רָאָה
to see
also: look at, inspect, perceive, consider 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.
Noun type
- Common
- A common noun — a general class of person, place, or thing (“king,” “city,” “water”), not a specific name.
Stem
- Qal
- The basic, simple active stem — the plain form of the verb (“he wrote”). Here: ‘see’
- Niphal
- Usually the simple passive or reflexive of the Qal (“he was written”). Here: ‘appear’
- Hiphil
- The causative active stem (“he caused / brought about”). Here: ‘cause one to see something’
- Hithpael
- The reflexive or reciprocal stem (the subject acts on itself). Here: ‘recipr. look at each other’
- Hophal
- The passive counterpart of the Hiphil (“he was caused to…”). Here: ‘be caused to see’
- Qal Passive
- An archaic passive of the Qal, preserved in a few forms.
Form
- Sequential Imperfect
- An imperfect with prefixed waw — the standard past-narrative form (waw-consecutive imperfect).
- Perfect
- A completed action or state — Hebrew marks aspect (completeness) more than strict tense (“he wrote”).
- Infinitive Construct
- A bound verbal noun, frequently with prepositions (“to write / in writing”).
- Imperative
- A direct command (“write!”).
- Imperfect
- An incomplete, ongoing, or future action (“he will / would write”).
- Participle Active
- A verbal adjective expressing ongoing or characteristic action (“writing / one who writes”).
- Sequential Perfect
- A perfect with prefixed waw continuing a preceding imperfect or command (waw-consecutive perfect).
- Infinitive Absolute
- An unbound verbal noun, often intensifying or standing in for a finite verb.
- Cohortative
- A first-person volitional form expressing wish or resolve (“let me / let us write”).
- Jussive
- A third- or second-person volitional form expressing wish or command (“let him write”).
- Participle Passive
- A verbal adjective expressing action received (“written”).
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”).
- 1st Person
- The speaker (“I / we”).
- 2nd Person
- The one addressed (“you”).
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).
38 verses where H7200 appears in the Qal stem in the Book of 2 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.
2 Samuel
- 2 Samuel 1:7 וַ/יִּרְאֵ֑/נִי conj + Qal wimpf 3ms + sfx pers 1cs When he looked behind him, he saw me, and called to me. I answered, Here am I.
- 2 Samuel 3:13 תִרְאֶ֣ה לִ/רְא֥וֹת Qal impf 2ms prep + Qal inf.cs He said, Well; I will make a league with you; but one thing I require of you: that is, you shall not see my face, except you first bring Michal, Saul's daughter, when you come to see my face.
- 2 Samuel 6:16 וַ/תֵּ֨רֶא conj + Qal wimpf 3fs It was so, as the ark of Yahweh came into the city of David, that Michal the daughter of Saul looked out at the window, and saw king David leaping and dancing before Yahweh; and she despised him in her heart.
- 2 Samuel 7:2 רְאֵ֣ה Qal impv 2ms that the king said to Nathan the prophet, See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwells within curtains.
- 2 Samuel 10:6 וַ/יִּרְאוּ֙ conj + Qal wimpf 3mp When the children of Ammon saw that they were become odious to David, the children of Ammon sent and hired the Syrians of Beth Rehob, and the Syrians of Zobah, twenty thousand footmen, and the king of Maacah with one thousand men, and the men of Tob twelve thousand men.
- 2 Samuel 10:9 וַ/יַּ֣רְא conj + Qal wimpf 3ms Now when Joab saw that the battle was set against him before and behind, he chose of all the choice men of Israel, and put them in array against the Syrians:
- 2 Samuel 10:14 רָאוּ֙ Qal pf 3cp When the children of Ammon saw that the Syrians were fled, they likewise fled before Abishai, and entered into the city. Then Joab returned from the children of Ammon, and came to Jerusalem.
- 2 Samuel 10:15 וַ/יַּ֣רְא conj + Qal wimpf 3ms When the Syrians saw that they were put to the worse before Israel, they gathered themselves together.
- 2 Samuel 10:19 וַ/יִּרְא֨וּ conj + Qal wimpf 3mp When all the kings who were servants to Hadarezer saw that they were put to the worse before Israel, they made peace with Israel, and served them. So the Syrians feared to help the children of Ammon any more.
- 2 Samuel 11:2 וַ/יַּ֥רְא conj + Qal wimpf 3ms It happened at evening, that David arose from off his bed, and walked on the roof of the king's house: and from the roof he saw a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful to look on.
- 2 Samuel 12:19 וַ/יַּ֣רְא conj + Qal wimpf 3ms But when David saw that his servants were whispering together, David perceived that the child was dead; and David said to his servants, Is the child dead? They said, He is dead.
- 2 Samuel 13:5 לִ/רְאוֹתֶ֗/ךָ אֶרְאֶ֔ה prep + Qal inf.cs + sfx pers 2ms Qal impf 1cs Jonadab said to him, Lay you down on your bed, and feign yourself sick: and when your father comes to see you, tell him, Please let my sister Tamar come and give me bread to eat, and dress the food in my sight, that I may see it, and eat it from her hand.
- 2 Samuel 13:6 לִ/רְאֹת֗/וֹ prep + Qal inf.cs + sfx pers 3ms So Amnon lay down, and feigned himself sick: and when the king was come to see him, Amnon said to the king, Please let her sister Tamar come, and make me a couple of cakes in my sight, that I may eat from her hand.
- 2 Samuel 13:28 רְא֣וּ Qal impv 2mp Absalom commanded his servants, saying, Mark you now, when Amnon's heart is merry with wine; and when I tell you, Smite Amnon, then kill him; don't be afraid; haven't I commanded you? be courageous, and be valiant.
- 2 Samuel 13:34 וַ/יַּ֗רְא conj + Qal wimpf 3ms But Absalom fled. The young man who kept the watch lifted up his eyes, and looked, and, behold, there came much people by the way of the hill-side behind him.
- 2 Samuel 14:24 יִרְאֶ֑ה רָאָֽה Qal impf 3ms Qal pf 3ms The king said, Let him turn to his own house, but let him not see my face. So Absalom turned to his own house, and didn't see the king's face.
- 2 Samuel 14:28 רָאָֽה Qal pf 3ms Absalom lived two full years in Jerusalem; and he didn't see the king's face.
- 2 Samuel 14:30 רְאוּ֩ Qal impv 2mp Therefore he said to his servants, Behold, Joab's field is near mine, and he has barley there; go and set it on fire. Absalom's servants set the field on fire.
- 2 Samuel 14:32 אֶרְאֶה֙ Qal coh 1cs Absalom answered Joab, Behold, I sent to you, saying, Come here, that I may send you to the king, to say, Why am I come from Geshur? it were better for me to be there still. Now therefore let me see the king's face; and if there be iniquity in me, let him kill me.
- 2 Samuel 15:3 רְאֵ֥ה Qal impv 2ms Absalom said to him, Behold, your matters are good and right; but there is no man deputized of the king to hear you.
- 2 Samuel 15:27 הֲ/רוֹאֶ֣ה ptcl def.art + Qal ptcp.act ms The king said also to Zadok the priest, "Aren't you a seer? Return into the city in peace, and your two sons with you, Ahimaaz your son, and Jonathan the son of Abiathar.
- 2 Samuel 15:28 רְאוּ֙ Qal impv 2mp Behold, I will stay at the fords of the wilderness, until word comes from you to inform me."
- 2 Samuel 16:12 יִרְאֶ֥ה Qal impf 3ms It may be that Yahweh will look on the wrong done to me, and that Yahweh will requite me good for [his] cursing of me this day.
- 2 Samuel 17:18 וַ/יַּ֤רְא conj + Qal wimpf 3ms But a boy saw them, and told Absalom: and they went both of them away quickly, and came to the house of a man in Bahurim, who had a well in his court; and they went down there.
- 2 Samuel 17:23 רָאָ֗ה Qal pf 3ms When Ahithophel saw that his counsel was not followed, he saddled his donkey, and arose, and got him home, to his city, and set his house in order, and hanged himself; and he died, and was buried in the tomb of his father.
- 2 Samuel 18:10 וַ/יַּרְא֙ רָאִ֣יתִי conj + Qal wimpf 3ms Qal pf 1cs A certain man saw it, and told Joab, and said, Behold, I saw Absalom hanging in an oak.
- 2 Samuel 18:11 רָאִ֔יתָ Qal pf 2ms Joab said to the man who told him, Behold, you saw it, and why didn't you strike him there to the ground? and I would have given you ten [pieces of] silver, and a sash.
- 2 Samuel 18:21 רָאִ֑יתָה Qal pf 2ms Then said Joab to the Cushite, Go, tell the king what you have seen. The Cushite bowed himself to Joab, and ran.
- 2 Samuel 18:24 וַ/יַּ֔רְא conj + Qal wimpf 3ms Now David was sitting between the two gates: and the watchman went up to the roof of the gate to the wall, and lifted up his eyes, and looked, and, behold, a man running alone.
- 2 Samuel 18:26 וַ/יַּ֣רְא conj + Qal wimpf 3ms The watchman saw another man running; and the watchman called to the porter, and said, Behold, [another] man running alone. The king said, He also brings news.
- 2 Samuel 18:27 רֹאֶה֙ Qal ptcp.act ms The watchman said, I think the running of the foremost is like the running of Ahimaaz the son of Zadok. The king said, He is a good man, and comes with good news.
- 2 Samuel 18:29 רָאִיתִי֩ Qal pf 1cs The king said, Is it well with the young man Absalom? Ahimaaz answered, When Joab sent the king's servant, even me your servant, I saw a great tumult, but I don't know what it was.
- 2 Samuel 20:12 וַ/יַּ֨רְא רָאָ֔ה conj + Qal wimpf 3ms Qal pf 3ms Amasa lay wallowing in his blood in the midst of the highway. When the man saw that all the people stood still, he carried Amasa out of the highway into the field, and cast a garment over him, when he saw that everyone who came by him stood still.
- 2 Samuel 24:3 רֹא֑וֹת Qal ptcp.act fp Joab said to the king, Now Yahweh your God add to the people, however many they may be, one hundred times; and may the eyes of my lord the king see it: but why does my lord the king delight in this thing?
- 2 Samuel 24:13 וּ/רְאֵ֔ה conj + Qal impv 2ms So Gad came to David, and told him, and said to him, Shall seven years of famine come to you in your land? or will you flee three months before your foes while they pursue you? or shall there be three days' pestilence in your land? now advise you, and consider what answer I shall return to him who sent me.
- 2 Samuel 24:17 בִּ/רְאֹת֣/וֹ prep + Qal inf.cs + sfx pers 3ms David spoke to Yahweh when he saw the angel who struck the people, and said, Behold, I have sinned, and I have done perversely; but these sheep, what have they done? Please let your hand be against me, and against my father's house.
- 2 Samuel 24:20 וַ/יַּ֤רְא conj + Qal wimpf 3ms Araunah looked forth, and saw the king and his servants coming on toward him: and Araunah went out, and bowed himself before the king with his face to the ground.
- 2 Samuel 24:22 רְאֵה֙ Qal impv 2ms Araunah said to David, Let my lord the king take and offer up what seems good to him: behold, the oxen for the burnt offering, and the threshing instruments and the yokes of the oxen for the wood:
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.
ראה (râʼâh) is a Hebrew verb most often rendered “to see.” Read the stem: it spans 6 stems, including Qal and Niphal. Spanning 1,206 verses in 38 books, it ranks among the most common words of the Hebrew Bible. It first appears in Genesis 1:4. Related forms include מראה, מראה and ראה. The sections below give every sense, occurrence, and version rendering.
Gloss history
Strong's 1890 vs modern scholarship
About this word
Strong's H7200 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 →
- 1,206
- distinct verses
- The word appears in 1,206 distinct verses.
- 38 / 39
- OT books
- The word appears in 38 of 39 Old Testament books.
- #27
- by frequency
- Top 50 most frequent Hebrew words (rank 27 of 8,640 Hebrew words by occurrence).
View all 1,206 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 1,206 distinct verses.
- Prophets (Nevi'im) 517 verses · 43%
- Torah (Pentateuch) 366 verses · 30%
- Writings (Ketuvim) 323 verses · 27%
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 4 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†: Saw 183×, See 141×, I saw 43×
- American Standard Version†: Saw 184×, See 122×, I saw 41×
- Berean Standard Bible†: See 188×, Saw 166×, I saw 34×
- unfoldingWord Literal Text†: See 265×, Saw 165×, And 152×
King James Version Public Domain
Renders H7200 across 1,312† tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 283 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 2 further occurrences.
American Standard Version Public Domain
Renders H7200 across 1,316† tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 358 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 H7200 across 1,266† tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 294 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 31 further occurrences.
unfoldingWord Literal Text CC BY-SA 4.0
Renders H7200 across 1,632† tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 194 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
49 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), Hithpael (reflexive or reciprocal), and Hophal (the passive of Hiphil).
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 49 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.
ראה I
Qal
- Pf. 3 ms. ר׳ Gn 29:10 +, sf. וְרָֽאֲךָ consec. Ex 4:14, רָאָהוּ 2 K 2:12 +; 3 fs. רָֽאֲתָה Gn 38:14, sf. רָאָֽתְךָ Jb 42:5; 2 ms. רָאִיתָ Gn 20:10 +, etc.; Impf. 3 ms. יִרְאֶה 22:8 +, juss. יֵרֵא Gn 41:33 (Baer Gi, Ges§ 75 p, hh Köi.561; van d. H. יֵרֶא), יֵ֫רֶא Ex 5:21 +, וַיַּרְא Gn 18:2 + (1 S 19:20 read pl. 𝔊 Comm., i.e. וַיִּרְאֻ DrSm lxiii), sf. יִרְאַנִי Ex 33:20, וַיִּרְאֵ֑נִי 2 S 1:7; 3 fs. תִּרְאֶה Lv 20:17; Jb 33:28, juss. תֵּרֵא Mi 7:10; Zc 9:5 (Baer Gi, cf. Ges Kö supr.; van d. H. תֵּרֶא), וַתֵּ֫רֶא Gn 3:6 +; i s. אֶרְאֶה 21:16 +, וָאֵרֶא 31:10 +, etc.; Imv. רְאֵה 27:27 +, etc.; Inf. abs. רָאֹה Ex 3:7 +, רָאוֹ Gn 26:28; Is 6:9; cstr. רְאֹה Gn 48:11, רְאוֹת Ex 10:28 +, רַאֲוָה Ez 28:17, etc.; Pt. act. רֹאֶה Gn 13:15 +, etc.; pass. רְאֻיוֹת (Baer Gi; van d. H. רְאֻיּוֹת):— e.g. Genesis 29:10
- 1.
- a. see, subj. עַיִן, עֵינַיִם, c. acc. pers. Is 6:5; 30:20; Je 42:2 + 5 times Jb Pr; subj. pers., c. acc. pers. Gn 12:12, 15 + (מִי רָאָהוּ 1 S 23:22, read הַמְּהֵרָה 𝔊 Th We al. [not HPS]); רֹאִי 16:13 (pt. sf., cf.בְּאֵר לַחַי רֹאִי v 14, p. 91 supr.); acc. of God 32:31 (פָּנִים אֶל־פָּנִים); acc. pers. om. 18:2; 19:1 +; c. acc. פְּנֵי 31:2; 46:30; 48:11; Ex 33:20, opp. אֶת־אֲחֹרָ֑י v 23; c. acc. פְּנֵי specif. of having access to man of rank Gn 43:3, 5 + (v. [פָּנֶה] 2 b). e.g. Isaiah 6:5
- b. see, c. acc. rei: subj. עַיִן, עֵינַיִם Jos 24:7 (E) 1 S 24:11 (van d. H. Baer; v 10 Gi), Dt 3:21 + 5 times Dt, +; וְעֵינָיו אֶת־עֵינָיו תִּרְאֶינָה Je 32:4, cf. 34:3; acc. om. 2 S 24:3 Dt 21:7 + 9 times (לִרְאוֹת 1 S 6:13 read לִקְרָאתוֹ 𝔊 We Dr Kit Bu HPS Now); subj. pers. Gn 13:15; 31:12 + very often; c. acc. cogn. מַרְאֶה Ex 3:3 + 7 times, מַרְאָה Dn 10:7(×2), 8, חָזוֹן 8:15, חֶזְיֹנוֹת Jo 3:1; hence see abs. = receive revelation, Is 30:10 (‖ חזה), cf.Ez 13:3 and v. 1. רֹאֶה; c.acc. עֶרְוָה, v. ע׳, p. 788 f.; see war, i.e. see it impending Ex 13:17 (E); ר׳ אֶת־הַקּוֹלֹת וְאֶת־הַלַּפִּידִים 20:18 (Gi v 15); רֹאֵי הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ Ec 7:11 those who see the sun = living men; acc. rei om. Ex 22:9;2 S 13:5 +, וָאֶרְאֶה בֶּחָזוֹן Dn 8:2(×2) (abs.); לֹא יֵדעוּ רְלֹא יִרְאוּ Ne 4:5; עֵינֵי רֹאִים Is 32:3, מְקוֹם רֹאִים Jb 34:26; c. adv. or adv. phr. instead of acc. rei: כָּהֵנָּה Gn 41:19 cf. Is 66:8; Ez 1:27(×2), כַּאֲשֶׁר 2 K 2:19; 2 Ch 29:8; 30:7; Jb 4:8; Ez 16:50; Dn 1:13, כֵּן ψ 48:9. e.g. Joshua 24:7
- 2. see, sq. acc. + cl. or phr. of closer design.: (1) + epex. cl. c. כִּי, acc. pers. Gn 6:2 saw them that they were fair, 12:14 (both J), Ex 2:2; 32:25 (both E), 1 K 11:28, acc. of face + id. Gn 31:5 (E), Ex 34:25 (P); acc. rei Gn 49:15 (poem), Is 22:9; Gn 1:4 (P), Ec 2:24; 4:4 and prob. 2 K 14:26 (reading כִּי מַר הוּא); (2) ר׳ כָּל־הַבָּא עָלָיו וְעָמָ֑ד 2 S 20:12; (3) + adj. (incl. pt.), acc. pers. Gn 7:1 (J), Am 9:1; 2 S 18:10 + 39 times (Je 46:5 del. ר׳ 𝔊 Gie), + acc. אֲשֶׁר Ex 14:13(×2) (J); acc. rei, †Ex 23:5; 33:10 (both E), Dt 22:4; Ez 33:3, 6; Dn 1:10; 8:4, 6, 7; †(4) + מָה, acc. rei Nu 13:18 (JE), Hg 2:3; †(5) + prep. phr., acc. pers. Ex 5:19 (J), Zc 4:10; Ec 10:7; Est 5:9; acc. rei + בִּכְבוֹדוֹ Hg 2:3, + ב pers. Je 23:13, 14, + כ pers. Ju 9:36, כ rei 2 S 18:27; (6) acc. pers. + adv. acc. + כ pers. Je 30:6. e.g. Genesis 6:2
- 3. see, so as to learn to know: c. acc. pers. Dt 33:9 (‖ הִכִּיר, יַדַע);c. acc. rei Dt 1:19, 31; 11:2; Jb 11:11 (‖ יַדַע), ψ 16:10; 49:10; = have experience of, Je 5:12; 14:13; 20:18; 42:14; Zp 3:15; ψ 89:49; Ec 5:17, שֵׁנָה בְּעֵינָיו אֵינֶנּוּ רֹאֶה Ec 8:16; מָה ראית Gn 20:10 i.e. what hast thou encountered, that …? BacherZAW xix (1899), 345 ff.; Terminol. 177 f. e.g. Deuteronomy 33:9
- 4. abs. see, have (power of) vision, Gn 27:1 (J), 48:10 (E), 1 S 3:2; 4:15; 1 K 14:4, miraculous 2 K 6:17(×2), 20(×2); denied of idols Dt 4:28 ψ 115:5; 135:16; fig. of spiritual vision Is 6:10; 29:18; 42:18; 44:18; Je 5:21; Dt 29:3; Ez 12:2(×2) ψ 40:13; 69:24; עַיִן רֹאָה Pr 20:12.—1 S 14:27 read Qr v. אור. e.g. Genesis 27:1
- 5. see = perceive:
- a. sq. cl. c. כִּי, Ex 3:4; 8:11; Gn 1:10, 12 + often (1 S 23:15 read וַיִּרָא and he feared We Dr Kit Bu HPS Now); om. כִּי (late) †La 1:10 ψ 49:11 Ec 3:16; sq. מָה of indirect question Gn 2:19 (J), 37:20 (E), Ju 9:48; Dt 32:20; Je 7:17; 33:24; Ez 8:6; Jon 4:5 +; בַּמָּה Ju 16:5 cf. 1 S 14:38, כַּמָּה Zc 2:6 ψ 35:17; sq. מִי of indirect question 1 S 14:17; Is 40:26; La 2:20 (+ הַבִּיטָה); sq. אֵי 1 S 26:16, אֵיכֹה 2 K 6:13, אֵיפֹה Je 3:2; sq. cl. c. הֲ whether, Gn 8:8; 18:21; Nu 11:23 (all J), Ex 4:18 (E), ψ 14:2; 53:3 Ct 6:11 b Est 3:4, אִם whether Je 30:6; La 1:12 ψ 139:24 Ct 7:13, אֲשֶׁר that or how 1 S 18:15, אֵי Ec 2:3, שֶׁ that v 13, שְׁ 3:18. e.g. Exodus 3:4
- b. c. acc. צָרַת נַפִשׁוֹ Gn 42:21 (i.e. saw it by out-ward signs), cf. Ho 5:13. [Note, under 5 (rarely in other cases, and only S K Je), †Imv. + ידע Imv.: דַּע וּרְאֵה 1 S 24:12; 2 S 24:13; 1 K 20:22; דְּעִי וּרְאִי 1 S 25:17; Je 2:19; דְּעוּ וּרְאוּ 1 S 12:17; 14:38; 23:22; 1 K 20:7; 2 K 5:7; in reverse order, רְאוּ וּדְעוּ 1 S 23:23; Je 5:1.]. e.g. Genesis 42:21
- 6. look at, see, by direct volition:
- a. subj. men, c. acc. rei, Gn 9:22, 23 (J), 42:9, 12 (E), Lv 13:3, 15 +; c. acc. of land = reconnoitre Jos 2:1; look at sun, etc., for worship †Dt 4:19; Jb 31:26; = inspect 1 K 9:12; Lv 14:36(×2); c. acc. pers. Nu 24:20, 21 (JE), Ex 2:25; Lv 13:3, 5 (all P), 1 S 9:16 +, (1 S 19:15 HPS proposes אֶל־בֵּית for לִרְאוֹת); c. prep. ר׳ אַחֲרִי רֹאִי Gn 16:13 (J) I have looked after one seeing me (interpr. v. Di). e.g. Genesis 9:22
- b. subj. God, c. acc. rei Gn 9:16 (P); = inspect 11:5 (J); look at with favour, acc. pers. Jb 37:24 ψ 138:6; so perhaps fig., subj. man, regard, c. acc. אָוֶן ψ 66:18 (Hup-Now; Che Bae Dr al. intend); look with pleasure (acc. om., + מִן by reason of, as a fruit of) Is 53:11 (si vera l.; ins. acc. אוֹר 𝔊 Houb Klo Du CheHpt Kit [perhaps], with Hiph. יַרְאֵה 𝔊 Du CheHpt, rescues from travail his soul, makes it see light). e.g. Genesis 9:16
- c. without acc., look, take a look, etc. (of man and God; often + וְהִנֵּה), Gn 8:13; 18:2;Ex 3:2; Lv 13:8; La 3:50 (מִן loc.), Gn 13:14 (מִן loc. + ה loc.), Dt 3:27; Ez 40:4; 44:5 (all בְּעֵינֶיךָ), + often; peculiarly, מִמֶּנִּי תִרְאוּ וְכֵן תַּעֲשׂוּ Ju 7:17 (cf. GFM). e.g. Genesis 8:13
- d. look after, see after, learn about, c. acc. rei Gn 37:14 (J), c. acc. pers. = visit (go to see) 1 S 15:35; 20:29; 2 S 13:5, 6; 2 K 8:29 = 2 Ch 22:6; 2 K 9:16, cf. Ez 20:28, עֵין רֹאִי Jb 7:8 (Di Bu al.). e.g. Genesis 37:14
- e. observe, watch, abs. 1 S 6:9, 16; 17:28; Ec 8:16 (‖ ידע). e.g. 1 Samuel 6:9
- f. look upon = endure to see, c. acc. rei Hb 1:13 (‖ הִבִּיט). e.g. Habakkuk 1:13
- g. look out, find out, acc. pers. 2 K 9:2; Gn 41:33 (E), + ל pers. 1 S 16:17; select, acc. pers. + מִן from among 2 K 10:3, + ב among + ל pers. 1 S 16:1; provide, furnish, c. acc. rei Dt 33:21 (poem), + ל pers. Gn 22:8 (E), cf. abs. י׳ יִרְאֶה as n.pr.loc. = י׳ seeth v 14 a (E;? read יֵרָאֶה, cf. v b, Niph. and Di); רְאֻיוֹת Est 2:9 looked out = suitable (as often NH). e.g. 2 Kings 9:2
- h. look at = concern oneself about, acc. rei (+ בְּיָדוֹ) Gn 39:23 (J). e.g. Genesis 39:23
- 7. of mental observation:
- a. Imv. see! observe! consider! exclam. (nearly = הִנֵּה), sq. cl.: Gn 27:27; 31:50 see! God is witness 39:14; 41:41; Ex 4:21; Dt 1:8 +; sq. nom. independ. 2 S 24:22 (‖ 1 Ch 21:23 sq. cl.). e.g. Genesis 27:27
- b. look at, i.e. inquire into, a matter, acc. rei om., of י׳, 1 S 24:16 (Gi v 15). e.g. 1 Samuel 24:16
- c. give attention to, acc. rei, Je 2:31, abs. give attention! 2 S 13:28; 2 K 6:32; Ex 25:40 ψ 45:11; take heed to, acc. rei, 1 K 12:16 = 2 Ch 10:16; abs. take heed! Ex 10:10, + פֶּן 2 K 10:23. e.g. Jeremiah 2:31
- d. discern, לִבִּי ר׳ חָכְמָה Ec 1:16, ר׳ טוֹב 3:13. e.g. Ecclesiastes 1:16
- e. distinguish, c. בֵּין … לְ of pers. Mal 3:18; e.g. Malachi 3:18
- f. consider, reflect, Ec 7:14 (sq. cl orat. rect.). e.g. Ecclesiastes 7:14
- 8.
- a. c. ב, lit., look into, hence look at with interest (Germ. ‘sich vertiefen in’): (1) gaze at 1 S 6:19 (on context v. We Dr HPS), so as to become acquainted with Gn 34:1 (P); so as to find out Ec 3:22; inspect liver (for omens) Ez 21:26; somewhat weakened = behold Jb 3:9; 2 Ch 7:3 ψ 64:9. (2) look at with kindness, helpfulness, of י׳, בָּעֳנִי Gn 29:32; 1 S 1:11 (+ inf. abs.), 2 S 16:12, בַּצַּר ψ 106:44. (3) upon a spectacle causing anger Ex 2:11 (E), grief Gn 21:16; (E), 44:34; Nu 11:15 (both J), 2 K 22:20 (subj. עֵינַיִם) = 2 Ch 34:28; Est 8:6(×2), abhorrence Is 66:24. (4) gaze at with apprehension Ec 11:4. (5) with joy, pleasure, 2 K 10:16; Mi 7:9; Je 29:32; Is 52:8 (עַיִן בְּעַיִן, cf. Niph. Nu 14:14); Jb 20:17; 33:28 ψ 54:9; 106:5; 128:5; Ct 3:11; 6:11 a Ec 2:1. (6) especially with exultation, triumph = feast eyes upon, sometimes gloat over enemies (cf. MI7) Ju 16:27; Mi 7:10; Ez 28:17 Ob 12, 13 ψ 22:18; 54:9; 112:8; 118:7. e.g. 1 Samuel 6:19
- b. c. אֶל Je 4:23. Is 17:7 (subj. עֵינַיִם; ‖ שָׁעָה עַל); עַל pers. Ex 5:21 (J); ר׳ עַל־הָאָבְנָ֑יִם Ex 1:16 v. [אֹבֶן] and Comm., also SpiegelbZA xiv (June 1900), 269 ff.. e.g. Jeremiah 4:23
- c. c. ל, הָאָדָם יִר׳ לַעֵינַיִם וְיהוה יִר׳ לַלֵּבָב 1 S 16:7, מִי יִרְאֶה־לָּ֑מוֹ ψ 64:6.—Corrupt is וּרְאִתַנִי כְתוֹר הָאָדָם 1 Ch 17:17 (and ‖ וְזֹאת תּוֹרַת הָאָדָם 2 S 7:19), read וַתַּרְאֵנִי (with other changes) We Dr Kau Bu HPS Now; Ez 12:12; read prob. Niph. 𝔊 Hi Co Krae; Mi 6:9; read prob. יִרְאָה cf. Now GASm. e.g. 1 Samuel 16:7
Niphal
- Pf. 3 ms. נִרְאָה Gn 48:3 +, etc.; Impf. 3 ms. יֵרָאֶה Gn 22:14 +, juss. יֵרָא Ex 34:3; Lv 9:6, וַיֵּרָא Gn 12:7 +; 1 s. וָאֵרָא Ex 6:3; etc.; Imv. ms. הֵרָאֵה 1 K 18:1; Inf. cstr. לְהֵרָאוֹת 1 S 17:17 +, לֵרָאוֹת Is 1:12 + 2 times, הֵרָאֹה Ju 13:21; 1 S 3:21; etc.;— e.g. Genesis 48:3
- 1. appear, especially
- a. of י׳ (God): c. אֶל pers. Gn 12:7(×2) + 6 times J, Gn 35:1 (E), v 9 48:3; Ex 6:3; (בְּאֵל שַׁדַּי, ב essent.), Lv 9:4 (all P), 1 K 3:5; 9:2(×2) = 2 Ch 7:12; 1 K 11:9; c. ל pers. Je 31:3; 2 Ch 1:7; 3:1 (ins. י׳ 𝔊 Kau Kit); abs. Gn 22:14 in the mt. where י׳ appeareth (prob., Di Sta G i. 450 DrHast. DB ii. 563; E), Nu 14:14; (JE; עַיִן בְּעַיִן, v Is 52:8 Qal 8 a (5)), Lv 16:2 (P; ב loc. + עַל), 1 S 3:21 (ב loc.), 2 S 22:11 (עַל־כַּנְפֵי־רוּחַ; וַיֵּדֶא ‖ ψ 18:11), + 5 times; of מַלְאַךְ י׳, c. אֶל pers. Ex 3:2 (E), Ju 13:21; of כְּבוֹד י׳; c. אֶל pers. Lv 9:6, 23; Nu 14:10 (ב loc.), 16:19; 20:6 (all P), Ju 6:12; 13:3; עַל pers. Is 60:2; abs. Ex 16:10 (ב loc.), Nu 17:7 (both P). e.g. Genesis 12:7
- b. appear, of man, = present oneself: c. אֶל pers. Gn 46:29 (J), Ju 13:10; 1 K 18:1, 2, 15; Lv 13:7(×2), 19, אֶל of God ψ 84:8 (ב loc.), אֶל־פְּנֵי הָאָדֹן Ex 23:17 (E); abs. Is 16:12 (del. as dittogr. Lo Du CheHpt Marti al.); especially (Mass.) sq. אֶת־פְּנֵי) of י׳, rendered appear before י׳: so וְנִרְאָה 1 S 1:22, יֵרָאֶה Ex 34:23 (JE), Dt 16:16, וְאֵרָאֶה ψ 42:3, יֵרָאוּ Ex 23:15 (E), 34:20 (JE), Dt 16:16, לֵרָאוֹת Ex 34:24 (JE), Dt 31:11; Is 1:12; read prob. in all Qal (v. [פָּנֶה] II. 2). e.g. Genesis 46:29
- c. appear, of things: late (Hex only P), abs. Gn 1:9; 8:5, c. ב loc. 9:14; Lv 13:14, 57; elsewhere poet. ψ 18:16 = 2 S 22:16, ψ 90:16 Pr 27:25 (of דֶּשֶׁא), Ct 2:12 (ב loc.; of blossoms); subj. מַרְאֵיהֶם Dn 1:15 (+ adj. pred.), v 13 (+ לְפָנֶיךָ); subj. חָזוֹן, c. אֶל pers. Dn 8:1(×2); subj. כְּנֶגַע Lv 14:35 (c. ל pers.). e.g. Genesis 1:9
- 2. be seen:
- a. subj. rei, 1 K 10:12 = 2 Ch 9:11 (where כָּהֶם subj.) Ez 19:11, of sins 21:29 (‖ חִגָּלוֹת), subj. כָּזֹאת Ju 19:30, כְּאֶבֶן etc. Ez 10:1. e.g. 1 Kings 10:12
- b. subj. pers. 2 S 17:17 (+ לָבוֹא) be seen to come. e.g. 2 Samuel 17:17
- c. be seen = occur 2 K 23:24 (ב loc.); = exist, + ל pers. Ex 13:7(×2) (JE), Dt 16:4, cf. Ez 10:8; = be present, + ב loc. Ju 5:8 Ex 34:3 (JE). e.g. 2 Kings 23:24
- 3. be visible, Ex 33:23 (JE; subj. י׳’s face), אֵין אֶבֶן נִרְאָה 1 K 6:18, 8:8(×2) = 2 Ch 5:9(×2), Je 13:26 Is 47:3. e.g. Exodus 33:23
Pual
- Pf. 3 pl. עַצְמֹתָיו לֹא רֻאוּ Jb 33:21 (Baer Gi; d. f. Ki Köi. 41, 563, Mappik\ Ges§ 14 d; van d. H. רֻאוּ), appar. his bones are not seen, detected; De which were (formerly) not seen; Di are insignificant (‘unscheinbar’), so Bae; prob. corrupt, Bu נָאווּ, Du del. as doublet. e.g. Job 33:21
Hithpael
- recipr. look at each other: Impf. 2 mpl. לָ֫מָּה תִּתְרָאוּ Gn 42:1 (E); techn. 3 mpl. וַיִּתְרָאוּ פָנִים 2 K 14:11 = 2 Ch 25:21 and they looked each other in the face, i.e. met in combat, so i pl. נִתְרָאֶה פ׳ 2 K 14:8 = 2 Ch 25:17, cf. (perhaps) 2 K 23:29, where Wkl Benz conj. כְּהִתְרָאוֹת אִתּוֹ (or Niph. כְּהֵרָאוֹת אִתּוֹ) for MT כִּרְאֹתוֹ אֹתוֹ. e.g. Genesis 42:1
Hiphil
- Pf. 3 ms. הֶרְאָה Gn 41:28 +, sf. הִרְאַנִי Am 7:1 +, הֶרְאָ֑נִי Ez 11:25, הֶרְאָנוּ Dt 5:21; Ju 13:23, הֶרְאֲךָ Dt 4:36; i s. וְהַרְאֵיתִ֫י Na 3:5 (Ges§ 53 p), sf. הֶרְאִיתִיךָ Dt 34:4, הִרְאִיתִים Is 39:4 cf. ‖ 2 K 20:15, etc.; Impf. 3 ms. יַרְאֶה Is 30:30, וַיַּרְא 2 K 11:4, sf. יַרְאֵנִי Nu 23:3 ψ 59:11; i s. sf. אַרְאֶךָּ Gn 12:1 +, etc.; Imv. ms. sf. הַרְאֵנִי Ex 33:18, etc.; Inf. cstr. הַרְאוֹת Dt 3:24 +, sf. הַרְאוֹתְכָה Ez 40:4, לַרְאֹתְכֶם Dt 1:33, etc.; Pt. מַרְאֶה Ex 25:9 Ez 40:4;— e.g. Genesis 41:28
- 1.
- a. cause one to see something, shew: (1) subj. man, c. acc. pers. + rei, Nu 13:26 b (JE), Ju 1:24, 25; 2 K 20:13(×2), 15 = Is 39:2(×2), 4 + 4 times, acc. rei om. Ez 40:4; Est 4:8, acc. refl. נַפְשׁוֹ + acc. rei Ec 2:24; מִי יַרְאֵנוּ טוֹב ψ 4:7, acc. pers. om., = exhibit Est 1:4; c. 2 acc. pers. Ju 4:22; 2 K 11:4. (2) especially subj. י׳ (God), c. acc. pers. + rei, Gn 12:1; Ex 9:16 (both J), Gn 41:28; 48:11 (both E), Ex 33:18; Dt 34; 1 b (both JE), Dt 3:24; 4:36; 5:21; Jos 5:6 (D), Ex 25:9 (P), Ju 13:23 + 5 times + (of revelation to prophets) Nu 23:3 (JE), Je 38:21; Ez 11:25, also, c. acc. rei cogn., Nu 8:4 (P), acc. rei om. Dt 34:4 (JE), acc. pers. om. = exhibit, Is 30:30; of visions, י׳ subj., c. acc. pers. + כֹּה Am 7:1, 4, 7; 8:1, + כַּאֲשֶׁר Ex 27:8 (P), c. acc. pers. only = cause to see [a vision] Je 24:1; c. 2 acc. pers. + appos. 2 K 8:13, acc. pers. + cl. c. כִּי v 10. (3) subj. angel, acc. pers. + rei, of revelation to prophet Zc 2:3; 3:1; acc. pers. + cl. c. מָה Zc 1:9. e.g. Numbers 13:26
- b. cause to experience something, c. acc. pers. + rei, subj. י׳, Hb 1:3 ψ 60:5; 71:20; 85:8. e.g. Habakkuk 1:3
- 2. cause to look intently at, to behold, c. acc. pers. + ב rei (cf. Qal 8), subj. י׳:
- a. cause to gaze at, with joy ψ 50:23; 91:16. e.g. Psalms 50:23
- b. in exultation, cause to feast one’s eyes upon, fallen enemies ψ 59:11 (cf. MI4). e.g. Psalms 59:11
- c. in weakened sense, cause to behold Dt 1:33 (cf. Dr). e.g. Deuteronomy 1:33
Hophal
- 1. be caused to see, be shewn: Pf. 2 ms. הָרְאֵיתָ, subj. man, acc. rei, Ex 26:30 (P; ב loc.); so Pt. מָרְאֶה 25:40 (P; ב loc.); sq. inf. אַתָּה הָרְאֵתָ לָדַעַת כִּי Dt 4:35. e.g. Exodus 26:30
- 2. be exhibited to, subj. rei, acc. pers., Pf. 3 ms. consec. וְהָרְאָה אֶת־הַכֹּהֵן Lv 13:49 (P). e.g. Leviticus 13:49
ראה II seeing, assumed by Thes al. to explain cstr. וּרְאֵה עָנְיִי Jb 10
ראה III look
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. Dt 14:13 textual error; v. דָּאָה.
II. vb. see (NH id.; וארא MI4, הראני l7, cf. רית spectacle l12; Sab. ראי see, expect, DHM ZMG xxix (1875), 596, 599; Arabic رَأَى see, so Ethiopic ርእየ: 𝔗 רֵו, רֵיוָא human appearance, features, etc. (cf. Heb. רֳאִי 2));—
I. adj. seeing, assumed by Thes al. to explain cstr. וּרְאֵה עָנְיִי Jb 10:15, but improb.; Mass. appar. intended Imv. (unsuitable); Ew al. וְרֹאֵה; Di Bu Du (After Lag Gei) רְוֵה עֹ֑נִי drenched (i.e. sated) with affliction.
I. n.f. look;—cstr. רְאוּת עֵינָיו Ec 5:10 Qr (Kt ראית).
— 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.
רָאָה I
- , v. ראי
רָאָה II
- (b. h.) raah, name of an unclean bird. Ḥull. 63ᵇ דאה ור׳ וכ׳, v. דָּאָה II. Ib. ר׳ זו איה … ר׳ שרואה ביותר raah is the same as ayah, and it is called raah, because its sight is exceedingly acute (ref. to Job XXVIII, 7). e.g. Job 28:7
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 652 distinct written forms H7200 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; 592 rarer forms follow in the full concordance.
Same root — word family
Other BDB entries built from the same root as H7200, 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
- מראה marʼeh H4758 sight
- מראה murʼâh H4760 crop
- ראה râʼâh H7201 bird of prey
- ראה râʼeh H7202 seeing
- ראה rôʼeh H7203 seer
- ראוה raʼăvâh H7207 beholding
- ראי rᵉʼîy H7209 mirror
- ראי rŏʼîy H7210 appearance
- ראית rᵉʼîyth H7212 beholding
- רו rêv H7299 appearance
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 14 — not the complete family. 3 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 1,149 verses that also exist in the Greek Old Testament (Septuagint), out of the 1,206 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 1:4
- Exodus 1:16
- Leviticus 5:1
- Numbers 4:20
- Deuteronomy 1:8
- Joshua 2:1
- Judges 1:24
- Ruth 1:18
- 1 Samuel 1:11
- 2 Samuel 1:7
- 1 Kings 1:48
- 2 Kings 2:10
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.