גָּרַשׁ
to drive out
also: expel, cast out, drive away, divorce fuller range ↓
Full lexicon entry — Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB)
From Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB)
Where this word appears
Grammar key — what these labels mean
Part of speech
- Verb
- An action or state-of-being word.
Stem
- Piel
- An intensive or resultative active stem.
- Qal
- The basic, simple active stem — the plain form of the verb (“he wrote”).
- Niphal
- Usually the simple passive or reflexive of the Qal (“he was written”).
- Pual
- The passive counterpart of the Piel.
Form
- Sequential Imperfect
- An imperfect with prefixed waw — the standard past-narrative form (waw-consecutive imperfect).
- Participle Passive
- A verbal adjective expressing action received (“written”).
- Imperfect
- An incomplete, ongoing, or future action (“he will / would write”).
- Imperative
- A direct command (“write!”).
- Sequential Perfect
- A perfect with prefixed waw continuing a preceding imperfect or command (waw-consecutive perfect).
- Infinitive Construct
- A bound verbal noun, frequently with prepositions (“to write / in writing”).
- Perfect
- A completed action or state — Hebrew marks aspect (completeness) more than strict tense (“he wrote”).
- Participle Active
- A verbal adjective expressing ongoing or characteristic action (“writing / one who writes”).
- Infinitive Absolute
- An unbound verbal noun, often intensifying or standing in for a finite verb.
State
- Absolute
- The independent form of a noun, not bound to a following word.
Person
- 3rd Person
- The one spoken about (“he / she / it / they”).
- 1st Person
- The speaker (“I / we”).
- 2nd Person
- The one addressed (“you”).
Gender
- Masculine
- Grammatically masculine.
- Feminine
- Grammatically feminine.
- Common
- Either gender — not distinguished for this form.
Number
- Singular
- One.
- Plural
- More than one (in Hebrew, generally three or more).
Every verse where H1644 appears in the Book of Jonah — 1 distinct verse. Click any verse to open its interlinear word-by-word view. Verse text shown in the World English Bible for context — . Each verse’s Hebrew 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 Hebrew Bible; Septuagint (Greek Old Testament) occurrences are not indexed here.
Jonah
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.
“to drive out” is the headline sense of the Hebrew verb גרש (gârash). Read the stem: it spans 4 stems, including Qal and Niphal. The Hebrew Bible uses it across 45 verses — moderately common. Its earliest occurrence is Genesis 3:24. Related forms include גרש, גרשה and מגרש. The sections below give every sense, occurrence, and version rendering.
Gloss history
Strong's 1890 vs modern scholarship
About this word
Strong's H1644 catalogs a Hebrew word from the Hebrew Old Testament.
These counts are not copied from any lexicon or concordance. They are computed here, from the morphology-tagged Hebrew Old Testament. What Lemma adds →
- 45
- distinct verses
- The word appears in 45 distinct verses.
- 21 / 39
- OT books
- The word appears in 21 of 39 Old Testament books.
- #783
- by frequency
- Top 1000 most frequent Hebrew words (rank 783 of 8,640 Hebrew words by occurrence).
View all 45 occurrences in the concordance →
By section of the Old Testament
By traditional corpus
Conventional, traditional groupings — biblical authorship is debated, so this is a traditional corpus grouping, not an authorship claim. Each share is this word’s portion of its verses in that division of the Hebrew canon. Each figure is a share of the word’s 45 distinct verses.
- Torah (Pentateuch) 21 verses · 47%
- Prophets (Nevi'im) 17 verses · 38%
- Writings (Ketuvim) 7 verses · 16%
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: Cast out 2×, I will drive them out 2×, I will not drive them out 2×
- American Standard Version: Behold 2×, Cast out 2×, Drove out 2×
- Berean Standard Bible: Drive out 2×, Drive them out 2×, Drove out 2×
- unfoldingWord Literal Text: Out 4×, And 3×, Dispossessed 2×
King James Version Public Domain
Renders H1644 across 47 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 39 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 H1644 across 46 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 28 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 H1644 across 46 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 36 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings. Not rendered by a distinct English word in 1 further occurrence.
unfoldingWord Literal Text CC BY-SA 4.0
Renders H1644 across 62 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 43 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
Senses in the full BDB
Hebrew verbs can shift meaning by stem (binyan): Qal is the basic action, Niphal is often passive or reflexive, Piel often intensifies or makes it factitive, and Hiphil is typically causative. The senses below are grouped under the stem BDB assigns to each. This entry also uses Pual (the passive of Piel).
What do BDB’s symbols mean?
BDB uses these scholarly abbreviations:
| Symbol | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 𝔊 | the Septuagint (the ancient Greek translation, LXX) |
| 𝔙 | the Vulgate (the Latin translation) |
| 𝔖 | the Syriac version (the Peshitta) |
| 𝔗 | the Targum (the Aramaic translation) |
| ψ | the Psalms |
| √ | root (the underlying root or stem) |
| ‖ | parallel passage (a synonymous or contrasted parallel) |
| † | the dagger: every passage where the word occurs is cited |
The 4 senses and sub-senses the full Brown-Driver-Briggs lexicon distinguishes for this word, in lexicon order (not ranked by frequency), with BDB’s own verbatim wording and sub-sense lettering. Shown in Hebrew script with BDB’s own scholarly abbreviations. The condensed entry is in the Lexicon Entry tab. See also the Forms in the corpus table below.
Qal
- Impf. וַיִּגְרְשׁוּ Is 57:20; Inf. sf. מִגְרָשָׁהּ Ez 36:5 infr.; Pt. act. גֹּרֵשׁ Ex 34:11; pass. f. גְּרוּשָׁה Lv 21:7 + 4 times;—cast out, thrust out, י׳, the Amorites Ex 34:11 (JE; c. מִפְּנֵי); waters, mire and dirt רֶפֶשׁ וָטִיט Is 57:20; pass. only of divorced woman Lv 21:7 (sq. מֵאִישָׁהּ; elsewhere with אַלְמָנָה widow), v 14 22:13 (all H), Nu 30:10 (P) Ez 44:22. On מִגְרָשָׁהּ Ez 36:5 as Aramaic Inf. cf. Ges§ 45 e Köf. 166; Co del., on intern. grounds, cf. 𝔊. e.g. Isaiah 57:20
Niphal
- Pf. נִגְרָ֑שׁ Is 57:20; 3 fs. וְנִגְרְשָׁה consec. Am. 8:8; נִגְרַשְׁתִּי Jon 2:5;—be driven away, sq. מִנֶּגֶד עֵינֶיךָ, i.e. from the presence of Yahweh Jon 2:5; be driven, tossed, as the Nile Am 8:8; of the sea Is 57:20 rel. cl., אֲשֶׁר om., like the sea that is tossed. e.g. Isaiah 57:20
Piel
- Pf. 3 fs. וְגֵרְשָׁה consec. Ex 23:28; גֵּרַשְׁתָּ Gn 4:14, sf. 3 mpl. וְגֵרַשְׁתָּמוֹ consec. Ex 23:31; וְגֵרַשְׁתִּ֫י Ex 33:2, sf. גֵּרַשְׁתִּיהוּ Ez 31:11 (so 𝔗 𝔙, not 𝔊; cf. Co’s conj.); וְגֵּרַשְׁתִּיו consec. Nu 22:11; 3 pl. sf. גֵּרְשׁוּנִי 1 S 26:19 Impf. יְגָרֵשׁ Ex 11:1, וַיְגָ֫רֶשׁ Gn 3:24 + 6 times; sf. וַיְגָרֲשֵׁהוּ ψ 34:1, יְגָֽרֲשֵׁם Ex 6:1; 2 ms. תְּגָרֵשׁ ψ 80:9, וַתְּגָ֫רֶשׁ Jos 24:12; אֲגָרֵשׁ Ju 2:3, וָֽאֲגָרֵשׁ Ju 6:9; sf. 3 ms. אֲגָֽרְשֶׁנּוּ Ex 23:29, 30; Nu 22:6; אֲגָֽרֲשֵׁם Ho 9:15; וַיְגָֽרֲשׁוּ Ju 11:2; יְגָֽרֲשׁוּהָ Zp 2:4, וַיְגָֽרֲשׁוּם Ex 2:17; 2 mpl. תְּגָֽרֲשׁוּן Mi 2:9, וַתְּגָֽרֲשׁוּנִי Ju 11:7; Inf. cstr. לְגָרֵשׁ 1 Ch 17:21 + ‖ 2 S 7:23 Gei We Dr, for MT לארצך; לְגָֽרֲשֵׁנוּ 2 Ch 20:11; abs. id. Ex 11:1; Imv. גָּרֵשׁ Gn 21:10 Pr 22:10;—drive out, away, Hex all JE, incl. poem Dt 33; (י׳ subj.), Adam from garden Gn 3:24 cf. Cain Gn 4:14 (sq. מִן loc., & so 21 times), David (men subj.) 1 S 26:19, id. (Abimelech subj.) ψ 34:1 (title), Hagar (Abr. subj.) Gn 21:10 cf. scorner, Pr 22:10 daughters of Reuel (subj. shepherds) Ex 2:17; Moses and Aaron from Pharaoh’s presence (indef. subj.) Ex 10:11; Gaal etc. (subj. Zebul) Ju 9:41 (sq. מִן c. Inf.), Jephthah (Gil. subj.) Ju 11:2, 7; Abiathar (subj. Sol.) 1 K 2:27 (sq. מִן c. Inf.) wicked from temple (י׳ subj.) Ho 9:15; women from houses (nobles subj.) Mi 2:9; often of Canaanites (hornet subj.) Ex 23:28; Jos 24:12 cf. Ex 23:31 (Israel subj.); also (י׳ subj.; cf. MI19) Ex 23:29, 30; 33:2; Dt 33:27 Jos 24:18; Ju 2:3; 6:9 ψ 78:55; 80:9; 1 Ch 17:21; of Israel from Egypt (subj. Pharaoh) Ex 6:1; 11:1(×2); from land of Moab (subj. Balak) Nu 22:6, 11; Judah from Canaan (subj. Moab & Ammon) 2 Ch 20:11; Egypt from her land (י׳ subj.) Ez 31:11 (but cf. text, supr.); Ashdod (indef. subj.) Zp 2:4. e.g. Exodus 23:28
Pual
- Pf. גֹּרְשׁוּ subj. Israelites Ex 12:39; Impf. יְגֹרָ֑שׁוּ subj. despised and miserable outcasts Jb 30:5 both sq. מִן loc. e.g. Exodus 12:39
Senses from the full Brown-Driver-Briggs lexicon (Brown, Driver, Briggs; Oxford 1906 — public domain), digitized via Sefaria, supplemented by the OpenScriptures HebrewLexicon (CC BY 4.0). Full attribution on Sources.
Word origin
vb. drive out, cast out (NH id., Aramaic גְּרַשׁ Pa. Ithp. of divorce, MI19 ויגרשה)—
— Brown-Driver-Briggs (Oxford 1906, public domain), digitized via Sefaria, supplemented by the OpenScriptures HebrewLexicon (CC BY 4.0). See Sources.
Origin: a primitive root
Jastrow Dictionary
A second Hebrew/Aramaic lexicon for comparison, covering Aramaic and post-biblical (Talmudic, Targumic, Midrashic) usage that the biblical-Hebrew BDB does not. Matched by lemma rather than by Strong’s number, so a lemma may carry more than one Jastrow headword (shown separately below), and the entries cover usage well beyond the Bible.
גָּרַשׁ
- (b. h.)
- 1. to stir up, to set in commotion. Sifré Deut. 39; Yalk. ib. 859 יכול יהו מים גּוֹרְשִׁין את העפר ממקום בקעה וכ׳ you might suppose the (rain) water will stir up the (fat) ground of the valley, and thus the valley will lack (drinking) water.
- 2. (cmp. טָרַד) to banish; to send off, divorce (a wife).—Part. pass. גָּרוּשׁ, f. גְּרוּשָׁה q. v.
- to send off, banish. Gen. R. s. 21.—Esp. to give a letter of divorce. Gitt. IX, 1 הַמְּגָרֵשׁ וכ׳ if one divorces his wife and says, on handing her the letter, &c.; a. v. fr.—Ib. VI, 5 if one says (to his delegates) … גָּרְשׁוּהָ ga’rshuha, they are authorized to write and deliver to her a letter of divorce (geresh being the colloquial term for divorcing).
- to be banished, &c. Pirké d’R. El. ch. XIX; XX ג׳ ויצא וכ׳ he was banished and he left paradise.—Part. מְגוּרָשׁ, f. מְגוּרֶשֶׁת. Gitt. VII, 4 מג׳ ואינה מג׳ she is and is not divorced, i.e. her divorce is doubtful, and she has to suffer the disqualifications of a married and of a divorced woman. Ib. 5; a. v. fr.
- 1. to be banished; to be divorced. Midr. Till. to Ps. XCII. Gitt. 65ᵃ מִתְגָּרֶשֶׁת בקידושי וכ׳ she is entitled to receive a letter of divorce for herself even though her father had contracted the marriage in her behalf; a. v. fr. [
- 2. to be stirred up, become muddy, thick. Midr. d’R. Akiba, Alef (Jellinek Beth Hammidrash III, 13).]
גְּרַשׁ I
- Pa. גָּרֵישׁ. Pes. 110ᵇ דגָרְשָׁהּ לאיתתיה Ms. M. (ed. דגרשא, corr. acc.) who had divorced his wife. Ber. 56ᵃ תרי נשי מְגָרְשׁת it will be thy destiny to divorce two wives. Arakh. 23ᵃ דלִיגָרֵש לדביתהו that he should divorce &c. Ib. אטו כל דמִגָרֵשׁ וכ׳ does every one who divorces his wife, give divorce in court?; a. fr.
- , infin. אִיגְּרוּשֵׁי to be divorced. Gitt. 78ᵃ בת אי׳ in a fit condition to receive a letter of divorce.
*גְּרַשׁ II
- (cmp. גרר to drag) to hoist up. Y. Kil. IX, 32ᶜ top. Y. Keth. XII, 35ᵇ top [read:] ואין עניית אתון גרשין לי and if I call, ye will hoist me up; (Koh. R. to IX, 10 שרר; Mat. K. quotes גדש, v. גְּדַשׁ II).
גֶּרֶשׂ
- v. גָּרִיס) grits. Sifra Vayikra, N’dabah, ch. XIV, Par. 13 אפשר יקלנו ג׳ I might think he must roast it after being pounded; Men. 66ᵇ
A Dictionary of the Targumim, the Talmud Babli and Yerushalmi, and the Midrashic Literature (Marcus Jastrow; London, Luzac, 1903) — Public Domain. Digitized via Sefaria. Digitized via Sefaria. Full attribution on Sources.
Forms in the corpus
The 44 distinct written forms H1644 takes in the Hebrew Bible, most frequent first — each parse links to that stem’s occurrences in the concordance. Hebrew forms include their vowel points and cantillation, so a single lemma takes many written forms.
Same root — word family
Other BDB entries built from the same root as H1644, 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
Proper names from this root
People and places named from this root — a name, not an additional meaning of the word.
Compare all same-root words → Showing 4 of 5 — not the complete family. 1 of the same-root words is a proper name (a person or place). They share a root, not necessarily a meaning.
Septuagint verse parallels
This word appears in 44 verses that also exist in the Greek Old Testament (Septuagint), out of the 45 Hebrew verses it occurs in. You can read those verses in Greek by switching the Old Testament edition to the Septuagint.
Read these verses in the Septuagint
- Genesis 3:24
- Exodus 2:17
- Leviticus 21:7
- Numbers 22:6
- Deuteronomy 33:27
- Joshua 24:12
- Judges 2:3
- 1 Samuel 26:19
- 1 Kings 2:27
- 1 Chronicles 17:21
- 2 Chronicles 20:11
- Job 30:5
This is a verse-level parallel only — the same verses exist in both the Hebrew and Greek Old Testaments. No word-level Hebrew↔Greek correspondence is claimed: the data carries no such alignment, so no Greek word is shown as this Hebrew word’s translation. Coverage is not total — the Septuagint omits the deuterocanon and renumbers the Psalms, so some Hebrew verses have no direct Greek parallel.
