ἐπιζητέω
epizētéō · G1934 · Greek · 13 occurrences
Meanings
-
to seek, to search, to try to find out by looking for
To try to learn the location of something by searching for it (presumably somewhat more emphatic or goal-directed than in the case of ζητέω ‘to try to learn where something is,’)
ExamplesLuke 4:42 Now when day came, Jesus left and went to a secluded place; and the crowds were searching for Him, and they came to Him and tried to keep Him from leaving them.
Acts 12:19 When Herod had searched for him and had not found him, he examined the guards and ordered that they be led away to execution. Then he went down from Judea to Caesarea and was spending time there.
Hebrews 11:14 For those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a country of their own.
-
to desire, to want to
To desire to have or experience something, with the probable implication of making an attempt to realize one’s desire
ExamplesMatthew 6:32 “For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.
Matthew 12:39 But He answered and said to them, “An evil and adulterous generation craves a sign; and so no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah the prophet;
Matthew 16:4 “An evil and adulterous generation wants a sign; and so a sign will not be given to it, except the sign of Jonah.” And He left them and went away.
How it’s used In 4 roles
Every occurrence, grouped by the words it is grammatically related to.
the word studied the word it goes with
Who or what does itSubject
13 occurrences in 10 groups
- Other words · 10 groups that occur once or twice (13) 13
What it acts on, or what is saidObject
13 occurrences in 10 groups
- Other words · 10 groups that occur once or twice (13) 13
With adverbsAdverbs
1 occurrences in 1 groups
- περαιτέρωfurther 1
What is done to itIt is the object
2 occurrences in 3 groups
- ἐμφανίζωto make appear 1
- ἔπωto say 1
- ἀποκρίνομαιto answer 1
When two words share a role, as in “Paul and Barnabas said”, the verse appears under each, so a section’s counts can add up to more than the number of occurrences.
MACULA Greek Linguistic Datasets, available at https://github.com/Clear-Bible/macula-greek/, licensed CC BY 4.0; MACULA Hebrew Linguistic Datasets © 2022-2024 by Biblica, Inc., CC BY 4.0. Westminster Leningrad Codex (tanach.us). OpenScriptures Hebrew Bible morphology (hb.openscriptures.org), CC BY 4.0.
In the other Testament 1 word
- בָּקַשׁ bâqash · H1245 · to search, to seek, to look for
- Greek ἐπιζητέω (epizētéō, G1934) intensifies the search/inquiry sense through its ἐπι- prefix, emphasizing persistent or earnest seeking, while Hebrew בָּקַשׁ (bâqash, H1245) covers the broader semantic range of seeking, requesting, and inquiring without inherent intensification; the LXX regularly employs ἐπιζητέω to render בָּקַשׁ when contextual urgency or diligence in the search is prominent.
Semantic domains 2 entries
- To desire, to want to25.9
- In Matthew 6:32, Jesus says “the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things” (food, drink, clothing), ἐπιζητέω marking the eager wanting that drives their pursuit of material provision.
- To seek, to search, to try to find out by looking for27.42
- Matthew 12:39 has Jesus say, “An evil and adulterous generation craves a sign,” ἐπιζητέω marking the demanding search for outward proof rather than a settled desire alone.
Word family 9 words
Words formed from the same root. They share a form, not always a meaning.
Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon ἐπιζητῶ; imperfect ἐπεζήτουν; 1 aorist ἐπεζήτησα; from Herodotus down; the Sept. for…
Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament (1889), public domain
Topical studies with this word 2 entries
Meanings adapted from the UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament, © United Bible Societies, CC BY-SA 4.0 and the UBS Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew (from the Semantic Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew), © United Bible Societies, CC BY-SA 4.0; MACULA Greek Linguistic Datasets, available at https://github.com/Clear-Bible/macula-greek/, licensed CC BY 4.0; MACULA Hebrew Linguistic Datasets © 2022-2024 by Biblica, Inc., CC BY 4.0. Westminster Leningrad Codex (tanach.us). OpenScriptures Hebrew Bible morphology (hb.openscriptures.org), CC BY 4.0.
Sources
eRhema lexical overview, based on the UBS Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew and the UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament (© United Bible Societies, CC BY-SA 4.0) and Macula Hebrew and Greek (Clear Bible, CC BY 4.0); released under CC BY-SA 4.0
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