To pursue
רָדַףStrong’s H7291radaph (ra-daph)
Appears in 135 verses of the Old Testament
In short
Radaph is the Hebrew word usually translated “pursued”, “pursue” and “pursues”. It appears in 135 verses of the Old Testament.
“And when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his trained servants, born in his own house, three hundred and eighteen, and pursued them unto Dan.”
Meaning
- To be behind, follow after, pursue, persecute, run after(Qal) · (Niphal) · (Piel) to pursue ardently, aim eagerly to secure, pursue · (Pual) to be pursued, be chased away · (Hiphil) to pursue, chase
How it's translated
- and they pursued 15
- and he pursued 10
- pursue 7
- pursues 5
- and pursues 5
- the pursuers 5
- pursuing 4
- and he pursued them 3
Word-by-word English from the STEPBible tagged text.
Where it's used most
- Psalms 20
- Joshua 15
- Judges 11
- 2 Samuel 11
- 1 Samuel 10
- Deuteronomy 8
23 books in all.
Explore in Scripture
- Genesis 14:15And he divided himself against them, he and his servants, by night, and smote them, and pursued them unto Hobah, which is on the left hand of Damascus.
- Genesis 31:23And he took his brethren with him, and pursued after him seven days’ journey; and they overtook him in the mount Gilead.
- Genesis 35:5And they journeyed: and the terror of God was upon the cities that were round about them, and they did not pursue after the sons of Jacob.
- Genesis 44:4And when they were gone out of the city, and not yet far off, Joseph said unto his steward, Up, follow after the men; and when thou dost overtake them, say unto them, Wherefore have ye rewarded evil for good?
- Exodus 14:4And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, that he shall follow after them; and I will be honoured upon Pharaoh, and upon all his host; that the Egyptians may know that I am the LORD. And they did so.
- Exodus 14:8And the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued after the children of Israel: and the children of Israel went out with an high hand.
All 135 verses, by book
Hebrew dictionary
רָדַף radaph · to pursue
1) to be behind, follow after, pursue, persecute, run after 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to pursue, put to flight, chase, dog, attend closely upon 1a2) to persecute, harass (fig) 1a3) to follow after, aim to secure (fig) 1a4) to run after (a bribe) (fig) 1b) (Niphal) 1b1) to be pursued 1b2) one pursued (participle) 1c) (Piel) to pursue ardently, aim eagerly to secure, pursue 1d) (Pual) to be pursued, be chased away 1e) (Hiphil) to pursue, chase
From STEPBible’s Hebrew lexicon (based on Brown-Driver-Briggs).
Webster's 1828 Dictionary
How the English word “pursue” was understood when the King James Version was still the common Bible of English readers.
PURSUE, verb transitive
[Latin sequor; prosequor, or persequor. See Seek.]
- To follow; to go or proceed after or in a like direction.
- To take and proceed in, without following another.
- To follow with a view to overtake; to follow with haste; to chase; as, to pursue a hare; to pursue an enemy.
- To seek; to use measures to obtain; as, to pursue a remedy at law.
All definitions and other forms of “pursue”
- To prosecute; to continue.“He that pursueth evil, pursueth it to his own death” Proverbs 11:19
- To follow as an example; to imitate.
- To endeavor to attain to; to strive to reach or gain.
- To follow with enmity; to persecute.
PURSUE, verb intransitive
To go on; to proceed; to continue; a Gallicism.
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.