Lexical Summary zéteó: To seek, to search for, to desire, to strive after Original Word: ζητέω 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 Originof 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: ζητέωζητέω, 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 ( 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.) 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? Englishman's Concordance Matthew 2:13 V-PNAGRK: 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 Matthew 6:33 V-PMA-2P Matthew 7:7 V-PMA-2P Matthew 7:8 V-PPA-NMS Matthew 12:43 V-PPA-NNS Matthew 12:46 V-PPA-NMP Matthew 12:47 V-PPA-NMP Matthew 13:45 V-PPA-DMS Matthew 18:12 V-PIA-3S Matthew 21:46 V-PPA-NMP Matthew 26:16 V-IIA-3S Matthew 26:59 V-IIA-3P Matthew 28:5 V-PIA-2P Mark 1:37 V-PIA-3P Mark 3:32 V-PIA-3P Mark 8:11 V-PPA-NMP Mark 8:12 V-PIA-3S Mark 11:18 V-IIA-3P Mark 12:12 V-IIA-3P Mark 14:1 V-IIA-3P Mark 14:11 V-IIA-3S Mark 14:55 V-IIA-3P Mark 16:6 V-PIA-2P Luke 2:48 V-PIA-1P Strong's Greek 2212 |
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