Dictionary:דרש/0

דרש, לדרש ה', לדרש א-להים

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דרש

Part of Speech	Verb
Occurrences	164
Possible Meanings	Inquire about the future Pray Religiously believe in
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)Derashot HaRan 2About the Ran.
• To pray – Targum Pseudo-Jonathan, Seikhel Tov, RambanBereshit 25:22Shemot 18:15About Ramban.
• To request guidance – Targum Onkelos.
• To sacrifice – Lekach Tov.

Shemot 18:15 – "כִּי יָבֹא אֵלַי הָעָם לִדְרֹשׁ אֱלֹהִים" – see Moshe's Manifold Responsibilities

• To seek Torah guidance – Targum Onkelos, Rashi, Ibn EzraShemot 18:15About Ibn Ezra.
• To learn how to worship Hashem – R. SaadiaCommentary Shemot 18:15-16About R. Saadia, Haketav VeHaKabbalahShemot 18:15About Haketav VeHaKabbalah.
• To request prayer on their behalf – RambanShemot 18:15About Ramban.⁴
• To inquire about the future – RalbagShemot 18:15-16About Ralbag, AbarbanelShemot 18About Abarbanel, R. D"Z HoffmannShemot 18:15-16About R. D"Z Hoffmann.
• To inquire about the nation's encampment – SefornoShemot 18:15-16About Seforno.
• To pay their respects to Moshe – Akeidat YitzchakShemot #43About Akeidat Yitzchak.
• To request judgment:
  • אֱלֹהִים refers to God – ShadalShemot 18:15About Shadal.
  • אֱלֹהִים refers to Moshe – LXX, R. Yosef Bekhor ShorShemot 18:15About R. Yosef Bekhor Shor, Tzeror HaMorAbout Tzeror HaMor.

Semantic Evolution

Intra-Biblical

Rabbinic Hebrew

Modern Hebrew

¹ There are also a number of verses where an idolatrous or necromantic source is sought out as an alternative to God – see Devarim 12:30,18:11, Melakhim I 1:2,3,6,16, Yeshayahu 8:19, Divrei HaYamim I 10:13.

² R. Saadia in his Commentary on Bereshit 25:22 brings prooftexts for four possible meanings for each of ‏דרישת ה'‏ and ‏בקשת ה'‏ – prophecy, prayer, religious observance, and repentance.

³ See the note above regarding the four options presented in R. Saadia's Commentary.

⁴ As the people are coming to Moshe to seek God, Ramban is forced to explain that they are requesting Moshe to pray for them and not praying themselves. U. CassutoShemot 18:15-16About U. Cassuto disagrees with Ramban's interpretation and suggests that this is only Yitro's erroneous understanding based on his idolatrous notions of people bringing their petions to the priest for him to pray for them. This dispute may be rooted in a fundamental disagreement between the rationalist and mystical traditions in understanding how prayer functions and the role of an intermediary in prayer – see Prayer. Compare also Ramban's approach with that of R. Saadia.