ζητέω
to seek
‘to seek’ is one of 4 main senses fuller range ↓
Full lexicon entry — Thayer's Greek Lexicon
From Thayer's Greek Lexicon
Where this word appears
See every Imperfect-tense verb in the Greek New Testament →
Grammar key — what these labels mean
Part of speech
- Verb
- An action or state-of-being word.
Tense
- Imperfect
- Continuous or repeated action in past time (“was writing”).
- Present
- Ongoing or general action in present time (imperfective aspect).
- Future
- Action expected in future time.
- Aorist
- Action viewed as a simple whole, without regard to duration — often past (perfective aspect).
Voice
- Active
- The subject performs the action.
- Passive
- The subject receives the action.
Mood
- Indicative
- States a fact or asks a factual question (the mood of reality).
- Participle
- A verbal adjective (“writing,” “having written”).
- Imperative
- Expresses a command or request.
- Infinitive
- A verbal noun (“to write”), unmarked for person or number.
- Subjunctive
- Expresses probability, purpose, or possibility (the mood of contingency).
Case
- Nominative
- The case of the subject (and the predicate nominative).
- Dative
- The case of the indirect object, means, or location — “to / for / with / in.”
- Genitive
- The case of source, possession, or “of” — answers “whose / from what.”
Person
- 3rd person
- The one spoken about (“he / she / it / they”).
- 2nd person
- The one addressed (“you”).
- 1st person
- The speaker (“I / we”).
Gender
- Masculine
- Grammatically masculine.
- Neuter
- Grammatically neuter.
Number
- Plural
- More than one.
- Singular
- One.
3 verses where G2212 appears in the Aorist tense in the Book of Luke. Filtered view — show all forms. Click any verse to open its interlinear word-by-word view. Verse text shown in the World English Bible for context — . Each verse’s Greek form is shown with its reference; the English is not keyword-highlighted, since the data carries no word-level English alignment. Use “Compare translations” on any verse to read it across multiple English versions. This concordance covers the Greek New Testament; Septuagint (Greek Old Testament) occurrences of this word are not indexed here.
Luke
- Luke 17:33 ζητήσῃ aor act subj 3sg Whoever seeks to save his life loses it, but whoever loses his life preserves it.
- Luke 19:10 ζητῆσαι aor act inf For the Son of Man came to seek and to save that which was lost."
- Luke 20:19 ἐζήτησαν aor act ind 3pl The chief priests and the scribes sought to lay hands on Him that very hour, but they feared the people--for they knew He had spoken this parable against them.
About this entry
At a glance — auto-summarized from this page’s data, not written by a person. Every figure links to its source below. This summary describes the numbers; it doesn’t interpret them.
ζητεω — transliterated zētéō — is a Greek verb carrying the sense “to seek.” Where the King James Version says “sought,” newer translations reach for “seeking” (unfoldingWord Literal Text); the renderings breakdown has the detail. It appears 114 verses across 16 books of the Greek New Testament, among its common vocabulary. More than a quarter of its appearances fall in John. Its lexical range runs to 4 senses. The sections below give every sense, occurrence, and version rendering.
Gloss history
Strong's 1890 vs modern scholarship
About this word
Strong's G2212 catalogs a Greek word from the Greek New Testament.
These counts are not copied from any lexicon or concordance. They are computed here, from the morphology-tagged Greek New Testament. What Lemma adds →
- 114
- distinct verses
- The word appears in 114 distinct verses.
- 16 / 27
- NT books
- The word appears in 16 of 27 New Testament books.
- #140
- by frequency
- Top 250 most frequent Greek words (rank 140 of 5,347 Greek words by occurrence).
View all 114 occurrences in the concordance →
By section of the New Testament
By traditional corpus
Conventional, traditional groupings — biblical authorship is debated, so this is a traditional corpus grouping, not an authorship claim. Some books belong to more than one corpus (Luke is in both the Gospels and the Lukan corpus, and so on), so these shares overlap and need not total 100%. Each figure is a share of the word’s 114 distinct verses.
- Gospels 81 verses · 71%
- Lukan (Luke–Acts) 35 verses · 31%
- Johannine 33 verses · 29%
- Pauline corpus 19 verses · 17%
- General (Catholic) Epistles 2 verses · 2%
- Hebrews 1 verse · 1%
- Revelation 1 verse · 1%
How translations render this word
Counts come from each version’s own published word-to-Strong’s tagging or interlinear alignment — an approximate guide to how each version renders this word, not a word-level alignment the data otherwise carries. Because each total is that version’s own tagged count, the per-version totals vary from one another and need not match the appearance or distinct-verse counts above. These counts may also differ from a printed concordance because Lemma counts each distinctly tagged rendering and does not collapse phrase taggings into a single head-word total. This is a fixed set of word-tagged versions (KJV, ASV, BSB, ULT) and does not change with the reading translation you choose elsewhere. Each version’s license is shown beside its name below (and on Sources).
- King James Version: Sought 22×, Seek 17×, Seeking 11×
- American Standard Version: Seek 20×, Sought 17×, Seeking 16×
- Berean Standard Bible: Seek 8×, Seeking 5×, Seeks 5×
- unfoldingWord Literal Text: Seeking 25×, Seek 24×, Were seeking 7×
King James Version Public Domain
Renders G2212 across 121 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 28 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
American Standard Version Public Domain
Renders G2212 across 120 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 22 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
Berean Standard Bible Public Domain
Renders G2212 across 117 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 52 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
unfoldingWord Literal Text CC BY-SA 4.0
Renders G2212 across 130 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 18 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
Senses in Thayer's
The 4 senses Thayer's distinguishes for this word, in lexicon order (not ranked by frequency or importance). The full entry — with sub-senses — is in the Lexicon Entry tab.
- to seek a thing
- to seek [in order to find out] by thinking, meditating, reasoning, to enquire into
- to seek after, seek for, aim at, strive after
- to seek i.e. require, demand
Word origin
Origin: of uncertain affinity
Of uncertain affinity; to seek (literally or figuratively); specifically (by hebraism) to worship (God) or (in a bad sense) to plot (against life): - be (go) about desire endeavour enquire (for) require (X will) seek (after for means). Compare G4441 .
— Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance (1890), public domain.
Forms in the corpus
The 33 distinct written forms G2212 takes in the Greek New Testament, most frequent first — each parse links to that tense’s occurrences in the concordance.
Same root — word family
Other Thayer's entries built from the same root as G2212, grouped by Strong’s listed origin. These share a root / origin per the lexicon — not necessarily a shared meaning. Each links to that word’s own entry.
Derived from this word
Compare all same-root words → They share a root, not necessarily a meaning.
Septuagint usage
The same Greek word ζητεω appears 245 times in the Greek Old Testament (Septuagint), across 229 verses in 32 books.
- 245
- LXX occurrences
- Tagged occurrences of this Greek word in the Septuagint.
- 229
- verses
- Distinct Septuagint verses containing this word.
- 32 / 39
- OT books
- The word appears in 32 of the 39 Old Testament books.
Sample Septuagint occurrences
- Genesis 19:11 ζητέω
- Exodus 2:15 ζητέω
- Leviticus 10:16 ζητέω
- Numbers 16:10 ζητέω
- Deuteronomy 4:29 ζητέω
- Judges 4:22 ζητέω
- Ruth 3:1 ζητέω
- 1 Samuel 9:3 ζητέω
- 2 Samuel 3:17 ζητέω
- 1 Kings 1:2 ζητέω
- 2 Kings 1:6 ζητέω
- 1 Chronicles 4:39 ζητέω
Septuagint occurrences (same lexeme)
Every verse where the same Strong’s number (G2212) appears in the Greek Septuagint — showing the first 50 of 229. Verse text shown in the World English Bible for context; the Greek form is the matched word — the English is not keyword-highlighted.
- Genesis 19:11 ζητέω They struck the men who were at the door of the house with blindness, both small and great, so that they wearied themselves to find the door.
- Genesis 37:15 ζητέω A certain man found him, and behold, he was wandering in the field: and the man asked him, saying, "What are you looking for?"
- Genesis 37:16 ζητέω He said, "I am looking for my brothers. Tell me, please, where they are feeding the flock."
- Genesis 43:9 ζητέω I will be collateral for him. From my hand will you require him. If I don't bring him to you, and set him before you, then let me bear the blame forever,
- Genesis 43:30 ζητέω Joseph made haste; for his heart yearned over his brother: and he sought a place to weep; and he entered into his room, and wept there.
- Exodus 2:15 ζητέω Now when Pharaoh heard this thing, he sought to kill Moses. But Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh, and lived in the land of Midian, and he sat down by a well.
- Exodus 4:19 ζητέω Yahweh said to Moses in Midian, "Go, return into Egypt; for all the men who sought your life are dead."
- Exodus 4:24 ζητέω It happened on the way at a lodging place, that Yahweh met him and wanted to kill him.
- Exodus 10:11 ζητέω Not so! Go now you who are men, and serve Yahweh; for that is what you desire!" They were driven out from Pharaoh's presence.
- Exodus 33:7 ζητέω Now Moses used to take the tent and to pitch it outside the camp, far away from the camp, and he called it "The tent of meeting." It happened that everyone who sought Yahweh went out to the tent of meeting, which was outside the camp.
- Leviticus 10:16 ζητέω Moses diligently inquired about the goat of the sin offering, and, behold, it was burned: and he was angry with Eleazar and with Ithamar, the sons of Aaron who were left, saying,
- Numbers 16:10 ζητέω and that he has brought you near, and all your brothers the sons of Levi with you? and seek you the priesthood also?
- Numbers 35:23 ζητέω or with any stone, by which a man may die, not seeing him, and cast it on him, so that he died, and he was not his enemy, neither sought his harm;
- Deuteronomy 4:29 ζητέω But from there you shall seek Yahweh your God, and you shall find him, when you search after him with all your heart and with all your soul.
- Deuteronomy 13:11 ζητέω All Israel shall hear, and fear, and shall not do any more such wickedness as this is in the midst of you.
- Deuteronomy 22:2 ζητέω If your brother isn't near to you, or if you don't know him, then you shall bring it home to your house, and it shall be with you until your brother seek after it, and you shall restore it to him.
- Judges 4:22 ζητέω Behold, as Barak pursued Sisera, Jael came out to meet him, and said to him, Come, and I will show you the man whom you seek. He came to her; and, behold, Sisera lay dead, and the tent-pin was in his temples.
- Judges 14:4 ζητέω But his father and his mother didn't know that it was of Yahweh; for he sought an occasion against the Philistines. Now at that time the Philistines had rule over Israel.
- Judges 18:1 ζητέω In those days there was no king in Israel: and in those days the tribe of the Danites sought them an inheritance to dwell in; for to that day [their] inheritance had not fallen to them among the tribes of Israel.
- Ruth 3:1 ζητέω Naomi her mother-in-law said to her, My daughter, shall I not seek rest for you, that it may be well with you?
- 1 Samuel 9:3 ζητέω The donkeys of Kish, Saul's father, were lost. Kish said to Saul his son, Take now one of the servants with you, and arise, go seek the donkeys.
- 1 Samuel 10:2 ζητέω When you are departed from me today, then you shall find two men by Rachel's tomb, in the border of Benjamin at Zelzah; and they will tell you, The donkeys which you went to seek are found; and, behold, your father has left off caring for the donkeys, and is anxious for you, saying, What shall I do for my son?
- 1 Samuel 10:14 ζητέω Saul's uncle said to him and to his servant, Where went you? He said, To seek the donkeys; and when we saw that they were not found, we came to Samuel.
- 1 Samuel 10:21 ζητέω He brought the tribe of Benjamin near by their families; and the family of the Matrites was taken; and Saul the son of Kish was taken: but when they sought him, he could not be found.
- 1 Samuel 13:14 ζητέω But now your kingdom shall not continue: Yahweh has sought him a man after his own heart, and Yahweh has appointed him to be prince over his people, because you have not kept that which Yahweh commanded you.
- 1 Samuel 14:4 ζητέω Between the passes, by which Jonathan sought to go over to the Philistines' garrison, there was a rocky crag on the one side, and a rocky crag on the other side: and the name of the one was Bozez, and the name of the other Seneh.
- 1 Samuel 16:16 ζητέω Let our lord now command your servants who are before you, to seek out a man who is a skillful player on the harp: and it shall happen, when the evil spirit from God is on you, that he shall play with his hand, and you shall be well.
- 1 Samuel 19:2 ζητέω Jonathan told David, saying, Saul my father seeks to kill you: now therefore, please take care of yourself in the morning, and live in a secret place, and hide yourself:
- 1 Samuel 19:10 ζητέω Saul sought to strike David even to the wall with the spear; but he slipped away out of Saul's presence, and he struck the spear into the wall: and David fled, and escaped that night.
- 1 Samuel 22:23 ζητέω Abide you with me, don't be afraid; for he who seeks my life seeks your life: for with me you shall be in safeguard.
- 1 Samuel 23:10 ζητέω Then said David, O Yahweh, the God of Israel, your servant has surely heard that Saul seeks to come to Keilah, to destroy the city for my sake.
- 1 Samuel 23:14 ζητέω David abode in the wilderness in the strongholds, and remained in the hill-country in the wilderness of Ziph. Saul sought him every day, but God didn't deliver him into his hand.
- 1 Samuel 23:15 ζητέω David saw that Saul had come out to seek his life: and David was in the wilderness of Ziph in the wood.
- 1 Samuel 23:25 ζητέω Saul and his men went to seek him. They told David: why he came down to the rock, and abode in the wilderness of Maon. When Saul heard [that], he pursued after David in the wilderness of Maon.
- 1 Samuel 24:3 ζητέω He came to the sheep pens by the way, where was a cave; and Saul went in to cover his feet. Now David and his men were abiding in the innermost parts of the cave.
- 1 Samuel 24:10 ζητέω Behold, this day your eyes have seen how that Yahweh had delivered you today into my hand in the cave: and some bade me kill you; but [my eye] spared you; and I said, I will not put forth my hand against my lord; for he is Yahweh's anointed.
- 1 Samuel 25:26 ζητέω Now therefore, my lord, as Yahweh lives, and as your soul lives, seeing Yahweh has withheld you from blood guiltiness, and from avenging yourself with your own hand, now therefore let your enemies, and those who seek evil to my lord, be as Nabal.
- 1 Samuel 25:29 ζητέω Though men be risen up to pursue you, and to seek your soul, yet the soul of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of life with Yahweh your God; and the souls of your enemies, them shall he sling out, as from the hollow of a sling.
- 1 Samuel 26:2 ζητέω Then Saul arose, and went down to the wilderness of Ziph, having three thousand chosen men of Israel with him, to seek David in the wilderness of Ziph.
- 1 Samuel 26:20 ζητέω Now therefore, don't let my blood fall to the earth away from the presence of Yahweh: for the king of Israel is come out to seek a flea, as when one does hunt a partridge in the mountains.
- 1 Samuel 27:1 ζητέω David said in his heart, I shall now perish one day by the hand of Saul: there is nothing better for me than that I should escape into the land of the Philistines; and Saul will despair of me, to seek me any more in all the borders of Israel: so shall I escape out of his hand.
- 1 Samuel 27:4 ζητέω It was told Saul that David was fled to Gath: and he sought no more again for him.
- 1 Samuel 28:7 ζητέω Then said Saul to his servants, Seek me a woman who has a familiar spirit, that I may go to her, and inquire of her. His servants said to him, Behold, there is a woman who has a familiar spirit at En-dor.
- 2 Samuel 3:17 ζητέω Abner had communication with the elders of Israel, saying, In times past you sought for David to be king over you:
- 2 Samuel 4:8 ζητέω They brought the head of Ish-bosheth to David to Hebron, and said to the king, Behold, the head of Ish-bosheth, the son of Saul, your enemy, who sought your life; and Yahweh has avenged my lord the king this day of Saul, and of his seed.
- 2 Samuel 5:17 ζητέω When the Philistines heard that they had anointed David king over Israel, all the Philistines went up to seek David; and David heard of it, and went down to the stronghold.
- 2 Samuel 11:3 ζητέω David send and inquired after the woman. One said, Is not this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?
- 2 Samuel 12:16 ζητέω David therefore begged God for the child; and David fasted, and went in, and lay all night on the earth.
- 2 Samuel 14:16 ζητέω For the king will hear, to deliver his servant out of the hand of the man who would destroy me and my son together out of the inheritance of God.
- 2 Samuel 16:11 ζητέω David said to Abishai, and to all his servants, Behold, my son, who came forth from my bowels, seeks my life: how much more [may] this Benjamite now [do it]? let him alone, and let him curse; for Yahweh has invited him.
These are occurrences of the same Greek lexeme (G2212) in the Septuagint — not a translation of any one Hebrew word. The store carries no word-level Hebrew↔Greek alignment, so no Hebrew original is asserted here. Counts come from the recovered LXX Strong's tagging — high-frequency vocabulary is well covered, while rare or late forms may be untagged — so they reflect tagged occurrences and may slightly undercount.
