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ὁράω

horáō

G3708 verb

SILEX Entry

Definition

To see (with physical sight), perceive visually or observe; by extension, to perceive, discern, or take note mentally; in certain contexts, to experience or become aware of through perception or encounter; in the passive, to appear or be seen. The primary sense is physical sight, but includes broader ideas of mental perception and experiential awareness, depending on context.

Semantic Range

to see (with the eyes), to perceive, to observe, to notice, to perceive mentally (understand), to experience, to witness, to appear (in passive), to encounter, to pay heed

Root / Etymology

From the root ὁρ- (hor-), meaning 'to see.' Cognate with related terms such as ὄψις (sight, appearance), ὀπτάνομαι (to appear), and ὄραμα (vision).

Historical & Contextual Notes

In classical Greek, ὁράω primarily denotes the act of seeing with the eyes—concrete physical perception. By the Hellenistic and Koine periods, especially in the Septuagint and New Testament, the word expands semantically to include mental perception ('perceive,' 'realize'), awareness, and even experience or encountering something (mirroring Hebrew רָאָה). In the New Testament, ὁράω is frequently used in narration of physical sight (e.g., miracles of healing blindness), but also for visionary experiences (e.g., seeing angels, the resurrected Jesus), and even to indicate understanding or insight ("whoever has seen me has seen the Father"). Its passive forms commonly mean 'to appear' or 'to become visible' (e.g., an angel appeared). In translation tradition, 'see,' 'behold,' and 'perceive' are common, but context can range from simple observation to deep understanding. 'Take heed' reflects a contextual sense of paying close attention. The word encompasses both external (sensory) and internal (mental, spiritual) perception, a range not always captured in English translations. Related terms include βλέπω (to look or glance), which often refers more narrowly to physical sight, while ὁράω often conveys deeper or fuller perception.

Translation Consistency

primary "see" 667 occurrences

'See' is the natural, common English rendering of ὁράω and fits its primary sense of physical sight while also covering mental perception (to understand), witnessing/experiencing, and passive uses (is seen/appears). It is the most frequent choice in the P2 data (e.g. “see” 293x, “saw” 142x, “seen” 49x), and it yields straightforward, natural inflected forms for all occurrences.

Alternatives (17 occurrences):
"keep seeing, all of" (7x) "appeared" (7x) "having appeared" (1x) "who appeared" (1x) "appear" (1x)

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

properly, to stare at (compare ὀπτάνομαι), i.e. (by implication) to discern clearly (physically or mentally); by extension, to attend to; by Hebraism, to experience; passively, to appear:--behold, perceive, see, take heed.

Root Family

ὁράω (horaō) — to see, to perceive, to notice

Root ὁρ- to see, to perceive, to notice
Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
G1492 εἴδω we were seeing
G5610 ὥρα see!

Word Forms

50 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
G3708-28 ἰδοὺ idou INTJ behold See! See! 202
G3708-07 εἶδον eidon V AOR ACT IND 3P PL I saw they saw I saw 76
G3708-25 ἰδὼν idon V AOR ACT PTCP NOM M SG seeing having seen having seen 61
G3708-03 εἶδεν eiden V AOR ACT IND 3P SG he saw saw he saw 42
G3708-26 ἰδόντες idontes V AOR ACT PTCP NOM M PL having seen having seen having seen 41
G3708-19 ἴδε ide INTJ Behold See! See! 38
G3708-20 ἰδεῖν idein V AOR ACT INF to see to see to see 38
G3708-22 ἴδητε idete V AOR ACT SUBJ 2P PL you see that you may see see 21
G3708-30 ὤφθη ophthe V AOR PASS IND 3P SG appeared was seen was seen 18
G3708-39 ὄψεσθε opsesthe V FUT MID IND 2P PL you will see you yourselves will see you yourselves will see 14

Occurrences in Scripture

684 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
G3708-28 Matthew 1:20 ἰδοὺ idou INTJ behold See! See!
G3708-28 Matthew 1:23 ἰδοὺ idou INTJ Behold See! See!
G3708-28 Matthew 2:1 ἰδοὺ idou INTJ behold See! See!
G3708-06 Matthew 2:2 εἴδομεν eidomen V AOR ACT IND 1P PL we saw we saw we saw
G3708-28 Matthew 2:9 ἰδοὺ idou INTJ behold See! See!
G3708-07 Matthew 2:9 εἶδον eidon V AOR ACT IND 3P PL they saw they saw they saw
G3708-26 Matthew 2:10 ἰδόντες idontes V AOR ACT PTCP NOM M PL When they saw having seen having seen
G3708-07 Matthew 2:11 εἶδον eidon V AOR ACT IND 3P PL they saw they saw they saw
G3708-28 Matthew 2:13 ἰδοὺ idou INTJ behold See! See!
G3708-25 Matthew 2:16 ἰδὼν idon V AOR ACT PTCP NOM M SG seeing having seen having seen
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