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Bible Lexicons
Old Testament Hebrew Lexical Dictionary
Strong's #1245 - בָּקַשׁ
- Brown-Driver-Briggs
- Strong
- Book
- Word
2036) sqb (בקסה BQSh) AC: Seek CO: ? AB: ?: A search for something or for answers. [from: qp]
V) sqb (בקסה BQSh) - Seek: KJV (225): (vf: Pual, Piel) seek, require, request, enquire - Strongs: H1245 (בָּקַשׁ)
Nf1) esqb (בקסהה BQShH) - Request: KJV (8): request - Strongs: H1246 (בַּקָּשָׁה)
Jeff Benner, Ancient Hebrew Research Center Used by permission of the author.
בָּקַשׁ a root not used in Kal. In the signification of to search (see Piel) it answers to the Arab. بحث, Ch. בִּחַשׁ to inquire into, to examine, kindred to which is חָפַשׂ. Its primary power appears to be that of touching, feeling, Syriac ܒܚܳܫܐܳ a touching; compare גָּשַׁשׁ to feel; קָשַׁשׁ to search for, as done by touching.
Piel בִּקֵּשׁ
(1) to Seek for. Const. absol. 2 Kings 2:17 with an acc. of pers. and thing, Genesis 37:15, 16 Genesis 37:16; 1 Samuel 10:14 followed by לְ, to search into any thing, Job 10:6 different from this is Genesis 43:30, וַיְבַקֵּשׁ לִבְכּוֹת “he sought for a place of weeping,” he sought where he might weep. There is sometimes added a dative of benefit לוֹ, 1 Samuel 28:7; Lamentations 1:19, with which addition it has also the sense of to choose (fich etwas ausfuchen), to seek for oneself, 1 Samuel 13:14; Isaiah 40:20 comp. Ezekiel 22:30. Specially
(a) to seek the king’s face, i.e. to go to the king, to wish to go to him, 1 Kings 10:24 especially to make a petition, Proverbs 29:26.
(b) to seek the face of God, pr. to go to God, especially with prayers, 2 Samuel 12:16; Psalms 24:6, 27:8 105:3 to inquire at an oracle, 2 Samuel 21:1 to appease him, Hosea 5:15. Id. is
(c) בִּקֵּשׁ אֶת־יְהֹוָה Exodus 33:7; 2 Chronicles 20:4. Opp. to מָצָא to be heard by God, Deuteronomy 4:29; Isaiah 65:1. מְבַקְשֵׁי יְהֹוָה the worshippers of Jehovah, Psalms 40:17, 69:7 105:3 Isaiah 51:1. Comp. דָּרַשׁ.
(2) to seek, to strive after, to try to get, e.g. the office of priest, Numbers 16:10 lying, Psalms 4:3 love, Proverbs 17:9. Rarely followed by לְ, Proverbs 18:1 בִּקֵּשׁ נֶפֶשׁ פ׳ to lay snares for any one’s life, Exodus 4:19; 1 Samuel 20:1, 22:23 23:15 2 Samuel 4:8, 16:11 once in a good sense, to take pains for preserving any one’s life, Proverbs 29:10 (compare דָּרַשׁ לְנֶפֶשׁ Psalms 142:5). בִּקֵּשׁ רָעַת פ׳ to seek or plan any one’s evil or destruction; 1 Samuel 24:10; Psalms 71:13, 24 Psalms 71:24בִּקֵּשׁ רָעָה אֶל id.; 1 Samuel 25:26. Followed by a gerund, to seek to do any thing, e.g. 1 Samuel 19:2, מְבַקֵּשׁ שָׁאוּל אָבִי לַהֲמִיתֶךָ “Saul, my father seeketh to kill thee;” Exodus 2:15, 4:24 with an inf. Jeremiah 26:21.
(3) to require, to demand, Nehemiah 5:18 followed by מִן Psalms 104:21 מִיַּד Genesis 31:39, 43:9 Isaiah 1:12. Specially בִּקֵּשׁ דַּם פ׳ מִיַּד פ׳ to require any one’s blood of any one, i.e. to exact the penalty for bloodshed; 2 Samuel 4:11; Ezekiel 3:18, 20 Ezekiel 3:20, 33:8 and without דָּם 1 Samuel 20:16.
(4) to ask, to seek from any one, followed by מִן of pers., Ezra 8:21; Daniel 1:8, and acc. of thing, Est: 2:15 also followed by עַל to entreat, to supplicate for any one, Esther 4:8, 7:7.
(5) to ask, to inquire of anyone, to interrogate, followed by מִן Daniel 1:20.
Pual, to be sought, Ezekiel 26:21; Jeremiah 50:20; Esther 2:23. Hence
the Week of Proper 14 / Ordinary 19