zēteō · seek

What it means

zēteō (ζητέω) is a Greek word of the Bible that means “seek”.

Look for, seek; try to.

How to say it

Approximate pronunciation. Vowels sound as in Spanish (a as in father, e as in bed, i as in machine, o as in note, u as in rule); the syllable in bold is stressed. The voice is your device's.

Its senses in the Bible

1. To go after something or someone until it is found.
2. To try for something; to be after someone's life is to plan to kill them.
3. To demand something, or discuss it.

From Abbott-Smith (1922) · Thayer (1889)

Word study

To seek: to try to find something or someone; hence to strive for, to ask for and to demand. Of the same family are ἐκζητέω and ἐπιζητέω, “to seek”, and ζήτησις, “debate”.

• Looking for someone or something lost Luke 2:48Luke 19:10
• “Seek first the kingdom” Matthew 6:33Matthew 7:7
• Seeking someone's life: wanting to kill him Matthew 2:20Mark 11:18
• Asking for or requiring something Mark 8:12Luke 12:48

How we translate it

Above all forms of “seek”: “seeking” 45 times, “seek” 29, “looking for” 16, “seeks” 9, “sought” 3. “Were trying” 3 when it is attempting to do something (Luke 6:19). Where the context is demanding, the translation says “required” (“much will be required from him”, Luke 12:48); in Mark 8:12 it keeps “seek a sign”.

How it is translated

The words this translation uses for it, most frequent first.

• seeking ×45
• seek ×29
• looking for ×16
• seeks ×9
• sought ×3
• were trying ×3
• search for ×2
• Are you inquiring ×1
• do you want ×1
• have been searching for ×1
• others ×7

Related words

Words of the same family, by Strong’s numbering.

Where it appears

• Matthew×14
• Mark×10
• Luke×25
• John×34
• Acts×10
• Romans×4
• 1 Corinthians×8
• 2 Corinthians×2
• Galatians×2
• Philippians×1
• Colossians×1
• 1 Thessalonians×1
• 2 Timothy×1
• Hebrews×1
• 1 Peter×2
• Revelation×1

• Matthew 2:13

  And when they had withdrawn, look, an angel of the Lord appears in a dream to Joseph, saying, “Get up, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you; for Herod is about to search for the child to destroy him.”

• Matthew 2:20

  saying, “Get up, take the child and his mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who were seeking the child’s life have died.”

• Matthew 6:33

  But seek first the kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

• Matthew 7:7

  “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.

• Matthew 7:8

  For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.

• Matthew 12:43

  When the unclean spirit goes out of the man, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and does not find it.

• Matthew 12:46

  While he was still speaking to the crowds, look, his mother and brothers were standing outside, seeking to speak to him.

• Matthew 12:47

  And someone said to him, “Look, your mother and your brothers are standing outside, seeking to speak to you.”

• Matthew 13:45

  Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls;

• Matthew 18:12

  What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them goes astray, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go and search for the one that is going astray?

• Matthew 21:46

  And although they were seeking to seize him, they feared the crowds, because they held him to be a prophet.

• Matthew 26:16

  And from then on he was looking for an opportunity to hand him over.

• Matthew 26:59

  Now the high priests and the whole council were seeking false testimony against Jesus so that they might put him to death,

• Matthew 28:5

  But the angel answered the women, “Do not be afraid, you, for I know that you are seeking Jesus, who has been crucified.

• Mark 1:37

  and they found him and say to him, “Everyone is looking for you.”

• Mark 3:32

  And a crowd was sitting around him, and they say to him, “Look, your mother and your brothers are outside looking for you.”

• Mark 8:11

  And the Pharisees came out and began to argue with him, seeking from him a sign from heaven, testing him.

• Mark 8:12

  And sighing deeply in his spirit, he says, “Why does this generation seek a sign? Truly I tell you, no sign will be given to this generation.”

• Mark 11:18

  And the high priests and the scribes heard it, and they were seeking how they might destroy him; for they feared him, for all the crowd was astonished at his teaching.

• Mark 12:12

  And they were seeking to seize him, and they feared the crowd; for they knew that he had told the parable against them. And leaving him, they went away.

• Mark 14:1

  Now the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread was after two days. And the high priests and the scribes were seeking how they might seize him by deceit and kill him;

• Mark 14:11

  And when they heard it, they were glad and promised to give him money. And he was seeking how he might conveniently hand him over.

• Mark 14:55

  And the high priests and the whole council were seeking testimony against Jesus to put him to death, and they were not finding any.

• Mark 16:6

  But he says to them, “Do not be alarmed. You are seeking Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has been raised; he is not here. See the place where they laid him.

• Luke 2:48

  And when they saw him, they were astounded; and his mother said to him, “Child, why have you treated us like this? Look, your father and I have been searching for you in anguish.”

• Luke 2:49

  And he said to them, “Why is it that you were searching for me? Did you not know that I must be in the things of my Father?”

• Luke 5:18

  And look, men were carrying on a bed a man who was paralyzed, and they were trying to bring him in and lay him before him.

• Luke 6:19

  And all the crowd were trying to touch him, because power was coming out from him and healing all.

• Luke 9:9

  But Herod said, “John I beheaded; but who is this about whom I hear such things?” And he was seeking to see him.

• Luke 11:9

  And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.

• Luke 11:10

  For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.

• Luke 11:16

  And others, testing him, were seeking from him a sign from heaven.

• Luke 11:24

  When the unclean spirit goes out of the person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest; and not finding any, it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came out.’

• Luke 11:29

  And as the crowds were gathering, he began to say, “This generation is an evil generation; it seeks a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.

• Luke 12:29

  And you, do not seek what you will eat and what you will drink, and do not be unsettled.

• Luke 12:31

  Rather, seek his kingdom, and these things will be added to you.

• Luke 12:48

  But the one who did not know, and did things deserving of blows, will be beaten with few blows. And from everyone to whom much was given, much will be required from him; and to whom they entrusted much, they will ask of him even more.

• Luke 13:6

  And he was telling this parable: “Someone had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came looking for fruit on it, and did not find any.

• Luke 13:7

  And he said to the vinedresser, ‘Look, for three years I have been coming looking for fruit on this fig tree, and I do not find any. Cut it down; why should it also use up the ground?’

• Luke 13:24

  “Strive to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able.

And 77 more times.