 15 uses · Strong’s G1263Verb · Translated: testified 4, testifying 4Full study and all 15 verses →
Luke 16:28 for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also end up in this place of torment.’
Acts 20:23 I only know that in town after town the Holy Spirit warns me that chains and afflictions await me.
- ὑποδείκνυμι hypodeíknymiI show plainly, teach, warntranslated this way 2 times of its 6 uses · Strong’s G5263Verb · Translated: show 3, warned 2, showed 1Full study and all 6 verses →
Matthew 3:7 But when John saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his place of baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?
Luke 3:7 Then John said to the crowds coming out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?
- ἐμβριμάομαι embrimáomaiI snort, express indignant displeasuretranslated this way 2 times of its 5 uses · Strong’s G1690Verb · Translated: deeply moved 2, warned them sternly 1, stern warning 1, scolded 1Full study and all 5 verses →
Matthew 9:30 And their eyes were opened. Jesus warned them sternly, “See that no one finds out about this!”
Mark 1:43 Jesus promptly sent him away with a stern warning:
- νουθετέω nouthetéōI admonish, warn, counseltranslated this way 2 times of its 8 uses · Strong’s G3560Verb · Translated: admonish 4, warning 1, instruct 1, warn 1Full study and all 8 verses →
Acts 20:31 Therefore be alert and remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears.
1 Corinthians 4:14 I am not writing this to shame you, but to warn you as my beloved children.
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.