To spy
רָגַלStrong’s H7270ragal (ra-gal)
Appears in 24 verses of the Old Testament
In short
Ragal is the Hebrew word usually translated “spies”, “spy out” and “spied out”. It appears in 24 verses of the Old Testament.
“And Joseph remembered the dreams which he dreamed of them, and said unto them, Ye are spies; to see the nakedness of the land ye are come.”
Meaning
- To go on foot, spy out, foot it, go about, walk along, move the feet(Qal) to be a tale-bearer, slander, go about · (Piel) · (Tiphel) to teach to walk
How it's translated
- spies 9
- to spy out 6
- and they spied out 2
- who had spied out 2
- like spy out 1
- and spy out 1
- and to spy on it 1
- and he has slandered 1
Word-by-word English from the STEPBible tagged text.
Where it's used most
- Genesis 7
- Joshua 6
- Judges 3
- 2 Samuel 3
- Numbers 1
- Deuteronomy 1
9 books in all.
Explore in Scripture
- Genesis 42:11We are all one man’s sons; we are true men, thy servants are no spies.
- Genesis 42:14And Joseph said unto them, That is it that I spake unto you, saying, Ye are spies:
- Genesis 42:16Send one of you, and let him fetch your brother, and ye shall be kept in prison, that your words may be proved, whether there be any truth in you: or else by the life of Pharaoh surely ye are spies.
- Genesis 42:30The man, who is the lord of the land, spake roughly to us, and took us for spies of the country.
- Genesis 42:31And we said unto him, We are true men; we are no spies:
- Genesis 42:34And bring your youngest brother unto me: then shall I know that ye are no spies, but that ye are true men: so will I deliver you your brother, and ye shall traffick in the land.
Hebrew dictionary
רָגַל ragal · to spy
1) to go on foot, spy out, foot it, go about, walk along, move the feet 1a) (Qal) to be a tale-bearer, slander, go about 1b) (Piel) 1b1) to slander 1b2) to go about as explorer, spy 1c) (Tiphel) to teach to walk Also means: tir.gal (תִּרְגַּל "to teach" H8637)
From STEPBible’s Hebrew lexicon (based on Brown-Driver-Briggs).
Webster's 1828 Dictionary
How the English word “spy” was understood when the King James Version was still the common Bible of English readers.
SPY, noun
- A person sent into an enemys camp to inspect their works, ascertain their works, ascertain their strength and their intentions, to watch their movements, and secretly communicate intelligence to the proper officer.
- A person deputed to watch the conduct of others.
- One who watches the conduct of others.
All definitions and other forms of “spy”
SPY, verb transitive
- To see; to gain sight of; to discover at a distance, or in a state of concealment.
- To discover by close search or examination; as, a lawyer in examining the pleadings in a case, spies a defect.
- To explore; to view, inspect and examine secretly; as a country; usually with out.“Moses sent to spy out Jaazer, and they took the villages thereof” Numbers 21:32
SPY, verb intransitive
To search narrowly; to scrutinize.
Noah Webster, An American Dictionary of the English Language (1828). Verse references are checked against the KJV. Read the full entry.
Verses are from the King James Version. Word meanings come from the original Hebrew, not from any one translation.