דָּרַשׁ
𐤃𐤓𐤔
dârash
H1875 verb
SILEX Entry
Definition
To seek with care or diligence, to inquire into, to investigate. ״דָּרַשׁ״ encompasses both the act of seeking information or consultation and that of investigating or searching with intentionality. It can refer to seeking after God or other deities, inquiring of an oracle or priest/diviner, searching for guidance, or investigating a matter or situation. Used in legal, religious, and social contexts for earnest inquiry or pursuit.
Semantic Range
to seek or search (especially with diligence), to inquire, to investigate (legally or religiously), to request guidance, to frequent (a place for consultation), to care for, to pursue (a course of action or question), to consult an oracle or deity, to interpret or expound, to perform ritual search, to practice divination (as in necromancy)
Root / Etymology
Root דּ־ר־שׁ (דרש) carries the fundamental idea of 'treading, frequenting, seeking after, inquiring.' The primary notion is purposeful seeking or investigation. The verb form evolved from physical seeking (as in treading a path to a location or person) to abstract searching (learning, investigating, asking).
Historical & Contextual Notes
In early Israelite usage, דָּרַשׁ frequently denotes inquiring after YHWH—seeking divine will through prophets, priests, oracles, or sacred spaces (e.g., 1 Sam 9:9, Deut 4:29). It also appears in legal contexts for diligently investigating a matter (Deut 13:15; Deut 19:18), expressing a forensic or judicial pursuit of truth. In post-exilic and later biblical texts, 'seeking' shifts to signify religious devotion (Ezra 6:21; 2 Chr 15:2). Contrast with בָּקַשׁ (baqash), which more generally means 'to seek, to look for,' often in pursuit of objects or people, whereas דָּרַשׁ more often has a nuance of inquiry or investigation, especially in a legal or religious context. The noun form, 'derashah,' came to mean an exposition or interpretation (especially in rabbinic Hebrew). Standard English translations such as 'seek,' 'inquire,' and 'ask' often insufficiently convey the concentrated, purposeful aspect of the term, especially in its legal and ritual dimensions. The English term 'worship' is occasionally used in older translations but is a contextual extension, not a core meaning. The participial form as 'necromancer' (deut 18:11) designates one who 'inquires of the dead.'
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
a primitive root; properly, to tread or frequent; usually to follow (for pursuit or search); by implication, to seek or ask; specifically to worship; ask, [idiom] at all, care for, [idiom] diligently, inquire, make inquisition, (necro-) mancer, question, require, search, seek (for, out), [idiom] surely.
Bantu Hebrew
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דרש (d-r-sh) — seeking, inquiring, investigating, intentional pursuit
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H4097 | מִדְרָשׁ | in inquiry-of |
Word Forms
63 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H1875-35 |
לִ/דְרֹ֥שׁ | liderosh | HR/Vqc |
to inquire | to seek diligently | 30 |
H1875-19 |
דִרְשׁ֗וּ | direshu | HVqv2mp |
Seek | Seek diligently! | 11 |
H1875-21 |
דֹּרֵ֣שׁ | doresh | HVqrmsa |
seeking | the seeking-one | 11 |
H1875-01 |
דָּרַ֛שׁ | darash | HVqp3ms |
sought | he sought diligently | 6 |
H1875-27 |
אֶדְרֹ֔שׁ | ederosh | HVqi1cs |
I will require | I will seek | 6 |
H1875-31 |
אִדָּרֵ֖שׁ | idaresh | HVNi1cs |
inquired | I will be sought | 5 |
H1875-44 |
תִּדְרֹ֨שׁ | tiderosh | HVqi2ms |
require | you will seek diligently | 5 |
H1875-61 |
יִדְרֹ֔שׁ | yiderosh | HVqi3ms |
seeks | he will seek | 4 |
H1875-05 |
דָרָֽשׁוּ | darashu | HVqp3cp |
sought | they sought diligently | 4 |
H1875-49 |
וְ/דָרַשְׁתָּ֧ | vedarasheta | HC/Vqq2ms |
and inquire | and you sought diligently | 4 |
Occurrences in Scripture
165 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H1875-27 |
Genesis 9:5 | אֶדְרֹ֔שׁ | ederosh | HVqi1cs |
I will require | I will seek |
H1875-26 |
Genesis 9:5 | אֶדְרְשֶׁ֑/נּוּ | edereshenu | HVqi1cs/Sp3ms |
I will require it | I will seek him |
H1875-27 |
Genesis 9:5 | אֶדְרֹ֖שׁ | ederosh-2 | HVqi1cs |
I will require | I will seek |
H1875-35 |
Genesis 25:22 | לִ/דְרֹ֥שׁ | liderosh | HR/Vqc |
to inquire | to seek diligently |
H1875-36 |
Genesis 42:22 | נִדְרָֽשׁ | niderash | HVNrmsa |
is being required | being sought out |
H1875-35 |
Exodus 18:15 | לִ/דְרֹ֥שׁ | liderosh | HR/Vqc |
to inquire | to seek diligently |
H1875-09 |
Leviticus 10:16 | דָּרֹ֥שׁ | darosh | HVqa |
inquired about | to diligently seek |
H1875-01 |
Leviticus 10:16 | דָּרַ֛שׁ | darash | HVqp3ms |
had inquired | he sought diligently |
H1875-40 |
Deuteronomy 4:29 | תִדְרְשֶׁ֔/נּוּ | tidereshenu | HVqi2ms/Sp3ms |
you seek him | you will diligently seek him |
H1875-21 |
Deuteronomy 11:12 | דֹּרֵ֣שׁ | doresh | HVqrmsa |
cares for | the seeking-one |