Search

Search - (Webster's 1828 Dictionary)

SEARCH, v. t. serch

1. To look over or through for the purpose of finding something; to explore; to examine by inspection; as, to search the house for a book; to search the wood for a thief.

Send though men, that they may search the land of Canaan. Num 13.

2. To inquire; to seek for.

Enough is left besides to search and know. Milton.

3. To probe; to seek the knowledge of by feeling with instrument; as to search a wound.

4. To examine; to try. Psa 139S

To search out, to seek till found, or to find by seeking; as, to search out truth.

Watts.

SEARCH, v.i. serch.

1. To seek; to look for; to make search.

Once more search with me. Shak.

2. To make inquiry; to inquire.

It suffices that they have once with care sifted the matter, and searched into all the particulars. Locke.

To search for, to look for; to seek; to find; as, to search for a gentleman now in the house. Shak.

SEARCH, n. serch.

1. A seeking or looking for something that is lost, or the place of which us unknown; with for or after; as a search for lost money; a search for mines of gold and silver; a search after happiness or knowledge.

2. Inquiry; a seeking. He spent his life in search of truth.

3. Quest; pursuit for finding.

Nor did my search of liberty begin, Till my black hairs were chang'd upon my chin. Dryden.

Seek - (Webster's 1828 Dictionary)

SEEK, v.t. pret and pp. sought, pronounced sawt. [L. sequor, to follow; for to seek is to go after, and the primary sense is to advance, to press, to drive forward, as in the L. peto.]

1. To go in searh or quest of; to look for; to search for by going from place to place.

The man asked him, saying, what seekest thou? And he said, I seek my brethen.

Gen 37.

2. To inquire for; to ask for; to solicit; to endeavor to find or gain by any means.

The young lions roar after their prey, and seek their meat from God. Psa 104.

He found no place for repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears. Heb 12

Others tempting him, sought of him a sign. Luke 11.

3.Seek is followed sometimes by out or after. To seek out, properly implies to look for a specific thing among a number. But in general, the use of out and after with seek, is unnecessary and inelegant.

To seek God, his name, or his face, in Scripture, to ask for his favor, direction and assistance. Psa 83.

God seeks men, when he fixes his love on them, and by his word and Spirit, and the righteousness of Christ, reclaims and recovers them from their miserable condition as sinners.

Ezek 34. Psa 119. Luke 15.

To seek after the life, or soul, to attempt by arts or machinations; or to attempt to destroy or ruin. Psa 35.

To seek peace, or judgement, to endeavor to promote it; or to practice it.

Psa 34. Isa 1.

To seek an altar, temple, or habitation, to frequent it; to restore to it often.

2 Chr 1. Amos 5.

To seek out God's works, to endeavor to understand them. Psa 111.

SEEK, v. i.

1. To make search or inquiry; to endeavor to make discovery.

Seek ye out of the book of the Lord. Isa 34.

2. To endeavor.

Ask not what pains, nor further seek to know

Their process, or the forms of law below. Dryden.

To seek after, to make pursuit; to attempt to find or take. [See No. 3 supra.]

To seek for, to endeavor to find. Knolles.

To seek to, to apply to; to resort to. 1 Ki 10.

To seek, at a loss; without knowledge, measures or experience.

Unpractic'd, unprepar'd and still to seek. Milton. [This phrase, I believe, is wholly obsolete.]

surch: Some peculiar senses are:

(1) In the books of Moses, especially in Nu, "searching out the land" means to spy out (raggel), to investigate carefully, to examine with a view to giving a full and accurate report on.

(2) When applied to the Scriptures, as in Ezr 4:15,19 (baqqer); Joh 5:39; 1Pe 1:11 (eraunao), it means to examine, to study out the meaning. In Ac 17:11, the Revised Version (British and American) substitutes "examining" for the "searched" of the King James Version. See SEARCHINGS.

(3) "Search out" often means to study critically, to investigate carefully, e.g. Job 8:8; 29:16; Ec 1:13; La 3:40; Mt 2:8; 1Co 2:10; 1Pe 1:10.

(4) When the word is applied to God's searching the heart or spirit, it means His opening up, laying bare, disclosing what was hidden, e.g. 1Ch 28:9; Ps 44:21; 139:1; Pr 20:27; Jer 17:10; Ro 8:27.

G. H. Gerberding

Definition

The term “seek” means to look for something or someone. In the past tense, the verb is “sought.” This term is sometimes used figuratively, meaning to “attempt” or “make an effort” to do something or to ask for something.

• To “seek” or “look for” an opportunity to do something can mean to “try to find a time” to do it.
• To “seek Yahweh” means to “spend time and energy getting to know Yahweh and learning to obey him.”
• To “seek protection” means to “try to find a person or place that will protect you from danger.”
• To “seek justice” means to “make an effort to see that people are treated justly or fairly.”
• To “seek the truth” means to “make an effort to find out what the truth is.”
• To “seek favor” means to “urgently ask for favor” or to “do things to cause someone to help you.”

(See also: just, true)

Bible References

• 1 Chronicles 10:14
• Acts 17:26-27
• Hebrews 11:6
• Luke 11:9
• Psalms 27:8

Word Data

• Strong’s: H0579, H1156, H1239, H1243, H1245, H1556, H1875, H2470, H2603, H2658, H2664, H3289, H7125, H7592, H7836, H8446, G03270, G15670, G19340, G20520, G22120