This verb carries the force of careful, thorough examination—not a casual glance but a diligent search. When the magi are told to "search carefully" for the child (Matt 2:8), the word captures Herod's feigned interest in precision. Jesus uses it when instructing the seventy to "inquire" which household is worthy (Matt 10:11), and John places it on Jesus' lips at the breakfast by the sea, where none of the disciples dared "ask" him who he was (John 21:12)—a question they would have examined closely had they not already known. The multilingual evidence (Spanish averiguad/indagad, French examiner, German erforschen) consistently points to investigative scrutiny rather than simple inquiry.