דרש, לדרש ה', לדרש א-להים
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| Part of Speech | Verb |
|---|---|
| Occurrences | 164 |
| Possible Meanings |
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| Related Words | _ |
Possible Meanings
The root דרש appears in 164 places in Tanakh and is used consistently with the meaning of to seek or ask. In almost one-third of these verses, it is God (ה', א-להים) who is being sought, either directly or through an intermediary.1 However, God cannot be physically seen or found, and this leads to different understandings of the manner and purpose of "seeking God."
Biblical verses can be adduced to support a number of possibilities:2
1. Inquire about the future or the unknown
- Biblical verses – Shemuel I 9:9, Melakhim I 22:7-8
- Additional data –
2. Pray
- Biblical verses – Yeshayahu 55:6, Tehillim 34:5
- Additional data –
3. Religiously believe in (worship of the heart)
- Biblical verses – Divrei HaYamim I 22:19, 28:9, Divrei HaYamim II 12:14, 15:12, 19:3, 31:21
- Additional data –
Disputed Cases
Bereshit 25:22 – "וַתֵּלֶךְ לִדְרֹשׁ אֶת ה'"
- To inquire about the future – R. Saadia in his Targum,3 Rashi, Rashbam, R. Nissim (Ran).
- To pray – Targum Yerushalmi (Yonatan), Seikhel Tov, Ramban.
- To request guidance – Targum Onkelos.
- To sacrifice – Lekach Tov.
Shemot 18:15 – "כִּי יָבֹא אֵלַי הָעָם לִדְרֹשׁ אֱ-לֹהִים" – see Moshe's Manifold Responsibilities
- To seek Torah guidance – Targum Onkelos, Rashi, Ibn Ezra.
- To learn how to worship Hashem – R. Saadia, Haketav VeHaKabbalah.
- To request prayer on their behalf – Ramban.4
- To inquire about the future – Ralbag, Abarbanel, R. D"Z Hoffmann.
- To inquire about the nation's encampment – Sforno.
- To pay their respects to Moshe – Akeidat Yitzchak.
- To request judgment:
- אֱ-לֹהִים refers to God – Shadal.
- אֱ-לֹהִים refers to Moshe – LXX, R. Yosef Bekhor Shor, Tzeror HaMor.
Idioms
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Relationship to Synonyms
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