To find (literally or figuratively)
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Heurisko means to find, discover, come upon, obtain, or locate what is sought or encountered. ' It can describe Jesus finding a healed man with a warning, people seeking Jesus but not finding Him, nations reaching out to find God, God being found by those who did not seek Him, and believers finding grace at the throne.
Reader summary
Full entry for εὑρίσκω (G2147) · Open the biblical lexicon
Heurisko means to find, discover, come upon, obtain, or locate what is sought or encountered. ' It can describe Jesus finding a healed man with a warning, people seeking Jesus but not finding Him, nations reaching out to find God, God being found by those who did not seek Him, and believers finding grace at the throne.
The BSB source-word alignment has 176 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include found (13), he found (12), they found (9), you will find (8), find (7).
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Matthew 1:18. Its strongest book concentrations include Luke (45), Acts (35), Matthew (27), John (19).
This entry includes 7 verse guides that explain exact original-language forms in context.
Heurisko means to find, discover, come upon, obtain, or locate what is sought or encountered. It can describe joyful discovery, as when Andrew tells Simon, 'We have found the Messiah.' It can describe Jesus finding a healed man with a warning, people seeking Jesus but not finding Him, nations reaching out to find God, God being found by those who did not seek Him, and believers finding grace at the throne.
The word is not merely about human search skill. In Scripture, finding may expose what a person desires, what God reveals, what judgment withholds, or what mercy grants. Heurisko helps teachers hold together seeking, discovery, divine initiative, warning, and gracious access without making human searching the final authority.
Heurisko is finding language that can describe discovery, encounter, recognition, or obtaining help. Its selected witnesses move from finding Messiah to warning, failed search, divine nearness, unexpected revelation, and grace found at God's throne.
He first found his brother Simon and told him, “We have found the Messiah” (which is translated as Christ).
Andrew's announcement that he has found the Messiah makes finding language a witness-bearing response to encountering Jesus.
Afterward, Jesus found the man at the temple and said to him, “See, you have been made well. Stop sinning, or something worse may happen to you.”
Jesus finds the healed man at the temple and warns him, showing that being found by Jesus can bring searching mercy and sober command.
You will look for Me, but you will not find Me; and where I am, you cannot come.”
Jesus warns His opponents that they will look for Him and not find Him, making failed finding a judgment-shaped statement.
God intended that they would seek Him and perhaps reach out for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us.
Paul says God intended people to seek Him and perhaps reach out and find Him, though He is not far from each one.
And Isaiah boldly says: “I was found by those who did not seek Me; I revealed Myself to those who did not ask for Me.”
Paul quotes Isaiah to say God was found by those who did not seek Him, emphasizing divine self-disclosure to outsiders.
Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
Believers approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders ItA compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
Verse-level guides showing how this original-language form works in its specific context, including grammar, verse function, and guarded interpretation.
Greek word. Finding occurs with or without search; metaphorically means discovering truth or attaining knowledge.
Textus Receptus witness, full corpus Greek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
16 of 177 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
I find
Read verseI find
Read verseI find
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Read verseI find
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Read verseI find
Read verseI find
Read verseI find
Read verseI find
Read verseI find
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Read verseFull New Testament corpus: 260 chapters, 7,957 verses, 140,628 tokens. Data source: honza/textus-receptus (data only), with authority check against byztxt/greektext-textus-receptus.
How mood, tense, and voice shift the force of this verb in context.
This verb appears through different tense, voice, mood, or stem patterns. Those forms help readers see how the action is presented in context.
How this verb appears across 172 occurrences in the NT discourse index (MACULA Greek SBLGNT).
Aspect reflects grammatical form — not authorial emphasis. Participles and infinitives are verbal adjectives and nouns respectively.
Clause data: MACULA Greek (Clear Bible, CC BY 4.0) · SBLGNT (Logos/SBL, CC BY 4.0)
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Showing 1 selected witness from 176 lexical occurrence verses.
Highlights responsible and voluntary stewardship. Acts 11:27-30
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
Heurisko can sound simple, but the New Testament uses finding language to test the direction of desire and the freedom of grace. Andrew finds the Messiah and immediately brings the news to Simon. Jesus finds the healed man and presses him toward holiness. Jesus warns others that a day can come when they look for Him and do not find Him. Paul tells Athenians that God arranged human life so people might seek Him, while Romans 10:20 says God was found by people who did not seek Him.
Hebrews 4:16 then gives believers a priestly invitation: come with confidence to find grace for timely help. The word therefore refuses both pride and despair. Finding can be sought, missed, granted, and received, but God remains the One who makes Himself known and gives access through Christ.
John.1.41
Heurisko can describe finding after search, discovering by encounter, obtaining what is needed, or being met by someone. The subject matters: Andrew finds Messiah, Jesus finds the healed man, seekers may or may not find, and believers find grace because the throne is open through the high priest.
The Old Testament repeatedly calls people to seek the Lord while He may be found, yet it also shows God revealing Himself to those who were not looking rightly. The New Testament brings that pattern to Christ: Messiah is found and confessed, unbelief can seek too late, Gentiles are told God is near, and outsiders find the God they did not seek because He speaks and saves. Hebrews completes the pastoral movement by sending needy believers to find grace at the throne.
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