SEARCH

surch: Some peculiar senses are: (1) In the books of Moses, especially in Nu, "searching out the land" means to spy out (raggel), to investigate carefully, to examine with a view to giving a full and accurate report on. (2) When applied to the Scriptures, as in Ezra 4:15,19 (baqqer); John 5:39; 1 Peter 1:11 (eraunao), it means to examine, to study out the meaning. In Acts 17:11, the Revised Version (British and American) substitutes "examining" for the "searched" of the King James Version. See SEARCHINGS . (3) "Search out" often means to study critically, to investigate carefully, e.g. Job 8:8; 29:16; Ecclesiastes 1:13; Lamentations 3:40; Matthew 2:8; 1 Corinthians 2:10; 1 Peter 1:10. (4) When the word is applied to God's searching the heart or spirit, it means His opening up, laying bare, disclosing what was hidden, e.g. 1 Chronicles 28:9; Psalms 44:21; 139:1; Proverbs 20:27; Jeremiah 17:10; Romans 8:27.

G. H. Gerberding

From the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
Edited by James Orr, published in 1939 by Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.