Hebrew word · H1239

בָּקַר

levaker

to enquire

To examine closely, inspect, look into, seek out, or reflect on. It is rare in the Hebrew Bible but common in Aramaic ('search' in the archives, Ezra 4:15, 19).

Appears 7 times in 7 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

1) to seek, enquire, consider

1a) (Piel)

1a1) to seek, look for

1a2) to consider, reflect

Aramaic equivalent: be.qar (בְּקַר "to enquire" H1240)

Abridged from Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Psalm 27:4

Range of meaning

To examine closely, inspect, look into, seek out, or reflect on. It is rare in the Hebrew Bible but common in Aramaic ('search' in the archives, Ezra 4:15, 19).

Against the English

'Inquire' (KJV, ESV, WEB) is close to the dictionary meaning. 'Meditate' (NASB, NLT) narrows it to inward reflection. 'Seek him' (NIV, BSB) adds an object, 'him', that the Hebrew does not have.

How it drifted

Rendering it 'meditate' brings in a modern picture of private, inward contemplation. The Hebrew verb is about careful, searching attention, and in a temple setting it may involve asking God for a ruling or a sign.

Used elsewhere in the period

Lev 13:36: the priest 'shall not seek' further (inspecting a skin disease). Lev 27:33: one is not to 'examine whether it is good or bad'. Ezek 34:11-12: God will 'seek out' his sheep. 2 Kgs 16:15: Ahaz keeps the bronze altar 'for me to inquire by', probably some kind of seeking an oracle. Prov 20:25: making vows and only afterward 'reflecting'.

From the study of Ezekiel 34:11

Range of meaning

Used rarely, and in the intensive verb form. It means to inspect, examine closely or look into, and from there to look after or attend to. Its Aramaic relative means to investigate or search records (Ezra 4:15, 19; 5:17).

Against the English

'Seek them out' (KJV, BSB, ESV, NASB) makes the second verb almost repeat the first. NIV's 'look after them' brings out the care. Neither alone carries both the close examination and the attention to each animal.

How it drifted

English has no single word for the shepherd's routine of looking over each animal, so translators chose either 'seek' (matching the first verb) or 'look after' (stressing care).

Used elsewhere in the period

In Leviticus 13:36 the priest examines a skin condition. In Leviticus 27:33 the owner must not inspect a tithe animal to see whether it is good or bad. In Psalm 27:4 the worshipper wants 'to inquire / gaze' in God's temple. In 2 Kings 16:15 it is used for inquiry at an altar. Verse 12 uses the related noun baqqarah, found only here: 'as a shepherd's looking-over of his herd.' Among the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Damascus Document calls its community overseer the mebaqqer ('inspector') and describes him in shepherd language drawn from this chapter, caring for his members as a shepherd does for his flock (CD 13). The Septuagint renders the verb episkeptomai ('visit, look after'), the root of episkopos, 'overseer'.

From the study of Proverbs 20:25

Range of meaning

To examine, inspect, look into, distinguish, seek out. Used of priestly inspection, a shepherd looking over a flock, and seeking in the sanctuary. The Aramaic form means to search records.

Against the English

BSB 'reconsider' and the Septuagint's 'regret' stress a change of heart. WEB 'consider' and NIV are milder and more neutral. KJV 'make enquiry' and NASB's similar wording stay close to the word's investigative sense, though modern readers may hear it as asking someone else a question.

Used elsewhere in the period

Leviticus 13:36 (a priest examining hair), Ezekiel 34:11-12 (a shepherd seeking his flock), Psalm 27:4, Ezra 4:15 (Aramaic, searching archives). Leviticus 27:33 is especially close: in the law of dedicated goods, the owner must not inspect a tithed animal to see if it is good or bad. The Dead Sea community's officer who examined members was called the mĕbaqqēr (Damascus Document 13-14).

Similar words

Where it appears

Leviticus · 2

  1. Leviticus 13:36 יְבַקֵּ֧ר he will seek

    the priest is to examine him, and if the scaly outbreak has spread on the skin, the priest need not look for yellow hair; the person is unclean.

  2. Leviticus 27:33 יְבַקֵּ֛ר he will scrutinize

    He must not inspect whether it is good or bad, and he shall not make any substitution. But if he does make a substitution, both the animal and its substitute shall become holy; they cannot be redeemed.’”

2 Kings · 1

  1. 2 Kings 16:15 לְבַקֵּֽר׃ to consult

    Then King Ahaz commanded Uriah the priest, “Offer on the great altar the morning burnt offering, the evening grain offering, and the king’s burnt offering and grain offering, as well as the burnt offerings, grain offerings, and drink offerings of all the people of the land. Splatter on the altar all the blood of the burnt offerings and sacrifices. But I will use the bronze altar to seek guidance.”

Psalms · 1

  1. Psalm 27:4 וּלְבַקֵּ֥ר and to inquire

    One thing I have asked of the LORD; this is what I desire: to dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the LORD and seek Him in His temple.

    Here: 'And to look searchingly.' Elsewhere the verb is used for a priest examining something closely or a shepherd searching out sheep. Here it may mean seeking guidance from God or attentive contemplation, and the exact sense is debated. It sounds very like the earlier 'seek' (ʾavaqqesh), and the echo is deliberate.

Proverbs · 1

  1. Proverbs 20:25 לְבַקֵּֽר׃ to consider

    It is a trap for a man to dedicate something rashly, only later to reconsider his vows.

    Here: To look a thing over carefully, as a priest inspects a skin condition or a shepherd checks a flock. Here the inspection is good in itself but comes too late, and it may carry a hint of looking for a way out.

Ezekiel · 2

  1. Ezekiel 34:11 וּבִקַּרְתִּֽים׃ and I will seek them

    For this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Behold, I Myself will search for My flock and seek them out.

    Here: 'And I will look them over.' A rare verb for close inspection, the kind a priest makes of a skin disease or an owner makes of his animals. God will not only find the flock but go over it animal by animal and see to each one.

  2. Ezekiel 34:12 אֲבַקֵּ֣ר I will seek

    As a shepherd looks for his scattered sheep when he is among the flock, so I will look for My flock. I will rescue them from all the places to which they were scattered on a day of clouds and darkness.

    Here: The verb behind the opening noun. It means careful searching and looking over, checking each animal, not just a vague 'looking for.' It repeats the 'seek out' of v. 11.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.