2212. zéteó
Lexical Summary
zéteó: To seek, to search for, to desire, to strive after

Original Word: ζητέω
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: zéteó
Pronunciation: dzay-teh'-o
Phonetic Spelling: (dzay-teh'-o)
KJV: be (go) about, desire, endeavour, enquire (for), require, (X will) seek (after, for, means)
NASB: seek, seeking, looking, seeks, trying, search, sought
Word Origin: [of uncertain affinity]

1. to seek
2. (specially, by Hebraism) to worship (God)
3. (in a bad sense) to plot (against life)
{literally or figuratively}

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
desire, endeavour, seek after.

Of uncertain affinity; to seek (literally or figuratively); specially, (by Hebraism) to worship (God), or (in a bad sense) to plot (against life) -- be (go) about, desire, endeavour, enquire (for), require, (X will) seek (after, for, means). Compare punthanomai.

see GREEK punthanomai

HELPS Word-studies

2212 zētéō – properly, to seek by inquiring; to investigate to reach a binding (terminal) resolution; to search, "getting to the bottom of a matter."

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
of uncertain origin
Definition
to seek
NASB Translation
deliberating (1), demanding (1), inquire (1), looking (11), made efforts (1), search (4), searched (1), seek (36), seek after (1), seeking (35), seeks (9), sought (4), striving (1), tried (1), trying (6), kept trying to obtain (2).

Thayer's Greek Lexicon
STRONGS NT 2212: ζητέω

ζητέω, ζητῶ; imperfect 3 person singular ἐζήτει, plural ἐζήτουν; future ζητήσω; 1 aorist ἐζήτησα; passive, present ζητοῦμαι; imperfect 3 person singular ἐζητεῖτο (Hebrews 8:7); 1 future ζητηθήσομαι (Luke 12:48); (from Homer on); the Sept. for דָּרַשׁ, and much more often for בִּקֵשׁ; to seek, i. e.

1. to seek in order to find;

a. universally and absolutely: Matthew 7:7; Luke 11:9f (see εὑρίσκω, 1 a); τινα, Mark 1:37; Luke 2:48 (Luke 2:45 R L marginal reading), (Luke 4:42 Rec.); John 6:24; John 18:4, 7; Acts 10:19, and often; followed by ἐν with the dative of place, Acts 9:11; with the accusative of the thing (μαργαρίτας), of buyers, Matthew 13:45; something lost, Matthew 18:12; Luke 19:10; τί ἐν τίνι, as fruit on a tree, Luke 13:6f; ἀνάπαυσιν, a place of rest, Matthew 12:43; Luke 11:24; after the Hebrew (פּ אֶת־נֶפֶשׁ בִּקֵּשׁ ... (cf. Winer's Grammar, 33 (32); 18)) ψυχήν τίνος, to seek, plot against, the life of one, Matthew 2:20; Romans 11:3, (Exodus 4:19, etc.); universally, τί ζητεῖς; what dost thou seek? what dost thou wish? John 1:38 (39); (John 4:27).

b. to seek (i. e. in order to find out) by thinking, meditating, reasoning; to inquire into: περί τίνος ζητεῖτε μετ' ἀλλήλων; John 16:19; followed by indirect discourse, πῶς, τί, τινα: Mark 11:18; Mark 14:1, 11; Luke 12:29; Luke 22:2; 1 Peter 5:8; τόν Θεόν, to follow up the traces of divine majesty and power, Acts 17:27 (universally, to seek the knowledge of God, Wis. 1:1 Wis. 13:6; (Philo, monarch. i. § 5)).

c. to seek after, seek for, aim at, strive after: εὐκαιρίαν, Matthew 26:16; Luke 22:6; ψευδομαρτυρίαν, Matthew 26:59; Mark 14:55; τόν θάνατον, an opportunity to die, Revelation 9:6; λύσιν, 1 Corinthians 7:27; τήν βασιλείαν τοῦ Θεοῦ, Matthew 6:33; Luke 12:31; τά ἄνω, Colossians 3:1; εἰρήνην, 1 Peter 3:11; ἀφθαρσίαν etc. Romans 2:7; δόξαν ἐκ τίνος, 1 Thessalonians 2:6; τήν δόξαν τήν παρά τίνος, John 5:44; τά τίνος, the property of one, 2 Corinthians 12:14; τήν δόξαν Θεοῦ, to seek to promote the glory of God, John 7:18; John 8:50; τό θέλημα τίνος, to attempt to establish, John 5:30; τό σύμφορον τίνος, to seek to further the profit or advantage of one, 1 Corinthians 10:33, equivalent to ζητεῖν τά τίνος, 1 Corinthians 10:24; 1 Corinthians 13:5; Philippians 2:21; ὑμᾶς, to seek to win your souls, 2 Corinthians 12:14; τόν Θεόν, to seek the favor of God (see ἐκζητέω, a.), Romans 10:20; (Romans 3:11 Tr marginal reading WH marginal reading). followed by an infinitive (Buttmann, 258 (222); Winers Grammar, § 44, 3) to seek i. e. desire, endeavor: Matthew 12:46 ( (WH in marginal reading only)); ; Mark 4:19 (L Tr marginal reading); Mark 12:12; Luke 5:18; Luke 6:19; Luke 9:9; John 5:18; John 7:4 (Buttmann, § 142, 4); John 5:19; Acts 13:8; Acts 16:10; Romans 10:3; Galatians 1:10; Galatians 2:17; followed by ἵνα (Buttmann, 237 (205)), 1 Corinthians 14:12.

2. to seek i. e. require, demand: (σημεῖον, Mark 8:12 L T Tr WH; Luke 11:29 T Tr WH); σοφίαν, 1 Corinthians 1:22; δοκιμήν, 2 Corinthians 13:3; τί παρά τίνος, to crave, demand something from someone, Mark 8:11; Luke 11:16; Luke 12:48; ἐν τίνι, the dative of person, to seek in one, i. e. to require of him, followed by ἵνα, 1 Corinthians 4:2. (Compare: ἀναζητέω, ἐκζητέω, ἐπιζητέω, συζητέω.)

Topical Lexicon
Broad Scope of the Verb

The verb embraces every sphere of “seeking”: the mind’s search for truth, the heart’s pursuit of relationship, the will’s determination to obtain, and the body’s movement to find. Across the New Testament it is applied to God, to Christ, to believers, to the lost, and to Christ’s enemies, revealing motives that range from holy longing to murderous intent.

The Saving Quest of Christ

Luke 19:10 sums up the gospel: “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” His incarnational mission is portrayed as active pursuit. He “went through every city and village” (Luke 8:1), “had to pass through Samaria” (John 4:4) to meet a woman at a well, and persistently “looked for” the straying sheep until He found it (Matthew 18:12-13). These scenes shape evangelistic ministry: believers do not wait for sinners to arrive; they go out seeking, mirroring the Shepherd.

God Seeking Worshipers

The Father Himself is presented as a Seeker: “The hour is coming, and has now come, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for the Father is seeking such as these to worship Him” (John 4:23). Worship is not initiated by human curiosity but by divine pursuit. Ministries of corporate worship stress authenticity because the One who seeks examines motive, not merely form.

Human Seeking of God

Scripture calls every person to a lifelong, whole-hearted search. Paul declares God designed history “so that they would seek Him and perhaps reach out for Him and find Him” (Acts 17:27). Jesus’ royal imperative frames discipleship: “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you” (Matthew 6:33). The promise of provision removes anxiety and liberates believers for single-minded devotion. Pastoral application urges early-morning prayer, diligent Bible study, and sustained obedience.

False or Misguided Seeking

Many texts warn that motive matters. Crowds in Capernaum “were searching for Jesus” only because they “ate the loaves and were filled” (John 6:26). Religious leaders “were seeking a way to destroy Him” (Mark 11:18). Herod “kept trying to see Him” (Luke 9:9) with political curiosity. Such records expose the bankruptcy of self-interest and unbelief, exhorting modern readers to examine why they pursue spiritual things.

Imperatives to Seek in Christian Conduct

1 Corinthians 14:12 urges assemblies to “seek to excel in gifts that build up the church,” linking earnest desire with edification. Individual ethics echo the same priority: “No one should seek his own good, but the good of others” (1 Corinthians 10:24). The self-emptying love defined in 1 Corinthians 13:5 “does not seek its own.” Leadership training emphasizes this outward orientation as the mark of Christlike service.

Apostolic Examples

Paul’s personal testimony models proper seeking: “Am I now seeking the approval of men, or of God?” (Galatians 1:10). He “did not seek what is yours, but you” (2 Corinthians 12:14). Conversely, some ministers in Philippi “all seek their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 2:21). The contrast supplies a crucial test for modern ministry.

Urgency and Eschatology

Revelation 9:6 portrays a day when “men will seek death and will not find it,” underscoring that opportunities to seek grace are time-limited. Today’s evangelism carries that urgency: “Now is the day of salvation.”

Pastoral Consolation

When Christ was missing at twelve, Mary anxiously asked, “Son, why have You done this to us? Look, Your father and I have been anxiously seeking You” (Luke 2:48). His reply, “Did you not know that I must be in My Father’s house?” (Luke 2:49), teaches that even anxious seeking must yield to the greater purpose of God. Pastors comfort families who pray for prodigals: the divine pattern is to seek and to find in due time.

Spiritual Warfare

Satan is described as “your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). Vigilance and resistance are therefore required, “standing firm in the faith.” The same verb that calls believers to holy pursuit is used of the enemy’s destructive intent, highlighting the conflict of opposing quests.

Summary

The New Testament portrayal of seeking spans salvation history: the Father seeks worshipers, the Son seeks the lost, the Spirit seeks to glorify Christ through the church, believers seek God and one another’s good, while the unrepentant seek their own ends and the enemy seeks souls to ruin. Every occurrence of the verb confronts readers with a question: What, or whom, am I seeking?

Forms and Transliterations
εζητει εζήτει ἐζήτει εζητειτε εζητείτε εζητείτέ ἐζητεῖτέ εζητειτο εζητείτο ἐζητεῖτο εζήτησα εζητησαμεν εζητήσαμεν ἐζητήσαμεν εζητησαν εζήτησαν εζήτησάν ἐζήτησαν εζήτησας εζητήσατε εζήτησε εζήτησέ εζητησεν εζήτησεν ἐζήτησέν εζητούμέν ἐζητοῦμέν εζητουν εζήτουν ἐζήτουν ζητει ζητεί ζητεῖ ζήτει ζητειν ζητείν ζητεῖν ζητεις ζητείς ζητεῖς ζητειται ζητείται ζητεῖται ζητειτε ζητείτε ζητείτέ ζητεῖτε ζητεῖτέ ζητειτω ζητείτω ζητηθησεται ζητηθήσεται ζητηθήση ζητηθήσομαι ζητηθήτω ζητής ζητησαι ζητήσαι ζητῆσαι ζητήσατε ζητήσατέ ζητησατω ζητησάτω ζητησάτωσαν ζητήσει ζητήσεις ζητησετε ζητήσετέ ζητηση ζητήση ζητήσῃ ζητήσης ζητήσομεν ζητησον ζήτησον ζητήσουσι ζητήσουσί ζητησουσιν ζητήσουσιν ζητήσω ζητήσωσι ζητήτουσι ζητουμεν ζητοῦμέν ζητουν ζητούν ζητοῦν ζητούντας ζητουντες ζητούντες ζητούντές ζητοῦντες ζητοῦντές ζητουντι ζητούντι ζητοῦντι ζητούντος Ζητουντων Ζητούντων ζητούσα ζητούσι ζητούσί ζητουσιν ζητούσιν ζητοῦσιν ζητοῦσίν ζητω ζητώ ζητῶ ζητων ζητών ζητῶν ezetei ezētei ezḗtei ezeteite ezeteîté ezēteite ezēteîté ezeteito ezeteîto ezēteito ezēteîto ezetesamen ezetḗsamen ezētēsamen ezētḗsamen ezetesan ezētēsan ezḗtesan ezḗtēsan ezetesen ezētēsen ezḗtesén ezḗtēsén ezetoumen ezetoûmén ezētoumen ezētoûmén ezetoun ezētoun ezḗtoun zetei zeteî zētei zēteî zḗtei zetein zeteîn zētein zēteîn zeteis zeteîs zēteis zēteîs zeteitai zeteîtai zēteitai zēteîtai zeteite zeteîte zeteîté zēteite zēteîte zēteîté zeteito zeteíto zēteitō zēteítō zetesai zetêsai zētēsai zētē̂sai zetesato zetesáto zētēsatō zētēsátō zetese zētēsē zetḗsei zētḗsēi zetesete zetḗseté zētēsete zētḗseté zeteson zētēson zḗteson zḗtēson zetesousin zetḗsousin zētēsousin zētḗsousin zetethesetai zetethḗsetai zētēthēsetai zētēthḗsetai zeto zetô zētō zētō̂ zeton zetôn zētōn zētō̂n zetoun zetoûn zētoun zētoûn zetountes zetoûntes zetoûntés zētountes zētoûntes zētoûntés zetounti zetoûnti zētounti zētoûnti Zetounton Zetoúnton Zētountōn Zētoúntōn zetousin zetoûsin zetoûsín zētousin zētoûsin zētoûsín
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Englishman's Concordance
Matthew 2:13 V-PNA
GRK: γὰρ Ἡρῴδης ζητεῖν τὸ παιδίον
NAS: is going to search for the Child
KJV: will seek the young child
INT: for Herod to seek the child

Matthew 2:20 V-PPA-NMP
GRK: γὰρ οἱ ζητοῦντες τὴν ψυχὴν
NAS: for those who sought the Child's
KJV: which sought the young child's
INT: indeed who were seeking the life

Matthew 6:33 V-PMA-2P
GRK: ζητεῖτε δὲ πρῶτον
NAS: But seek first His kingdom
KJV: But seek ye first the kingdom
INT: seek you however first

Matthew 7:7 V-PMA-2P
GRK: δοθήσεται ὑμῖν ζητεῖτε καὶ εὑρήσετε
NAS: and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find;
KJV: you; seek, and
INT: it will be given to you seek and you will find

Matthew 7:8 V-PPA-NMS
GRK: καὶ ὁ ζητῶν εὑρίσκει καὶ
NAS: receives, and he who seeks finds,
KJV: and he that seeketh findeth;
INT: and he that seeks finds and

Matthew 12:43 V-PPA-NNS
GRK: ἀνύδρων τόπων ζητοῦν ἀνάπαυσιν καὶ
NAS: places seeking rest,
KJV: dry places, seeking rest, and
INT: waterless places seeking rest and

Matthew 12:46 V-PPA-NMP
GRK: εἱστήκεισαν ἔξω ζητοῦντες αὐτῷ λαλῆσαι
NAS: outside, seeking to speak
KJV: without, desiring to speak
INT: were standing outside seeking to him to speak

Matthew 12:47 V-PPA-NMP
GRK: ἔξω ἑστήκασιν ζητοῦντές σοι λαλῆσαι
INT: outside are standing seeking to you to speak

Matthew 13:45 V-PPA-DMS
GRK: ἀνθρώπῳ ἐμπόρῳ ζητοῦντι καλοὺς μαργαρίτας
NAS: a merchant seeking fine
KJV: man, seeking goodly
INT: a man a merchant seeking beautiful pearls

Matthew 18:12 V-PIA-3S
GRK: καὶ πορευθεὶς ζητεῖ τὸ πλανώμενον
NAS: and go and search for the one that is straying?
KJV: the mountains, and seeketh that which
INT: and having gone seek that which is gone astray

Matthew 21:46 V-PPA-NMP
GRK: καὶ ζητοῦντες αὐτὸν κρατῆσαι
NAS: When they sought to seize
KJV: But when they sought to lay hands
INT: And seeking him to lay hold of

Matthew 26:16 V-IIA-3S
GRK: ἀπὸ τότε ἐζήτει εὐκαιρίαν ἵνα
NAS: From then on he [began] looking for a good opportunity
KJV: that time he sought opportunity
INT: from that time he sought an opportunity that

Matthew 26:59 V-IIA-3P
GRK: συνέδριον ὅλον ἐζήτουν ψευδομαρτυρίαν κατὰ
NAS: Council kept trying to obtain FALSE testimony
KJV: the council, sought false witness
INT: Council whole sought false evidence against

Matthew 28:5 V-PIA-2P
GRK: τὸν ἐσταυρωμένον ζητεῖτε
NAS: for I know that you are looking for Jesus
KJV: I know that ye seek Jesus, which
INT: who has been crucified you seek

Mark 1:37 V-PIA-3P
GRK: ὅτι Πάντες ζητοῦσίν σε
NAS: to Him, Everyone is looking for You.
KJV: All [men] seek for thee.
INT: Everyone seeks you

Mark 3:32 V-PIA-3P
GRK: σου ἔξω ζητοῦσίν σε
NAS: are outside looking for You.
KJV: brethren without seek for thee.
INT: of you outside seek you

Mark 8:11 V-PPA-NMP
GRK: συζητεῖν αὐτῷ ζητοῦντες παρ' αὐτοῦ
NAS: to argue with Him, seeking from Him a sign
KJV: to question with him, seeking of him
INT: to dispute with him seeking from him

Mark 8:12 V-PIA-3S
GRK: γενεὰ αὕτη ζητεῖ σημεῖον ἀμὴν
NAS: generation seek for a sign?
INT: generation this seeks a sign Truly

Mark 11:18 V-IIA-3P
GRK: γραμματεῖς καὶ ἐζήτουν πῶς αὐτὸν
NAS: heard [this], and [began] seeking how
KJV: [it], and sought how
INT: scribes and they sought how him

Mark 12:12 V-IIA-3P
GRK: Καὶ ἐζήτουν αὐτὸν κρατῆσαι
NAS: And they were seeking to seize
KJV: And they sought to lay hold on him,
INT: And they sought him to lay hold of

Mark 14:1 V-IIA-3P
GRK: ἡμέρας Καὶ ἐζήτουν οἱ ἀρχιερεῖς
NAS: and the scribes were seeking how
KJV: the scribes sought how
INT: days And were seeking the chief priests

Mark 14:11 V-IIA-3S
GRK: δοῦναι καὶ ἐζήτει πῶς αὐτὸν
NAS: him money. And he [began] seeking how
KJV: And he sought how
INT: to give And he sought how him

Mark 14:55 V-IIA-3P
GRK: τὸ συνέδριον ἐζήτουν κατὰ τοῦ
NAS: Council kept trying to obtain testimony
KJV: the council sought for witness
INT: the Council sought against

Mark 16:6 V-PIA-2P
GRK: ἐκθαμβεῖσθε Ἰησοῦν ζητεῖτε τὸν Ναζαρηνὸν
NAS: to them, Do not be amazed; you are looking for Jesus
KJV: affrighted: Ye seek Jesus
INT: be amazed Jesus you seek the Nazarene

Luke 2:48 V-PIA-1P
GRK: κἀγὼ ὀδυνώμενοι ἐζητοῦμέν σε
NAS: and I have been anxiously looking for You.
KJV: and I have sought thee
INT: I also distressed were seeking you

Strong's Greek 2212
117 Occurrences


ἐζητήσαμεν — 1 Occ.
ἐζήτησαν — 1 Occ.
ἐζήτησέν — 1 Occ.
ἐζήτει — 7 Occ.
ἐζητεῖτέ — 1 Occ.
ἐζητεῖτο — 1 Occ.
ἐζητοῦμέν — 1 Occ.
ἐζήτουν — 18 Occ.
ζητῆσαι — 1 Occ.
ζητησάτω — 1 Occ.
ζητήσῃ — 1 Occ.
ζητήσετέ — 4 Occ.
ζήτησον — 1 Occ.
ζητήσουσιν — 2 Occ.
ζητηθήσεται — 1 Occ.
ζητεῖ — 11 Occ.
ζητεῖν — 2 Occ.
ζητεῖς — 2 Occ.
ζητεῖται — 1 Occ.
ζητεῖτε — 22 Occ.
ζητείτω — 1 Occ.
ζητῶ — 4 Occ.
ζητῶν — 9 Occ.
ζητοῦν — 2 Occ.
ζητοῦντες — 10 Occ.
ζητοῦντι — 1 Occ.
Ζητούντων — 2 Occ.
ζητοῦσίν — 8 Occ.

2211
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