What does ψηλαφάω (psēlapháō) mean in the Bible?
ψηλαφάω (psēlapháō) is a Greek word meaning "to touch".
Greek · G5584
ψηλαφάω
To touch
Reading a lexicon entry
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ψηλαφάω G5584
Pronunciation psēlapháō
What does ψηλαφάω (psēlapháō) mean in the Bible?
ψηλαφάω (psēlapháō) is a Greek word meaning "to touch".
Full entry for ψηλαφάω (G5584) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render G5584?
The BSB source-word alignment has 4 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include [ a mountain that ] can be touched (1), reach out for (1), Touch (1), touched [with] (1).
Where does ψηλαφάω (psēlapháō) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Luke 24:39. Its strongest book concentrations include 1 John (1), Acts (1), Hebrews (1), Luke (1).
Source Word Evidence
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders It [ a mountain that ] can be touched 1× Hebrews 12:18
reach out for 1× Acts 17:27
Touch 1× Luke 24:39
touched [with] 1× 1 John 1:1
Show sample aligned rows
Luke 24:39 ψηλαφήσατέ to Touch Verb - Aorist Imperative Active - 2nd Person Plural Acts 17:27 ψηλαφήσειαν to reach out for Verb - Aorist Optative Active - 3rd Person Plural Hebrews 12:18 ψηλαφωμένῳ to [ a mountain that ] can be touched Verb - Present Participle Middle or Passive - Dative Neuter Singular 1 John 1:1 ἐψηλάφησαν to touched [with] Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Plural
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Luke 24:39
Aligned rows 4
Books represented 4
Luke 1 Acts 1 Hebrews 1 1 John 1
Source forms
ἐψηλάφησαν 1x epsēlaphēsan 1 John 1:1
ψηλαφήσατέ 1x psēlaphēsate Luke 24:39
ψηλαφήσειαν 1x psēlaphēseian Acts 17:27
ψηλαφωμένῳ 1x psēlaphōmenō Hebrews 12:18
Parsing patterns
Verb - Aorist Imperative Active - 2nd Person Plural 1x Luke 24:39
Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Plural 1x 1 John 1:1
Verb - Aorist Optative Active - 3rd Person Plural 1x Acts 17:27
Verb - Present Participle Middle or Passive - Dative Neuter Singular 1x Hebrews 12:18
Evidence Summary
Greek word. to touch
Strong's G5584
Lexical occurrences 4 verses Greek text appearances 4 times Word forms 4 forms 4 references Verse guides 0 guides
Source Gloss
to touch
Extended definition Source: STEPBible TBESG + Abbott-Smith
(ψάω, to touch), [in LXX for מוּשׁ, מָשַׁשׁ pi., etc. ;]
1to feel or grope about; with accusative, to feel about for, search after: metaphorically, of seeking God, Act.17:27.
Greek Text Appearances
Textus Receptus witness, full corpus Greek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
4 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
Luke 24:39 Verb Second Person Plural Aorist Active Imperative
ψηλαφήσατέ yhlafhsate
I feel, touch, handle, grope for
Read verse Acts 17:27 Verb Third Person Plural Aorist Active Optative
ψηλαφήσειαν yhlafhseian
I feel, touch, handle, grope for
Read verse Hebrews 12:18 Verb Present Passive Participle Dative Singular Neuter
ψηλαφωμένῳ yhlafwmenw
I feel, touch, handle, grope for
Read verse 1 John 1:1 Verb Third Person Plural Aorist Active Indicative
ἐψηλάφησαν eyhlafhsan
I feel, touch, handle, grope for
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.
Grammatical Forms
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.
Form groups 4 Aligned forms 4 Tenses Aorist, Present Voices Active, Passive
Verse guides are not available for this word yet, so verse references remain plain evidence markers.
Tenses
Voices
Imperative command or strong request 1×
Aorist Active Luke 24:39 1×
Optative wish or remote possibility 1×
Aorist Active Acts 17:27 1×
Participle verbal adjective — the action as a modifying quality 1×
Present Passive Heb 12:18 1×
Indicative states a fact or reality 1×
Aorist Active 1 John 1:1 1×
Discourse Aspect
How this verb appears across 4 occurrences in the NT discourse index (MACULA Greek SBLGNT).
Aspect
Tense
aorist 3 present 1
Voice
active 3 passive 1
Mood
indicative 1 optative 1 participle 1 imperative 1
NT Occurrences
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)
Word Origins
ψηλαφάω is built from these roots:
Part of These Phrases
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
Sources
MorphGNT Strong's Dictionary XML — CC0 1.0 Public Domain
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible (morphhb/OSHB) — CC BY 4.0
Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon — CC BY 4.0
Berean Standard Bible (BSB) source-word alignment - CC0 Public Domain