עָשָׂה
to do
also: fashion, accomplish, make fuller range ↓
Full lexicon entry — Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB)
From Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB)
Where this word appears
See every Qal verb in the Hebrew Bible →
Grammar key — what these labels mean
Part of speech
- Verb
- An action or state-of-being word.
Stem
- Qal
- The basic, simple active stem — the plain form of the verb (“he wrote”). Here: ‘do’
- Niphal
- Usually the simple passive or reflexive of the Qal (“he was written”). Here: ‘be done’
- Piel
- An intensive or resultative active stem. Here: ‘press’
- Pual
- The passive counterpart of the Piel.
Form
- Perfect
- A completed action or state — Hebrew marks aspect (completeness) more than strict tense (“he wrote”).
- Sequential Imperfect
- An imperfect with prefixed waw — the standard past-narrative form (waw-consecutive imperfect).
- Infinitive Construct
- A bound verbal noun, frequently with prepositions (“to write / in writing”).
- Imperfect
- An incomplete, ongoing, or future action (“he will / would write”).
- Sequential Perfect
- A perfect with prefixed waw continuing a preceding imperfect or command (waw-consecutive perfect).
- Participle Active
- A verbal adjective expressing ongoing or characteristic action (“writing / one who writes”).
- Imperative
- A direct command (“write!”).
- Jussive
- A third- or second-person volitional form expressing wish or command (“let him write”).
- Infinitive Absolute
- An unbound verbal noun, often intensifying or standing in for a finite verb.
- Participle Passive
- A verbal adjective expressing action received (“written”).
- Cohortative
- A first-person volitional form expressing wish or resolve (“let me / let us write”).
State
- Absolute
- The independent form of a noun, not bound to a following word.
- Construct
- A noun bound to a following noun in a possessive / “of” relationship (the construct chain).
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.
- Common
- Either gender — not distinguished for this form.
- Feminine
- Grammatically feminine.
Number
- Singular
- One.
- Plural
- More than one (in Hebrew, generally three or more).
80 verses where H6213 appears in the Qal stem in the Book of 1 Samuel. 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 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.
1 Samuel
- 1 Samuel 1:7 יַעֲשֶׂ֜ה Qal impf 3ms [as] he did so year by year, when she went up to the house of Yahweh, so she provoked her; therefore she wept, and did not eat.
- 1 Samuel 1:23 עֲשִׂ֧י Qal impv 2fs Elkanah her husband said to her, Do what seems you good; wait until you have weaned him; only Yahweh establish his word. So the woman waited and nursed her son, until she weaned him.
- 1 Samuel 2:14 יַעֲשׂ֣וּ Qal impf 3mp and he struck it into the pan, or kettle, or caldron, or pot; all that the flesh-hook brought up the priest took therewith. So they did in Shiloh to all the Israelites who came there.
- 1 Samuel 2:19 תַּעֲשֶׂה Qal impf 3fs Moreover his mother made him a little robe, and brought it to him from year to year, when she came up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice.
- 1 Samuel 2:22 יַעֲשׂ֤וּ/ן Qal impf 3mp + sfx n Now Eli was very old; and he heard all that his sons did to all Israel, and how that they lay with the women who served at the door of the tent of meeting.
- 1 Samuel 2:23 תַעֲשׂ֖וּ/ן Qal impf 2mp + sfx n He said to them, Why do you such things? for I hear of your evil dealings from all this people.
- 1 Samuel 2:35 יַעֲשֶׂ֑ה Qal impf 3ms I will raise me up a faithful priest, that shall do according to that which is in my heart and in my mind: and I will build him a sure house; and he shall walk before my anointed forever.
- 1 Samuel 3:11 עֹשֶׂ֥ה Qal ptcp.act ms Yahweh said to Samuel, Behold, I will do a thing in Israel, at which both the ears of everyone who hears it shall tingle.
- 1 Samuel 3:17 יַעֲשֶׂה Qal juss 3ms He said, "What is the thing that [Yahweh] has spoken to you? Please don't hide it from me. God do so to you, and more also, if you hide anything from me of all the things that he spoke to you."
- 1 Samuel 3:18 יַעֲשֶֽׂה Qal impf 3ms Samuel told him every whit, and hid nothing from him. He said, It is Yahweh: let him do what seems him good.
- 1 Samuel 5:8 נַּעֲשֶׂ֗ה Qal impf 1cp They sent therefore and gathered all the lords of the Philistines to them, and said, What shall we do with the ark of the God of Israel? They answered, Let the ark of the God of Israel be carried about to Gath. They carried the ark of the God of Israel [there].
- 1 Samuel 6:2 נַּעֲשֶׂ֖ה Qal impf 1cp The Philistines called for the priests and the diviners, saying, "What shall we do with the ark of Yahweh? Show us with which we shall send it to its place."
- 1 Samuel 6:5 וַ/עֲשִׂיתֶם֩ conj + Qal wpf 2mp Therefore you shall make images of your tumors, and images of your mice that mar the land; and you shall give glory to the God of Israel: peradventure he will lighten his hand from off you, and from off your gods, and from off your land.
- 1 Samuel 6:7 וַ/עֲשׂ֜וּ conj + Qal impv 2mp Now therefore take and prepare yourselves a new cart, and two milk cattle, on which there has come no yoke; and tie the cattle to the cart, and bring their calves home from them;
- 1 Samuel 6:9 עָ֣שָׂה Qal pf 3ms Behold; if it goes up by the way of its own border to Beth-shemesh, then he has done us this great evil: but if not, then we shall know that it is not his hand that struck us; it was a chance that happened to us."
- 1 Samuel 6:10 וַ/יַּעֲשׂ֤וּ conj + Qal wimpf 3mp The men did so, and took two milk cattle, and tied them to the cart, and shut up their calves at home;
- 1 Samuel 8:8 עָשׂ֗וּ עֹשִׂ֖ים Qal pf 3cp Qal ptcp.act mp According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt even to this day, in that they have forsaken me, and served other gods, so do they also to you.
- 1 Samuel 8:12 וְ/לַ/עֲשׂ֥וֹת conj + prep + Qal inf.cs and he will appoint them to him for captains of thousands, and captains of fifties; and [he will set some] to plow his ground, and to reap his harvest, and to make his instruments of war, and the instruments of his chariots.
- 1 Samuel 8:16 וְ/עָשָׂ֖ה conj + Qal wpf 3ms He will take your men-servants, and your maid-servants, and your best young men, and your donkeys, and put them to his work.
- 1 Samuel 10:2 אֶעֱשֶׂ֖ה Qal impf 1cs 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 10:7 עֲשֵׂ֤ה Qal impv 2ms Let it be, when these signs are come to you, that you do as occasion shall serve you; for God is with you.
- 1 Samuel 10:8 תַּעֲשֶֽׂה Qal impf 2ms You shall go down before me to Gilgal; and, behold, I will come down to you, to offer burnt offerings, and to sacrifice sacrifices of peace-offerings: seven days shall you wait, until I come to you, and show you what you shall do.
- 1 Samuel 11:10 וַ/עֲשִׂיתֶ֣ם conj + Qal wpf 2mp Therefore the men of Jabesh said, Tomorrow we will come out to you, and you shall do with us all that seems good to you.
- 1 Samuel 11:13 עָשָֽׂה Qal pf 3ms Saul said, There shall not a man be put to death this day; for today Yahweh has worked deliverance in Israel.
- 1 Samuel 12:6 עָשָׂה֙ Qal pf 3ms Samuel said to the people, It is Yahweh who appointed Moses and Aaron, and that brought your fathers up out of the land of Egypt.
- 1 Samuel 12:7 עָשָׂ֥ה Qal pf 3ms Now therefore stand still, that I may plead with you before Yahweh concerning all the righteous acts of Yahweh, which he did to you and to your fathers.
- 1 Samuel 12:16 עֹשֶׂ֖ה Qal ptcp.act ms Now therefore stand still and see this great thing, which Yahweh will do before your eyes.
- 1 Samuel 12:17 עֲשִׂיתֶם֙ Qal pf 2mp Isn't it wheat harvest today? I will call to Yahweh, that he may send thunder and rain; and you shall know and see that your wickedness is great, which you have done in the sight of Yahweh, in asking you a king.
- 1 Samuel 12:20 עֲשִׂיתֶ֔ם Qal pf 2mp Samuel said to the people, "Don't be afraid; you have indeed done all this evil; yet don't turn aside from following Yahweh, but serve Yahweh with all your heart:
- 1 Samuel 12:22 לַ/עֲשׂ֥וֹת prep + Qal inf.cs For Yahweh will not forsake his people for his great name's sake, because it has pleased Yahweh to make you a people to himself.
- 1 Samuel 13:11 עָשִׂ֑יתָ Qal pf 2ms Samuel said, What have you done? Saul said, Because I saw that the people were scattered from me, and that you didn't come within the days appointed, and that the Philistines assembled themselves together at Michmash;
- 1 Samuel 13:19 יַעֲשׂ֣וּ Qal impf 3mp Now there was no smith found throughout all the land of Israel; for the Philistines said, Lest the Hebrews make them swords or spears:
- 1 Samuel 14:6 יַעֲשֶׂ֥ה Qal impf 3ms Jonathan said to the young man who bore his armor, Come, and let us go over to the garrison of these uncircumcised: it may be that Yahweh will work for us; for there is no restraint to Yahweh to save by many or by few.
- 1 Samuel 14:7 עֲשֵׂ֖ה Qal impv 2ms His armor bearer said to him, Do all that is in your heart: turn you, behold, I am with you according to your heart.
- 1 Samuel 14:32 ו/יעש conj + Qal wimpf 3ms and the people flew on the spoil, and took sheep, and oxen, and calves, and killed them on the ground; and the people ate them with the blood.
- 1 Samuel 14:36 עֲשֵׂ֑ה Qal impv 2ms Saul said, Let us go down after the Philistines by night, and take spoil among them until the morning light, and let us not leave a man of them. They said, Do whatever seems good to you. Then said the priest, Let us draw near here to God.
- 1 Samuel 14:40 עֲשֵֽׂה Qal impv 2ms Then said he to all Israel, Be you on one side, and I and Jonathan my son will be on the other side. The people said to Saul, Do what seems good to you.
- 1 Samuel 14:43 עָשִׂ֑יתָה Qal pf 2ms Then Saul said to Jonathan, Tell me what you have done. Jonathan told him, and said, I did certainly taste a little honey with the end of the rod that was in my hand; and, behold, I must die.
- 1 Samuel 14:44 יַעֲשֶׂ֥ה Qal juss 3ms Saul said, God do so and more also; for you shall surely die, Jonathan.
- 1 Samuel 14:45 עָ֠שָׂה עָשָׂ֖ה Qal pf 3ms Qal pf 3ms The people said to Saul, Shall Jonathan die, who has worked this great salvation in Israel? Far from it: as Yahweh lives, there shall not one hair of his head fall to the ground; for he has worked with God this day. So the people rescued Jonathan, that he didn't die.
- 1 Samuel 14:48 וַ/יַּ֣עַשׂ conj + Qal wimpf 3ms He did valiantly, and struck the Amalekites, and delivered Israel out of the hands of those who despoiled them.
- 1 Samuel 15:2 עָשָׂ֥ה Qal pf 3ms Thus says Yahweh of Hosts, I have marked that which Amalek did to Israel, how he set himself against him in the way, when he came up out of Egypt.
- 1 Samuel 15:6 עָשִׂ֤יתָה Qal pf 2ms Saul said to the Kenites, Go, depart, get you down from among the Amalekites, lest I destroy you with them; for you shown kindness to all the children of Israel, when they came up out of Egypt. So the Kenites departed from among the Amalekites.
- 1 Samuel 15:19 וַ/תַּ֥עַשׂ conj + Qal wimpf 2ms Why then didn't you obey the voice of Yahweh, but flew on the spoil, and did that which was evil in the sight of Yahweh?"
- 1 Samuel 16:3 תַּעֲשֶׂ֔ה Qal impf 2ms Call Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do: and you shall anoint to me him whom I name to you.
- 1 Samuel 16:4 וַ/יַּ֣עַשׂ conj + Qal wimpf 3ms Samuel did that which Yahweh spoke, and came to Bethlehem. The elders of the city came to meet him trembling, and said, Come you peaceably?
- 1 Samuel 17:25 יַעֲשֶׂ֥ה Qal impf 3ms The men of Israel said, Have you seen this man who is come up? surely to defy Israel is he come up: and it shall be, that the man who kills him, the king will enrich him with great riches, and will give him his daughter, and make his father's house free in Israel.
- 1 Samuel 17:29 עָשִׂ֖יתִי Qal pf 1cs David said, What have I now done? Is there not a cause?
- 1 Samuel 19:5 וַ/יַּ֨עַשׂ conj + Qal wimpf 3ms for he put his life in his hand, and struck the Philistine, and Yahweh worked a great victory for all Israel: you saw it, and did rejoice; why then will you sin against innocent blood, to kill David without a cause?
- 1 Samuel 19:18 עָֽשָׂה Qal pf 3ms Now David fled, and escaped, and came to Samuel to Ramah, and told him all that Saul had done to him. He and Samuel went and lived in Naioth.
- 1 Samuel 20:1 עָשִׂ֨יתִי֙ Qal pf 1cs David fled from Naioth in Ramah, and came and said before Jonathan, "What have I done? What is my iniquity?" and "What is my sin before your father, that he seeks my life?"
- 1 Samuel 20:2 עשה יַעֲשֶׂ֨ה Qal pf 3ms Qal impf 3ms He said to him, "Far from it; you shall not die: behold, my father does nothing either great or small, but that he discloses it to me; and why should my father hide this thing from me? It is not so."
- 1 Samuel 20:4 וְ/אֶֽעֱשֶׂה conj + Qal impf 1cs Then said Jonathan to David, Whatever your soul desires, I will even do it for you.
- 1 Samuel 20:8 וְ/עָשִׂ֤יתָ conj + Qal wpf 2ms Therefore deal kindly with your servant; for you have brought your servant into a covenant of Yahweh with you: but if there be in me iniquity, kill me yourself; for why should you bring me to your father?
- 1 Samuel 20:13 יַעֲשֶׂה֩ Qal juss 3ms Yahweh do so to Jonathan, and more also, should it please my father to do you evil, if I don't disclose it to you, and send you away, that you may go in peace: and Yahweh be with you, as he has been with my father.
- 1 Samuel 20:14 תַעֲשֶׂ֧ה Qal impf 2ms You shall not only while yet I live show me the loving kindness of Yahweh, that I not die;
- 1 Samuel 20:32 עָשָֽׂה Qal pf 3ms Jonathan answered Saul his father, and said to him, "Why should he be put to death? What has he done?"
- 1 Samuel 22:3 יַּֽעֲשֶׂה Qal impf 3ms David went there to Mizpeh of Moab: and he said to the king of Moab, Please let my father and my mother come forth, [and be] with you, until I know what God will do for me.
- 1 Samuel 24:4 וְ/עָשִׂ֣יתָ conj + Qal wpf 2ms The men of David said to him, Behold, the day of which Yahweh said to you, Behold, I will deliver your enemy into your hand, and you shall do to him as it shall seem good to you. Then David arose, and cut off the skirt of Saul's robe secretly.
- 1 Samuel 24:6 אֶעֱשֶׂה֩ Qal impf 1cs He said to his men, Yahweh forbid that I should do this thing to my lord, Yahweh's anointed, to put forth my hand against him, seeing he is Yahweh's anointed.
- 1 Samuel 24:18 עָשִׂ֥יתָה Qal pf 2ms You have declared this day how that you have dealt well with me, because when Yahweh had delivered me up into your hand, you didn't kill me.
- 1 Samuel 24:19 עָשִׂ֖יתָה Qal pf 2ms For if a man finds his enemy, will he let him go away unharmed? Therefore may Yahweh reward you good for that which you have done to me this day.
- 1 Samuel 25:17 תַּעֲשִׂ֔י Qal impf 2fs Now therefore know and consider what you will do; for evil is determined against our master, and against all his house: for he is such a worthless fellow that one can't speak to him.
- 1 Samuel 25:18 עשוות עֲשׂוּיֹת֙ Qal ptcp.pass fp Qal ptcp.pass fp Then Abigail made haste, and took two hundred loaves, and two bottles of wine, and five sheep ready dressed, and five measures of parched grain, and one hundred clusters of raisins, and two hundred cakes of figs, and laid them on donkeys.
- 1 Samuel 25:22 יַעֲשֶׂ֧ה Qal juss 3ms God do so to the enemies of David, and more also, if I leave of all that belongs to him by the morning light so much as one man-child.
- 1 Samuel 25:28 עָשֹֽׂה יַעֲשֶׂה֩ Qal inf.abs Qal impf 3ms Please forgive the trespass of your handmaid: for Yahweh will certainly make my lord a sure house, because my lord fights the battles of Yahweh; and evil shall not be found in you all your days.
- 1 Samuel 25:30 יַעֲשֶׂ֤ה Qal impf 3ms It shall come to pass, when Yahweh shall have done to my lord according to all the good that he has spoken concerning you, and shall have appointed you prince over Israel,
- 1 Samuel 26:16 עָשִׂיתָ֒ Qal pf 2ms This thing isn't good that you have done. As Yahweh lives, you are worthy to die, because you have not kept watch over your lord, Yahweh's anointed. Now see where the king's spear is, and the jar of water that was at his head.
- 1 Samuel 26:18 עָשִׂ֔יתִי Qal pf 1cs He said, Why does my lord pursue after his servant? for what have I done? or what evil is in my hand?
- 1 Samuel 26:25 עָשֹׂ֣ה תַעֲשֶׂ֔ה Qal inf.abs Qal impf 2ms Then Saul said to David, Blessed be you, my son David: you shall both do mightily, and shall surely prevail. So David went his way, and Saul returned to his place.
- 1 Samuel 27:11 עָשָׂ֤ה Qal pf 3ms David saved neither man nor woman alive, to bring them to Gath, saying, Lest they should tell of us, saying, So did David, and so has been his manner all the while he has lived in the country of the Philistines.
- 1 Samuel 28:2 יַעֲשֶׂ֖ה Qal impf 3ms David said to Achish, Therefore you shall know what your servant will do. Achish said to David, Therefore will I make you keeper of my head for ever.
- 1 Samuel 28:9 עָשָׂ֣ה Qal pf 3ms The woman said to him, Behold, you know what Saul has done, how he has cut off those who have familiar spirits, and the wizards, out of the land: why then lay you a snare for my life, to cause me to die?
- 1 Samuel 28:15 אֶעֱשֶֽׂה Qal impf 1cs Samuel said to Saul, Why have you disquieted me, to bring me up? Saul answered, I am sore distressed; for the Philistines make war against me, and God is departed from me, and answers me no more, neither by prophets, nor by dreams: therefore I have called you, that you may make known to me what I shall do.
- 1 Samuel 28:17 וַ/יַּ֤עַשׂ conj + Qal wimpf 3ms Yahweh has done to you, as he spoke by me: and Yahweh has torn the kingdom out of your hand, and given it to your neighbor, even to David.
- 1 Samuel 28:18 עָשִׂ֥יתָ עָשָֽׂה Qal pf 2ms Qal pf 3ms Because you didn't obey the voice of Yahweh, and didn't execute his fierce wrath on Amalek, therefore has Yahweh done this thing to you this day.
- 1 Samuel 29:7 תַעֲשֶׂ֣ה Qal impf 2ms Therefore now return, and go in peace, that you not displease the lords of the Philistines.
- 1 Samuel 29:8 עָשִׂ֨יתִי֙ Qal pf 1cs David said to Achish, But what have I done? and what have you found in your servant so long as I have been before you to this day, that I may not go and fight against the enemies of my lord the king?
- 1 Samuel 30:23 תַעֲשׂ֥וּ Qal impf 2mp Then said David, You shall not do so, my brothers, with that which Yahweh has given to us, who has preserved us, and delivered the troop that came against us into our hand.
- 1 Samuel 31:11 עָשׂ֥וּ Qal pf 3cp When the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead heard concerning him that which the Philistines had done to Saul,
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.
עשה — transliterated ʻâsâh — is a Hebrew verb carrying the sense “to do.” Read the stem: it spans 4 stems, including Qal and Niphal. Spanning 2,286 verses in 39 books, it ranks among the most common words of the Hebrew Bible. Its earliest occurrence is Genesis 1:7. Sharing its root, it stands alongside מעשה, בעשיה and יעשו. See the sense tree, 2,286-verse concordance, and the renderings breakdown below.
Gloss history
Strong's 1890 vs modern scholarship
About this word
Strong's H6213 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 →
- 2,286
- distinct verses
- The word appears in 2,286 distinct verses.
- 39 / 39
- OT books
- The word appears in 39 of 39 Old Testament books.
- #12
- by frequency
- Top 25 most frequent Hebrew words (rank 12 of 8,640 Hebrew words by occurrence).
View all 2,286 occurrences in the concordance →
Most concentrated in
- Exodus 270 verses 12%
- Ezekiel 180 verses 8%
- Deuteronomy 148 verses 6%
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 2,286 distinct verses.
- Prophets (Nevi'im) 1,012 verses · 44%
- Torah (Pentateuch) 744 verses · 33%
- Writings (Ketuvim) 530 verses · 23%
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).
BDB lists this Strong’s number as 2 distinct words (homographs). Each count above pools all of them and is not split by sense — see the Senses section below. A low-frequency rendering may belong to a different one of those words, not the primary meaning.
- King James Version†: Do 267×, Did 164×, Made 128×
- American Standard Version†: Do 197×, Did 145×, Made 116×
- Berean Standard Bible†: Do 191×, Did 141×, Make 83×
- unfoldingWord Literal Text†: Do 348×, Did 153×, He made 132×
King James Version Public Domain
Renders H6213 across 2,630† tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 600 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 8 further occurrences.
American Standard Version Public Domain
Renders H6213 across 2,632† tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 674 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 H6213 across 2,471† tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 583 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 149 further occurrences.
unfoldingWord Literal Text CC BY-SA 4.0
Renders H6213 across 2,938† tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 257 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
40 senses and sub-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 40 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.
עשה I I. עָשָׂה vb. do, make (NH = BH
Qal
- Pf. 3 ms. Gn 3:1 +, sf. עָשָׂהוּ Ho 8:6 +; 3 fs. עָֽשְׂתָה Dt 22:21 +, וְעָשָׂת consec. Lv 25:21; 2 ms. עָשִׂיתָ Gn 3:14 +, etc.; Impf. 3 ms. יַעֲשֶׂה Gn 18:25 +, וַיַּעֲשֶׂה 1 K 16:25 + 3 times, וַיַּעַשׂ Is 5:2 +; יַעֲשֵׂה Is 64:3, 2 ms. תַּעֲשֶׂה 1 S 10:8, תַּעֲשֵׂה Gn 26:29 Jos 7:9, juss. (c. אַל) תַּעַשׂ Gn 22:12 +, תַּעֲשֵׂה 2 S 13:12 Je 40:16 Qr (Kt תַּעַשׂ); 1 s. אֶעֱשֶׂה Gn 2:18 +, וָאֶעֱשֶׂה Ez 20:14 Dn 8:27, וָאַעַשׂ Dt 10:3 + 4 times Ez; etc.; Imv. ms. עֲשֵׂה Ju 10:15 +; fs. עֲשִׂי Je 6:26 +, etc.; Inf. abs. עָשׂה 44:17 +; עָשׂוֹ 7:5 + 2 times (4:18 van d. H. עָשׂוּ); cstr. עֲשׂוֹת Gn 2:4 +, עֲשֹׂה 50:20 + 2 times, עֲשׂוֹ 31:28, sf. עֲשׂתוֹ 41:32 +, עֲשׂהוּ †Ex 18:18, etc.; Pt. act. עֹשֶׂה Is 5:5 +, sf. הָעשֹׁוֹ Jb 40:19 (but v. infr.); pl. עֹשִׂים Gn 24:49 +; sf. עֹשָׂ֑י Jb 35:10 (yet v. Ges§ 124 k), etc.; pass. עָשׂוּי Ex 3:16 +, הֶעָשׂוּ Jb 41:25 (Ges§ 75 k); f. עֲשׂוּיָה Ez 21:20 +, etc.;— e.g. Genesis 3:1
- I.
- 1. do (1560 + times):
- a. (1) c. acc. act. Gn 3:14 (J) 20:10 (E) + often; do right in eyes of י׳ 2 K 12:3; 14:13 +, evil 8:18, 27 + (cf. i. עַיִן 3 c); do God’s commands, statutes, etc., Dt 16:12; 30:8, Nu 15:39 (P); ע׳ חַיִל 1 S 14:48 + do might, i.e. mightily, valiantly; Pr 31:29 do efficiency, i.e. efficiently; = commit (offence) Lv 20:13 (H), Dt 20:18; sq. מִן part., וְעָשָׂה מֵאַחַת מֵהֵנָּה Lv 4:2 and shall do a single one of them (things prohibited; v. מִן 3 b (d)), cf. וְעָשׂוּ אַחַת מִכָּל־מִצְוֹת י׳ v 13, 22; 5:17 (all P); do = perform a work, c. acc. cogn. מַעֲשֶׂה Ex 18:20; 23:12 (E), also (י׳ subj.) Dt 11:7 Dn 9:14 Ec 3:11; c. acc. מְלָאכָה Gn 2:2, 2 (J), Ex 20:9, 10 = Dt 9:13 (10 Words); c. acc. דְּרָכֶיךָ †Is 58:13; ע׳ מְלוּכָה עַל 1 K 21:7 = exercise sovereignty over; of י׳ performing signs (אֹתֹת) Jos 24:17 (E), Nu 14:11, 22 (JE), Dt 11:3, so Moses Ex 4:17 and (מֹפְתִים) v 21. (2) do something to one (ל pers.) Gn 20:9 (E), Ju 9:56 +; c. עַל reflex. Je 26:19 do evil against ourselves; especially י׳ subj., c. לְ, do good to Ex 18:9 (E), 1 K 8:66, or evil Gn 42:28 (E); in phr. so may God do to me, etc. 1 S 3:17 2 K 6:31 + (v. יסף Hiph. 1). (3) do something for one (ל pers.) Gn 30:31 1 K 11:8 +, dir. obj. om. 1 S 20:4; + ל rei Ju 21:7, 16 what shall we do for them, for wives? c. עַל pers. Ne 5:19; c. dat. eth. (ל) 1 S 10:7; c. לְ, of י׳ doing kindness for 1 S 22:3; executing vengeance for Ju 11:36 (+ מִן of enemy); י׳ doing a sign (אוֹת) for †Ju 6:17 (elsewhere נָתַן אוֹת לְ), cf. עֲשֵׂה־עִמִּי אוֹת לְטוֹבָה ψ 86:17. (4) do someth. (in relation or intercourse) with (עִם, אֵת pers.), י׳ subj. Ex 34:10 Dt 1:30 all that he did with you, 10:21 (cf. ψ 86:17 supr.), human subj. 2 Ch 24:24 (obj. שְׁפָטִים), Ru 2:11. (5) seldom c. ב, usually of executing judgment upon 1 S 28:18 Is 48:14, more gen. Est 1:15 what shall we do with the queen? also, subj. י׳, Ez 25:11; 28:26 ψ 149:7, 9 Nu 33:4 (on false gods); in good sense, ע׳ חֲסָדִים בּ׳ Ne 13:14. (6) of י׳ doing the justice (מִשְׁפַּט) of any one, i.e. maintaining his cause 1 K 8:45, 49 ψ 9:5. (7) c. adv. do thus, כֹּה, Jos 6:14 (JE), according to, כְּ, Gn 6:22 (P), 18:21 (J), 1 K 2:6; acc. as, כַּאֲשֶׁר Gn 27:19 (J); Ex 1:17 (E) +; c. בְּ of manner, Ju 9:16a, Ez 8:18; 25:15. e.g. Genesis 3:14
- b. work for (ל rei) Gn 30:30 (J); c. ל pers. 1 S 14:6 Ez 29:20 (for י׳); work in (ב) gold or other material 1 K 7:14 2 Ch 2:6, 13 Ex 31:4, 5; 35:32 (all P); c. בָּהּ (i.e. בָּעֲבֹדָח) Ex 5:9 (J) in toil Ne 4:10; work w. (עִם) God 1 S 14:45, so prob. of God’s working with (אֵת) Moses and Aaron 1 S 12:6 (usually appoint); c. עִם with (of pers. in whose company, in whose field) Ru 2:19(×2) (gleaning); work בְּחֵפֶץ כַּפֶּיהָ Pr 31:13; without prep. Ex 36:1 Ne 3:38. e.g. Genesis 30:30
- 2. deal with, c. עִם, 2 Ch 2:2 Dn 1:13 (כַּאֲשֶׁר acc. as); c. אֵת, Ez (17:17) 20:44 Mic 5:14 ψ 109:21; Ez 22:14 Zp 3:19 (Gr Now ins. כָּלָה, v. ii 1 g), + כְּ Je 21:2, + בְּ of manner Ez 23:25, 29; c. לְ pers. + בְּ 25:12; c. בְּ pers., Je 18:23 Dn 11:7, + כְּ according toNe 9:24 Est 3:11. e.g. 2 Chronicles 2:2
- 3. often in phr., do kindness (חֶסֶד) with: c. עִם, (עִמָּדִי) Gn 19:19; 24:12, 14 (J), Ju 1:24; 8:35 1 S 15:6 2 S 2:5; 10:2 = 1 Ch 19:2 +; c. עַל, 1 S 20:8 (but read עִם Vrss We Dr al.); abs., ψ 109:16; obj. חֶסֶד + אֱמֶת, c. עִם, Jos 2:14 (JE) Ju 9:19 2 S 2:6; c. אֵת with, Gn 24:49; 32:11; 47:29 (all J); c. לְ, Ex 20:6 = Dt 5:10, 2 S 22:51 = ψ 18:51; so ע׳ טוֹב, c. עִם, Gn 26:29 (J), cf. Ju 8:35; 9:16; c. אֵת with, 1 S 24:19 2 S 2:6. e.g. Genesis 19:19
- 4. abs. act, act with effect, especially of י׳, 1 K 8:32, 39 Je 14:7 Ez 20:9, 14, 22 ψ 22:32; 37:5; 52:11 Dn 9:19; of men 2 Ch 31:21 Dn 8:12, 24; 11:28, 30, 32; c. ל pers. Ez 31:11. e.g. 1 Kings 8:32
- 1. do (1560 + times):
- II.
- 1. make (670 + times):
- a. c. obj. concr., ark Gn 8:6, altar 13:4, idols Ju 18:24, 31 +, etc. e.g. Genesis 8:6
- b. often of God’s making (creating) Gn 3:1 (J), 1:7, 16, 25 (P), Ne 9:6 Jb 9:9 Pr 8:26 2 Ch 2:11 ψ 95:5 +; making man ψ 100:3; 119:73 (made by God’s hands), in the womb Jb 31:15(×2); making constituting, nation Dt 26:19; 32:6, 15; pt. sf. עֹשֵׂהוּ his Maker Is 17:7 Pr 14:31; 17:5 (הָעֹשׂוֹ Jb 40:19 is improb., most read הֶעָשָׂוּי, with various interpr. of foll. words); עֹשֶׂךָ Is 51:13, עֹשֵׂנִי Jb 32:22 (Ginsb; v 22 van d. H. Baer), עֹשֵׂנוּ ψ 95:6; so appar. pt. pl. עֹשָׂ֑י Jb 35:10, עֹשַׂיִךְ Is 54:5 (Ges§ 124 k expl. as sg.). e.g. Genesis 3:1
- c. make something, c. לְ reflex., make for thee Ex 20:4 Dt 9:12; 10:1 +, for (ל) another 1 S 2:19 2 S 7:11 1 K 2:24 +; obj. מִשְׁתֶּה banquet Gn 40:20 Est 5:4, also (no ל) Gn 29:22 (E) Ju 14:10 Est 5:5, 12 and (fig., י׳ subj.) Is 25:6; c. ל rei, Dt 22:8; c. ל of animal Gn 33:17 (J). e.g. Exodus 20:4
- d. make a name (שֵׁם) for oneself (ל) 2 S 7:9 1 Ch 17:8, also (no ל) 2 S 8:13; a new heart for oneself (ל) Ez 18:31. e.g. 2 Samuel 7:9
- e. make war with (אֶת) Gn 14:2 Jos 11:18 (D); c. עִם, Dt 20:12, 20 1 Ch 5:10, 19; abs. 1 Ch 22:8; c. ל reflex. Pr 24:6; pt. עֹשֵׂה מִלְחָמָה 2 Ch 11:1; 26:11, 13; make peace, c. ל pers. Jos 9:15 (J); ע׳ אִתִּי בְרָכָה 2 K 18:31 make an agreement with me. e.g. Genesis 14:2
- f. c. ב, ע׳ פֶּרֶץ בּ׳ Ju 21:15 י׳ brought a catastrophe upon (cf. פרץ). e.g. Judges 21:15
- g. c. 2 acc., make something out of (acc. mater.) Ex 25:18; 28:13; 37:17, 24 Ct 3:10 Dt 10:3 +; make something into something (Ges§ 117 ii) Ho 8:4 Gn 27:9 Ju 17:4 Nu 11:8; 17:3 ψ 104:4; make something כָּלָה, i.e. utterly destroy it Na 1:8 Zp 1:18 Ez 20:17 Ne 9:31; c. pt. pass. as 2nd acc. Ex 38:7 they made it נְבוּב לֻחֹת hollow with boards, 39:9; but also c. acc. + לְ, Ho 2:10 gold they made into (ל) the Baal, Ju 8:27 Ex 27:3 (P), Dt 9:14 Je 37:15 Ez 4:9 IS 44:17, 19; make something for (ל pers.), + מִן of material Ct 3:9. e.g. Exodus 25:18
- 2. produce, yield: of grain, yielding meal Ho 8:7(×2), vineyard, grapes Is 5:2(×2), 4(×2), 10, tree, fruit 2 K 19:30 = Is 37:31, Ho 9:16 Je 12:2; 17:8 Ez 17:23 (all fig.), Gn 1:11, 12 (P); branches Jb 14:9 and (fig.) Ez 17:8; land, fruit Lv 25:21 cf. Hb 3:17, abs. Gn 41:47; of seed Is 5:10, vine, shoots Ez 17:6 (fig.); of cows, yielding milk Is 7:22; hippop. producing fat Jb 15:27. e.g. Hosea 8:7
- 3. prepare, especially of dressing and cooking food, Gn 18:7, 8 Ju 6:19; 13:15 1 S 25:18 (pass.), 2 S 12:4(×2) Gn 27:14, 17, 31 2 S 13:5, 7 1 K 17:12 Ex 12:39 (+ ל reflex.) Ez 35:6; a bullock for sacrifice 1 K 18:23, 25, 26; כְּלֵי גוֹלָה Ez 12:3 (+ ל reflex.); a chamber Ne 13:7; prepare to build (+ ל pers. and inf.). e.g. Genesis 18:7
- 4. make offering, e.g. עוֹלָה Ju 13:16 Je 33:18 Lv 16:24, עוֹלָה וָזֶבַח 2 K 5:17 (+ ל dei), הַחַטָּאת Lv 14:19, אִשֶּׁה Nu 15:3, 14, various offerings 1 K 8:64 Lv 9:22 Ez 45:17; 46:2 +; + לי׳ to י׳ Lv 17:9 +; also c. acc. of thing sacrificed (perhaps orig. prepare or provide, v. supr.) Ez 43:25(×2); 46:15 Lv 14:30; 15:15, 30; 16:9 Nu 6:11, 17 ψ 66:15 (+ ל dei) +; abs. = offer sacrifice Ex 10:25 (E + לי׳), to (ל) heathen gods 2 K 17:32. e.g. Judges 13:16
- 5. attend to, put in order: pare (the nails) Dt 21:12; wash (feet) 2 S 19:25; trim (beard) v 25 (cf. Fr faire la barbe, Ger. die Haare machen). e.g. Deuteronomy 21:12
- 6. observe, celebrate, religious festival, e.g. pass-over Ex 12:47, 48; Nu 9:4, 6, 13; Jos 5:10, also (+ לי׳) Ex 12:48 Nu 9:10, 14 (all P), Dt 16:1 +; sabbath Ex 31:16; Dt 5:15; feast of weeks 16:10, booths 16:13, Purim Est 9:21, 27, etc. e.g. Exodus 12:47
- 7. acquire property of various kinds (cf. ‘make money’) Gn 12:5; 31:1 (J); Is 15:7; Je 17:11; 48:36; Dt 8:18; Ez 22:13; 28:4(×2); 38:12; 2 Ch 32:29; Ec 2:8; + ל reflex. Dt 8:17; 2 S 15:1; 1 K 1:5; of fruits from vineyards, etc. ψ 107:37. e.g. Genesis 12:5
- 8. appoint priests 1 K 12:31; 13:33; 2 Ch 2:17 (all + מִן source), a feast 1 K 12:32, 33 (+ ל pers.); ordain a sacrifice Nu 28:6, a festal day ψ 118:24; institute, אוֹב וְיִדְּעֹנִי ghost and familiar spirit 2 K 21:6 = 2 Ch 33:6 (cf. Dr Dt 18:11). e.g. 1 Kings 12:31
- 9. bring about, of י׳’s effecting a deliverance Ex 14:13 (לָכֶם), 1 S 11:13; 2 S 23:10 (ins. also ‖ 1 Ch 11:13 Dr), v 12; cause, sq. cl. c. שֶׁ Ec 3:14. e.g. Exodus 14:13
- 10. use, וְע׳ לִמְלַאכְתּוֹ 1 S 8:16; pass. Ex 38:24 e.g. 1 Samuel 8:16
- 11. spend, pass, days of life Ec 6:12. e.g. Ecclesiastes 6:12
- 1. make (670 + times):
Niphal
- Pf. 3 ms. נַעֲשָׂה Ju 16:11 +; 3 fs. נֶעֶשְׂתָה 2 S 17:23 +, etc.; Impf. 3 ms. יֵעָשֶׂה Gn 29:26 +, 3 fs. c. ו subord. וְתֵעָשׂ Est 5:6; 7:2; 9:12 (Ges§ 109 f), etc.; Inf. cstr. הֵעָשׂוֹת Est 9:1, 14, etc.; Pt. נַעֲשֶׂה Ne 5:18, etc.;— e.g. Judges 16:11
- 1. be done (pass. of Qal I 1):
- a. subj. מְלָאכָה Ju 16:11 (c. ב instr.), Ne 6:16 (c. מֵאֵת אֱלֹהִים), v 9 Ex 12:16 + 4 times; subj. om. Ez 44:14, indef. Est 4:1; c. כֵּן 9:14; be done, כַּתּוֹרָה Ezr 10:3; be committed, of offence, Dt 13:15; Nu 15:24; Ec 4:1 + 3 times; c. neg. not (yet) done, i.e. future Is 46:10; be accomplished, performed, fulfilled Ez 12:25, 28; Dn 11:36; Est 5:5; 7:2; 9:12; be executed, carried out, of sentence Ec 8:11, decree Est 9:1; be followed, of counsel 2 S 17:23; nearly = occur Ec 1:9(×2), 13; 9:3, 6, subj. מַעֲשֶׂה 1:14; 2:17; 4:3; 8:9, 17, subj. הֶבֶל v 14, עִנְיָן v 15. e.g. Judges 16:11
- b. Impf. c. neg., is (are) not done, not according to usage, of flagrant offences Gn 20:9 (E), 29:26 (c.כֵּן), 34:7 (both J), 2 S 13:12 (כֵּן); hence (P) not to be done, forbidden by י׳ Lv 4:2, 13, 22, 27; 5:17. e.g. Genesis 20:9
- c. be done to, c. ל of animal 1 S 11:7 (כֹּה); ל pers. Ex 2:4 (E) 21:31 (E; כַּמִּשְׁפָּט), Is 3:11; Je 5:13 (כֹּה), Lv 24:19 (H; כֵּן), Nu 15:34 (P) + 8 times; be done for, ל pers. Ju 11:37; Est 6:3, עִם pers v 3; ל rei Nu 15:11 (כָּכָה). e.g. 1 Samuel 11:7
- d. be done upon, against (ב) Dn 9:12. e.g. Daniel 9:12
- 2. (pass. of Qal II):
- a. be made, of concr. things 1 K 10:20 = 2 Ch 9:19 (throne), Je 3:16 (ark), 2 K 12:14; Ez 43:18; Ex 25:31; Nu 4:26 (P); c. acc. mat. Lv 2:7. e.g. 1 Kings 10:20
- b. be produced from (מִן) vine Nu 6:4. e.g. Numbers 6:4
- c. be prepared, of food Ex 12:16; Lv 6:14; 7:9 (all P), Ne 5:18(×2). e.g. Exodus 12:16
- d. be offered, מִנְחָה Lv 2:8, 11, kid Nu 28:15, 24. e.g. Leviticus 2:8
- e. be observed, passover 2 K 23:22, 23 (ל dei) = 2 Ch 35:18, 19; Purim Est 9:28. e.g. 2 Kings 23:22
- f. be used + ל rei Lv 7:24; 13:51 (P), Ez 15:5(×2); cf. Ex 38:24; 1 S 8:16. e.g. Leviticus 7:24
Pual
- Pf. 1 s. עֻשֵּׂיתִי ψ 139:15 I was made. e.g. Psalms 139:15
עשה II
Piel
- press, squeeze (NH עִשָּׂה Pi. compel; 𝔗 עַסִּי Pa. crush, gnash (teeth); cf. Arabic غَشِىَ compress a woman);—Pf. 3 pl. עִשּׂוּ דַּדֵּי בְּתוּלִים Ez 23:3, 8 (unchaste act); Inf. cstr. בַּעֲשׂוֹת … דַּדַּיִךְ v 21 read Pi. בְּעַשּׂוֹת (Ew Co Toy, al.). e.g. Ezekiel 23:3
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
I. עָשָׂה vb. do, make (NH = BH; MI23.26 עשתי, l.3.9 ואעש, l.24 Imv. עשו; OH n.pr. עשיו, אלעשה, מעשיהו; not Aramaic, and not certainly found in S. Sem. lang.; on Sab. v. especially DHMSB Berl. Akkadian 1886, 849);—
— 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.
עָשָׂה
- , v. עשי
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 815 distinct written forms H6213 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.
The 60 most common forms are shown; 755 rarer forms follow in the full concordance.
Same root — word family
Other BDB entries built from the same root as H6213, 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.
- בעשיה Baʻăsêyâh H1202 Baaseiah
- יעשו Yaʻăsûw H3299 Jaasau
- יעשיאל Yaʻăsîyʼêl H3300 Jasiel
- מעשי Maʻăsay H4640 Maasiai
- עשהאל ʻĂsâhʼêl H6214 Asahel
- עשו ʻÊsâv H6215 Esau
- עשיאל ʻĂsîyʼêl H6221 Asiel
- עשיה ʻĂsâyâh H6222 Asaiah
Compare all same-root words → Showing 4 of 10 — not the complete family. 8 of the same-root words are proper names (people or places). They share a root, not necessarily a meaning.
Septuagint verse parallels
This word appears in 2,142 verses that also exist in the Greek Old Testament (Septuagint), out of the 2,286 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 1:7
- Exodus 1:17
- Leviticus 2:7
- Numbers 1:54
- Deuteronomy 1:14
- Joshua 1:7
- Judges 1:7
- Ruth 1:8
- 1 Samuel 1:7
- 2 Samuel 2:5
- 1 Kings 1:5
- 2 Kings 1:18
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.
