ζητέω
zētéō · G2212 · Greek · 117 occurrences
Meanings
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to try to learn where something is, to look for, to try to find
To try to learn the location of something, often by movement from place to place in the process of searching
ExamplesMatthew 2:13 Now when they had gone, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Get up! Take the Child and His mother and flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you; for Herod is going to search for the Child to kill 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.
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to try to learn, to search, to try to find out, to seek information
To attempt to learn something by careful investigation or searching
ExamplesMark 11:18 And the chief priests and the scribes heard this, and they began seeking how to put Him to death; for they were afraid of Him, because all the crowd was astonished at His teaching.
Luke 19:47 And He was teaching daily in the temple; but the chief priests and the scribes and the leading men among the people were trying to put Him to death,
Luke 22:2 And the chief priests and the scribes were trying to find a way to put Him to death, since they were afraid of the people.
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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 6:33 “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided to you.
Luke 12:29 “And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, and do not keep worrying.
Luke 12:31 “But seek His kingdom, and these things will be provided to you.
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to ask earnestly for, to demand
To ask for something which is being especially sought
ExamplesMark 3:32 And a crowd was sitting around Him, and they said to Him, “Behold, Your mother and Your brothers are outside looking for You.”
Mark 8:11 And the Pharisees came out and began to argue with Him, demanding from Him a sign from heaven, to test Him.
Mark 8:12 Sighing deeply in His spirit, He said, “Why does this generation demand a sign? Truly I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation!”
-
to seek to do, to try
To seek to do something, but without success
ExamplesMatthew 12:46 While He was still speaking to the crowds, behold, His mother and brothers were standing outside, seeking to speak to Him.
Matthew 12:47 [Someone said to Him, “Look, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, seeking to speak to You.”]
Matthew 21:46 And although they sought to arrest Him, they feared the crowds, since they considered Him to be a prophet.
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to attempt to find, to try to be
To attempt to attain some state or condition
ExamplesMatthew 26:16 And from then on he looked for a good opportunity to betray Jesus.
Matthew 26:59 Now the chief priests and the entire Council kept trying to obtain false testimony against Jesus, so that they might put Him to death.
Mark 14:1 Now the Passover and Festival of Unleavened Bread were two days away; and the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how to arrest Him covertly and kill Him;
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to try to obtain, to attempt to get, to seek
To try to obtain something from someone
ExamplesMark 8:12 Sighing deeply in His spirit, He said, “Why does this generation demand a sign? Truly I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation!”
John 5:44 “How can you believe, when you accept glory from one another and you do not seek the glory that is from the one and only God?
Acts 13:11 “Now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you will be blind and not see the sun for a time.” And immediately a mist and a darkness fell upon him, and he went about seeking those who would lead him by the hand.
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to want to kill, to desire to kill
(An idiom, literally: to seek the life) To desire or intend to kill
ExamplesMatthew 2:20 “Get up, take the Child and His mother, and go to the land of Israel; for those who sought the Child’s life are dead.”
Romans 11:3 “Lord, THEY HAVE KILLED YOUR PROPHETS, THEY HAVE TORN DOWN YOUR ALTARS, AND I ALONE AM LEFT, AND THEY ARE SEEKING MY LIFE.”
How it’s used In 10 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
117 occurrences in 33 groups
- Not stated: you (more than one) 26
- Not stated (participle) 24
- Not stated: he, she or it 13
- Not stated: they 9
- ἀρχιερεύςchief priest, high priest 6
- Not stated: you (one person) 5
- Other words · 23 groups that occur once or twice (27) 27
What it acts on, or what is saidObject
106 occurrences in 68 groups
- ἐγώI, we 9
- ἀποκτείνωto kill 8
- δόξαglory 6
- σύyou 5
- τίςwho? what?, why? for what reason? 5
- ἸησοῦςJesus 4
- Other words · 59 groups that occur once or twice (68) 68
Second objectAs in “call him Lord”
1 occurrences in 1 groups
- προσκυνέωto worship, to bow down 1
With prepositionsPrepositional phrases
21 occurrences in 20 groups
- παράfrom, with, beside+ αὐτόςhe, she, it, same 3
- Other words · 19 groups that occur once or twice (21) 21
With adverbsAdverbs
18 occurrences in 11 groups
- μήnot 4
- οὐnot 4
- Other words · 9 groups that occur once or twice (10) 10
What it doesIt is the subject
5 occurrences in 4 groups
- εὑρίσκωto find, to discover 2
- εἰμίto be 1
- θνήσκωto die 1
- ἀπόλλυμιto destroy, to perish, to lose 1
What is done to itIt is the object
16 occurrences in 6 groups
- λέγωto say 7
- ἔπωto say 5
- εἴδωto know 1
- ἐπερωτάωto ask 1
- κλαίωto weep 1
- μέλλωto be about to 1
What it is said to bePredicate
1 occurrences in 1 groups
- τίςwho? what?, why? for what reason? 1
What is said to be itIt is the predicate
2 occurrences in 2 groups
- ἐγώI, we 1
- οὗτοςthis 1
After prepositionsPrepositional phrases
1 occurrences in 1 groups
- ἐνin 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
- בָּקַשׁ bâqash · H1245 · to search, to seek, to look for
- Greek ζητέω and Hebrew בָּקַשׁ share the core semantic domain of seeking or searching, with a nearly identical range: literal physical searching, figurative pursuit of abstract objects such as wisdom or righteousness, petition or request, and religious seeking of God. The two are regularly paired as translation equivalents across both Testaments.
- דָּרַשׁ dârash · H1875 · to look for, to inquire
- Hebrew דָּרַשׁ (dârash, H1875) emphasizes diligent inquiry or investigation (with connotations of careful examination or even legal inquisition), while Greek ζητέω (zētéō, G2212) carries broader semantic range including simple seeking, searching, or striving after something; both overlap substantially in contexts of seeking God or seeking knowledge, making them natural translation equivalents despite דָּרַשׁ's stronger investigative nuance.
- בְּעָא bᵉʻâʼ · H1156 · ask, desire, make
- בְּעָא (bᵉʻâʼ, H1156) (בְּעָא, Aramaic) shares the core sense of 'seeking' or 'requesting' with ζητέω (zētéō, G2212) (ζητέω, Greek), serving as the natural Aramaic equivalent in contexts where petitioning or desiring something is expressed; both terms cover the semantic range from literal seeking to making requests or prayers.
Semantic domains 8 entries
- To attempt to find, to try to be13.19
- 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 plain sense of seeking in order to find.
- To want to kill, to desire to kill20.66
- In Matthew 2:20, the angel tells Joseph, “Get up, take the Child and His mother, and go to the land of Israel; for those who sought the Child's life are dead,” using this verb for those who wanted to kill Him.
- To desire, to want to25.9
- In John 4:23, Jesus tells the Samaritan woman that “the Father seeks to be His worshipers,” using this verb for a simple wish or desire.
- To try to learn, to search, to try to find out, to seek information27.34
- In John 16:19, of the disciples it is written, “Jesus knew that they wanted to question Him,” using this verb for trying to find out information by asking.
- To try to learn where something is, to look for, to try to find27.41
- In Luke 2:48, after finding the boy Jesus in the temple, His mother says, “Your father and I have been anxiously looking for You!” using this verb for trying to learn where someone is.
- To ask earnestly for, to demand33.167
- In Mark 8:11, the Pharisees came out and began to argue with Jesus, “demanding from Him a sign from heaven, to test Him,” using this verb for an earnest, insistent request.
- To try to obtain, to attempt to get, to seek57.59
- In 1 Corinthians 10:24, Paul instructs, “No one is to seek his own advantage, but rather that of his neighbor,” using this verb for trying to obtain something for oneself.
- To seek to do, to try68.60
- In Acts 16:10, after Paul's vision, “we immediately sought to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them,” using this verb for trying to carry out an action.
Word family 9 words
Words formed from the same root. They share a form, not always a meaning.
Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon ζητῶ; imperfect 3 person singular ἐζήτει, plural ἐζήτουν; future ζητήσω; 1 aorist…
1. to seek in order to find;
a. universally and absolutely: Mt 7:7; Lk 11:9f (see εὑρίσκω, 1 a); τινα, Mk 1:37; Lk 2:48 (Lk 2:45 R L marginal reading), (Lk 4:42 Rec.); Jn 6:24; Jn 18:4, Jn 18:7; Acts 10:19, and often; followed by ἐν with the dative of place, Acts 9:11; with the accusative of the thing (μαργαρίτας), of buyers, Mt 13:45; something lost, Mt 18:12; Lk 19:10; τί ἐν τίνι, as fruit on a tree, Lk 13:6f; ἀνάπαυσιν, a place of rest, Mt 12:43; Lk 11:24; after the Hebrew (פּ אֶת־נֶפֶשׁ בִּקֵּשׁ... (cf. Winer's Grammar, 33 (32); 18)) ψυχήν τίνος, to seek, plot against, the life of one, Mt 2:20; Rom 11:3, (Ex 4:19, etc.); universally, τί ζητεῖς; what dost thou seek? what dost thou wish? Jn 1:38 (39); (Jn 4:27).
b. to seek (i. e. in order to find out) by thinking, meditating, reasoning; to inquire into: περί τίνος ζητεῖτε μετ' ἀλλήλων; Jn 16:19; followed by indirect discourse, πῶς, τί, τινα: Mk 11:18; Mk 14:1, Mk 14:11; Lk 12:29; Lk 22:2; 1 Pet 5:8; τόν Θεόν, to follow up the traces of divine majesty and power, Acts 17:27 (universally, to seek the knowledge of God, Wis. 1:1 Wis. 13:6; (Philo, monarch. i. § 5)).
c. to seek after, seek for, aim at, strive after: εὐκαιρίαν, Mt 26:16; Lk 22:6; ψευδομαρτυρίαν, Mt 26:59; Mk 14:55; τόν θάνατον, an opportunity to die, Rev 9:6; λύσιν, 1 Cor 7:27; τήν βασιλείαν τοῦ Θεοῦ, Mt 6:33; Lk 12:31; τά ἄνω, Col 3:1; εἰρήνην, 1 Pet 3:11; ἀφθαρσίαν etc. Rom 2:7; δόξαν ἐκ τίνος, 1 Thess 2:6; τήν δόξαν τήν παρά τίνος, Jn 5:44; τά τίνος, the property of one, 2 Cor 12:14; τήν δόξαν Θεοῦ, to seek to promote the glory of God, Jn 7:18; Jn 8:50; τό θέλημα τίνος, to attempt to establish, Jn 5:30; τό σύμφορον τίνος, to seek to further the profit or advantage of one, 1 Cor 10:33, equivalent to ζητεῖν τά τίνος, 1 Cor 10:24; 1 Cor 13:5; Phm 2:21; ὑμᾶς, to seek to win your souls, 2 Cor 12:14; τόν Θεόν, to seek the favor of God (see ἐκζητέω, a.), Rom 10:20; (Rom 3:11 Tr marginal reading WH marginal reading). followed by an infinitive (Buttmann, 258 (222); Winers Grammar, § 44, 3) to seek i. e. desire, endeavor: Mt 12:46 ( (WH in marginal reading only)); ; Mk 4:19 (L Tr marginal reading); Mk 12:12; Lk 5:18; Lk 6:19; Lk 9:9; Jn 5:18; Jn 7:4 (Buttmann, § 142, 4); Jn 5:19; Acts 13:8; Acts 16:10; Rom 10:3; Gal 1:10; Gal 2:17; followed by ἵνα (Buttmann, 237 (205)), 1 Cor 14:12.
2. to seek i. e. require, demand: (σημεῖον, Mk 8:12 L T Tr WH; Lk 11:29 T Tr WH); σοφίαν, 1 Cor 1:22; δοκιμήν, 2 Cor 13:3; τί παρά τίνος, to crave, demand something from someone, Mk 8:11; Lk 11:16; Lk 12:48; ἐν τίνι, the dative of person, to seek in one, i. e. to require of him, followed by ἵνα, 1 Cor 4:2. (Compare: ἀναζητέω, ἐκζητέω, ἐπιζητέω, συζητέω.)
Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament (1889), public domain
Topical studies with this word 7 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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