εὑρίσκω
heurískō · G2147 · Greek · 176 occurrences
Meanings
-
to learn the whereabouts of something, to find, to discover, to come upon, to happen to find
To learn the location of something, either by intentional searching or by unexpected discovery
ExamplesMatthew 2:8 And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the Child; and when you have found Him, report to me, so that I too may come and worship Him.”
Matthew 7:7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.
Matthew 7:8 “For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.
-
to learn, to find out, to discover
To learn something previously not known, frequently involving an element of surprise
ExamplesMatthew 1:18 Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah was as follows: when His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be pregnant by the Holy Spirit.
Matthew 12:44 “Then it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came’; and when it comes, it finds it unoccupied, swept, and put in order.
Mark 7:30 And after going back to her home, she found the child lying on the bed, and the demon gone.
-
to attain to, to discover
To attain a state, with the supplementary implication of discovery
ExamplesMatthew 10:39 “The one who has found his life will lose it, and the one who has lost his life on My account will find it.
Matthew 16:25 “For whoever wants to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.
Luke 1:30 And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.
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to begin to experience, to come into an experience, to attain
To begin to experience an event or state
ExamplesMatthew 11:29 “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS.
Acts 7:46 “David found favor in God’s sight, and asked that he might find a dwelling place for the house of Jacob.
Acts 13:22 “After He had removed him, He raised up David to be their king, concerning whom He also testified and said, ‘I have found David, the son of Jesse, a man after My heart, who will do all My will.’
-
to be found to be, to discover to be, to turn out to be
To be in a state which has not been anticipated
ExamplesActs 5:39 but if the source is God, you will not be able to overthrow them; or else you may even be found fighting against God.”
Romans 7:10 and this commandment, which was to result in life, proved to result in death for me;
1 Corinthians 4:2 In this case, moreover, it is required of stewards that one be found trustworthy.
How it’s used In 11 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
172 occurrences in 38 groups
- Not stated: he, she or it 33
- Not stated: they 28
- Not stated in the clause 25
- Not stated: I 17
- Not stated: you (more than one) 12
- Not stated: we 7
- Other words · 27 groups that occur once or twice (33) 33
What it acts on, or what is saidObject
128 occurrences in 91 groups
- αὐτόςhe, she, it, same 16
- καθεύδωto sleep 5
- δέωto bind, to tie 4
- αἰτίαcause, charge 4
- οὐδείςno one 4
- ποιέωto do, to make 4
- Other words · 81 groups that occur once or twice (93) 93
To or for whomIndirect object
3 occurrences in 3 groups
- οἶκοςhouse, household 1
- ψυχήlife, soul 1
- αὐτόςhe, she, it, same 1
Second objectAs in “call him Lord”
1 occurrences in 1 groups
- θέλωto want, to wish, to desire 1
With prepositionsPrepositional phrases
36 occurrences in 30 groups
- ἐνin+ αὐτόςhe, she, it, same 8
- ἐνin+ ἄνθρωποςman, person, people 3
- Other words · 28 groups that occur once or twice (31) 31
With adverbsAdverbs
43 occurrences in 11 groups
- οὐnot 25
- μήnot 10
- ἔτιstill 3
- Other words · 8 groups that occur once or twice (9) 9
Named alongside itApposition
3 occurrences in 4 groups
- ΔαβίδDavid 1
- ἀγαθόςgood 1
- κάθημαιto sit 1
- πονηρόςevil, wicked, bad 1
What it doesIt is the subject
3 occurrences in 2 groups
- γίνομαιto become, to happen, to be 2
- ἀπόλλυμιto destroy, to perish, to lose 1
What is done to itIt is the object
26 occurrences in 14 groups
- λέγωto say 10
- ἔπωto say 5
- Other words · 12 groups that occur once or twice (12) 12
What it is said to bePredicate
1 occurrences in 1 groups
- ὀλίγοςfew 1
After prepositionsPrepositional phrases
1 occurrences in 1 groups
- ἕωςuntil, to, as far as 2
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 3 words
- מָצָא mâtsâʼ · H4672 · to find, to be able (to do something)
- Hebrew מָצָא and Greek εὑρίσκω are direct translation equivalents denoting the core action of finding or discovering — both literally locating a physical object and figuratively discovering an abstract truth or experiencing an outcome.
- נָשַׂג nâsag · H5381 · to overtake, to catch up with, to catch up with (= happen)
- Greek εὑρίσκω emphasizes the discovery or locating aspect of finding, while Hebrew נָשַׂג centers on the physical or metaphorical reaching/attaining of something sought, with overlap in contexts where finding involves successfully reaching or overtaking a goal.
- שְׁכַח shᵉkach · H7912 · find
- שְׁכַח (shᵉkach, H7912) is the Aramaic cognate of Hebrew מָצָא (mâtsâʼ, H4672), both denoting discovery or finding; εὑρίσκω (heurískō, G2147) serves as the standard Greek equivalent for this semantic field across both Hebrew and Aramaic source texts.
Semantic domains 5 entries
- To attain to, to discover13.17
- In Matthew 7:7, Jesus teaches, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you,” the ordinary sense of discovering what is sought.
- To be found to be, to discover to be, to turn out to be13.7
- In Romans 7:10, Paul writes of the commandment, “which was to result in life, proved to result in death for me,” using this verb for something turning out to be the case.
- To learn, to find out, to discover27.1
- In Luke 23:4, Pilate tells the chief priests and crowds, “I find no grounds for charges in the case of this Man,” using this verb for reaching a judicial finding after examination.
- To learn the whereabouts of something, to find, to discover, to come upon, to happen to find27.27
- In Matthew 2:8, Herod tells the magi, “Go and search carefully for the Child; and when you have found Him, report to me,” using this verb for locating something being sought.
- To begin to experience, to come into an experience, to attain90.70
- In Hebrews 9:12, of Christ's own sacrifice it is written that He entered the holy place, “having obtained eternal redemption,” using this verb for coming into possession of something.
Word family 3 words
Words formed from the same root. They share a form, not always a meaning.
Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon imperfect εὕρισκον (Mk 14:55 (R G T); Lk 19:48 (R G T); Acts 7:11 (except Tr WH)) and…
1. properly, to come upon, hit upon, to meet with;
a. after searching, to find a thing sought: absolutely, opposed to ζητεῖν, Mt 7:7; Lk 11:9f (ζητεῖ καί εὑρήσεις, Epictetus diss. 4, 1, 51); τινα, Mt 2:8; Mk 1:37; Lk 2:45; Acts 11:26 (); ; 2 Cor 2:13 (); 2 Tim 1:17; Rev 20:15, etc.; οὐχ εὑρίσκετο, he had vanished, Heb 11:5; with a specification of place added: πέραν with the genitive Jn 6:25; ἐν with the dative Acts 5:22; εὑρέθη εἰς, Acts 8:40 (see εἰς, C. 2); with the accusative of the thing, Mt 7:14; Mt 13:46; Mt 18:13; Lk 24:3; Jn 10:9; Acts 7:11; Rom 7:18 Rec., etc.; followed by indirect discourse, Lk 5:19; οὐχ εὑρέθησαν, had disappeared, Rev 16:20, cf. Rev 18:21; with the dative of advantage, Rev 20:11; followed by ἐν with the dative of place, Mt 21:19; Rev 12:8. τινα or τί ζητεῖν καί οὐχ εὑρίσκειν: Mt 12:43; Mt 26:60; Mk 14:55; Lk 11:24; Lk 13:6; Jn 7:34; Rev 9:6 (2 Kgs 2:17; Neh 7:64; Psalm 9:36; Eccl 7:29; Ezek 22:30; Ezek 26:21 Ald.; Complutensian; Hos 2:7); γῆ καί τά ἐν αὐτῇ ἔργα εὑρεθήσεται shall be found namely, for destruction, i. e. will be unable to hide themselves from the doom decreed them by God, 2 Pet 3:10 Tr WH, after the strange but improbable reading of manuscripts א B and other authorities; (see WH. Introductory § 365 and Appendix at the passage).
b. without previous search, to find (by chance), to fall in with: τινα, Mt 18:28; Mt 27:32; Jn 1:41 (), (); Jn 5:14; ; Acts 13:6; Acts 18:2; Acts 19:1; Acts 28:14; followed by ἐν with the dative of place, Jn 2:14. τί, Mt 13:44; Mt 17:27; Lk 4:17; Jn 12:14; Acts 17:23; followed by ἐν, with the dative of place, Mt 8:10; Lk 7:9.
c. εὑρίσκω τινα or τί with a predicate accusative is used of those who come or return to a place, the predicate participle or adjective describing the state or condition in which the person or thing met with is found, or the action which one is found engaged in: with an adjective, Acts 5:10; 2 Cor 9:4; 2 Cor 12:20; with a participle (cf. Buttmann, 301 (258)), Mt 12:44; Mt 20:6; Mt 21:2; Mt 24:46; Mt 26:40, Mt 26:43; Mk 11:2; Mk 13:36; Mk 14:37, Mk 14:40; Lk 2:12; Lk 7:10; Lk 8:35; Lk 11:25; Lk 12:37, Lk 12:43; Lk 19:30; Lk 23:2; Lk 24:2, Lk 24:33; Acts 5:23; Acts 9:2; Acts 10:27; Acts 21:2; Acts 24:12, Acts 24:18; Acts 27:6; followed by καθώς, Mk 14:16; Lk 19:32; Lk 22:13; followed by a predicate substantive to which ὄντα must be supplied, Acts 24:5 (cf. Winers Grammar, § 45, 6 b.; Buttmann, 304 (261)).
2. tropically, "to find by inquiry, thought, examination, scrutiny, observation, hearing; to find out by practice and experience," i. e. to see, learn, discover, understand: κατηγορίαν, Lk 6:7 (T Tr text WH κατηγορεῖν); τινα followed by participle in the predicate, Acts 23:29; by ὅτι, Rom 7:21; after an examination (πειράζειν), τινα (τί) with a predicate adjective (participle), Rev 3:2; of a judge: αἰτίαν θανάτου, Acts 13:28; αἰτίαν, κακόν, ἀδίκημα ἐν τίνι, Jn 18:38; Jn 19:4, Jn 19:6; Acts 23:9; Acts 24:20; after a computation, with an accusative of the price or measure, Acts 19:19; Acts 27:28; after deliberation, τό τί ποιήσωσι, Lk 19:48; τό πῶς κολάσωνται αὐτούς, Acts 4:21. Passive ἑυρίσκομαι to be found, i. e. to be seen, be present: Lk 9:36 (Gen 18:31); often like the Hebrew נִמְצָא to be discovered, recognized, detected, to show oneself out, of one's character or state as found out by others (men, God, or both) (cf. Winer's Grammar, § 65, 8): εὑρέθη ἐν γαστρί ἔχουσα, Mt 1:18; ἵνα εὑρεθῶσι καθώς καί ἡμεῖς, 2 Cor 11:12; εὑρέθη μοι ἡ ἐντολή εἰς θάνατον namely, οὖσα, the commandment, as I found by experience, brought death to me, Rom 7:10; add, Lk 17:18 (none showed themselves as having returned); Acts 5:39; 1 Cor 4:2; 1 Cor 15:15; 2 Cor 5:3; Gal 2:17; 1 Pet 1:7; Rev 5:4; τίνι, the dative of the person taking cognizance and judging (Winers Grammar, § 31, 10; Buttmann, 187 (162)), 2 Pet 3:14 (add 2 Cor 12:20, yet cf. Buttmann, the passage cited and § 133, 14; Winer's Grammar, § 31, 4 a.); ἵνα εὑρεθῶ ἐν αὐτῷ i. e. ἐν Χριστῷ, namely, ὤν, Phm 3:9; σχήματι εὑρεθείς ὡς ἄνθρωπος, Phm 2:7 (8) (Josephus, b. j. 3, 6, 1; so the Latinincenior, Cicero, de amic. 19, 70; reperior, Tuscul. i. 39, 94). εὑρίσκειν Θεόν (opposed to ζητεῖν αὐτόν, see ζητέω, 1 c. (cf. ἐκζητέω, a.)), to get knowledge of, come to know, God, Acts 17:27; εὑρίσκεται (ὁ Θεός) τίνι, discloses the knowledge of himself to one, Wis. 1:2; cf. Grimm, exgt. Hdb. at the passage (who refers to Philo, monarch. i. § 5; Origen contra Celsus 7, 42). On the other hand, in the O. T. εὑρίσκεται ὁ Θεός is used of God heaving prayer, granting aid implored (1 Chr 28:9; 2 Chr 15:2, 2 Chr 15:4, 2 Chr 15:15; Jer 36:13); hence, εὑρέθην (L and Tr in brackets WH marginal reading add ἐν) τοῖς ἐμέ μή ζητοῦσι, Rom 10:20 from Isa 65:1, means, according to Paul's conception, I granted the knowledge and deliverance of the gospel.
3. Middle, as in Greek writings, to find for oneself, to acquire, get, obtain, procure: λύτρωσιν, Heb 9:12; contrary to better Greek usage, the active is often used in the Scriptures in the same sense (cf. Buttmann, 193 (167); Winer's Grammar, 18; 33 (32) n.): τήν ψυχήν, Mt 10:39; Mt 16:25; ἀνάπαυσιν, (Sir. 11:19) ταῖς ψυχαῖς ὑμῶν, Mt 11:29; μετανοίας τόπον, place for recalling the decision, changing the mind (of his father), Heb 12:17 (cf. Winer's Grammar, 147 (139)); σκήνωμα τῷ Θεῷ, opportunity of building a house for God, Acts 7:46; χάριν εὕρωμεν, grace, favor, Heb 4:16; χάριν παρά τῷ Θεῷ, Lk 1:30; ἐνώπιον, τοῦ Θεοῦ, Acts 7:46; ἔλεος παρά κυρίου, 2 Tim 1:18; (בֲּעֵינֵי חֵן מָצָא, Gen 6:8; Gen 18:3; Gen 30:27; Gen 32:6; Ex 33:12; Deut 24:1, etc.; 1 Esdr. 8:4). (Compare: ἀνευρίσκω.)
Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament (1889), public domain
Topical studies with this word 4 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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