H7836 H7836
To seek eagerly, search diligently; to rise early in pursuit of — denominative from 'dawn'
The verb שָׁחַר is denominative from שַׁחַר ('dawn'), carrying the vivid connotation of rising at first light to pursue something with urgency. In its dominant Piel form it most often describes seeking God earnestly — 'O God, You are my God; earnestly I seek You' (Ps 63:1) — but also covers diligent pursuit of discipline (Prov 13:24) and wild donkeys seeking prey at daybreak (Job 24:5). The dawn-metaphor gives it an emotional intensity that sets it apart from neutral search verbs like בִּקֵּשׁ or דָּרַשׁ. French 'chercher tot' ('to seek early') preserves the temporal nuance that other languages fold into adverbs of intensity.
1. seek eagerly (Piel) — To seek eagerly or diligently in the Piel stem — the primary usage covering all finite forms, infinitives, and participles of intensified searching. Most characteristically used of seeking God with urgency and devotion: Psalm 63:1 ('I seek You earnestly'), Psalm 78:34 ('they sought God'), Job 8:5 ('if you would seek God'). Also extends to diligent pursuit of non-divine objects: discipline in Prov 13:24 ('he who loves him disciplines him early'), a lover's face in Prov 7:15, and wild donkeys foraging at dawn in Job 24:5. The multilingual evidence — Spanish 'buscaras diligentemente,' 'madrugando'; French 'chercher tot' — preserves both the intensity and the dawn-association. 11×
AR["أَبكِّرُ-أَطلُبُكَ","أَطْلُبُكَ","بَاكِرِينَ","تَطْلُبُ","لِأَبْحَثَ","وَ-الطَّالِبُونَ-إِيَّايَ","وَبَكَّرُوا-","وَتَطْلُبُني","يَبحَثونَني","يَطْلُبُونَنِي","يُبَكِّرُهُ"]·ben["অনুসন্ধান-করতে","অন্বেষণ-কর","অন্বেষণ-করবে-আমাকে","আমি-তোমাকে-খোঁজি","এবং-তুমি-আমাকে-খোঁজবে","এবং-প্রত্যুষে-অন্বেষণ-করেছিল-","এবং-যারা-আমাকে-অন্বেষণ-করে","খুঁজবে-আমাকে","খোঁজ-করব-আপনাকে","খোঁজকারী","তাকে-অনুসন্ধান-করে"]·DE["[אשחרך]","[ומשחרי]","[ושחרתני]","[ישחרנני]","[לשחר]","[משחרי]","[שחרו]","[תשחר]","ich-suchen-du-earnestly","und-suchte-earnestly"]·EN["I-seek-You-earnestly","and-You-will-seek-me","and-sought-earnestly","and-those-who-seek-me-diligently","is-diligent-to-discipline","seek-early","seeking-early","they-will-earnestly-seek-Me","they-will-seek-me-earnestly","to-seek-eagerly"]·FR["[אשחרך]","chercher","chercher-tôt","chercher-tôt-lui","et-chercher","et-chercher-tôt","et-chercher-tôt-moi","à-chercher-tôt"]·heb["אשחרך","ו-משחרי","ו-שיחרו-","ו-שיחרתני","ישחרונני","ל-שחר","משחרי","שיחרו","תשחר"]·HI["और-खोजेगा-तू-मुझे","और-ढूँढ़नेवाले-मुझे","और-तड़के-खोजते-थे-","खोजता-है-उसे","खोजती-है-तुझे","खोजने-वाले","खोजेंगे-मुझे","खोजेगा","ढूँढ़ने","ढूँढ़ेंगे-मुझे","मैं-तुझे-तड़के-खोजूंगा"]·ID["aku-mencari-Engkau-dengan-sungguh-sungguh","dan-Engkau-mencariku","dan-mencari-dengan-sungguh-sungguh-","dan-yang-mencariku-dengan-sungguh-sungguh","mencari-Mu","mencari-dengan-tekun","mencari-pagi-pagi","mencarinya-dengan-sungguh-sungguh","mereka-akan-mencari-Ku-dengan-sungguh-sungguh","mereka-akan-mencari-aku-dengan-sungguh-sungguh","untuk-mencari"]·IT["[אשחרך]","[ישחרנני]","cercare-di-buon'ora","cercare-di-buon'ora-suo","cerco'-di-buon'ora","e-cercare-di-buon'ora","e-cercare-di-buon'ora-mio","e-cerco'-di-buon'ora","per-cercare-di-buon'ora"]·jav["kawula-madosi-Panjenengan","lan-Panjenengan-madosi-kawula","lan-tiyang-kang-madosi-kula","madosi","madosi-kula","madosi-ésuk","ngudi","saha-tiyang-tiyang-madosi-sanget-"]·KO["간절히-찾았나이다","간절히-찾으리라-나를","구하리이다","구하였도다","그-들-이-나-를-찾을-것이다","그-를-일찍-찾는다","그리고-나-를-구하는-자-들-은","그리고-찾으실-것이다-나를-당신이","찾기-위해","찾는-자들이-","찾으면"]·PT["Te-buscarei","buscando-de-madrugada","buscar-me-ão","buscar-me-ão-cedo","buscares-diligentemente","e-buscar-me-ás","e-os-que-me-buscam-cedo","e-procuravam","o-busca-cedo","para-buscar","te-buscarei"]·RU["будешь-искать-рано","будут-искать-Меня","будут-искать-меня","и-будешь-искать-меня","и-искали","и-ищущие-меня","искать","ищет-Тебя","ищу-Тебя-рано","ищущие-рано","рано-ищет-ему"]·ES["buscarás-diligentemente","lo-busca-temprano","madrugando","me-buscarán-temprano","para-buscar","te-busca-temprano","te-buscaré-de-madrugada","y-los-que-me-buscan","y-madrugaban-a-","y-me-buscarás"]·SW["anamrudi","inakutafuta","kukutafuta","na-utanitafuta","na-wakamtafuta-kwa-bidii","na-wanaoniktafuta-mapema","ninakutafuta-mapema","utamtafuta","wakitafuta-mapema","watanitafuta","watanitafuta-mapema"]·TR["aramak-için","ararim-seni","ararsan-erken","arayacaklar-beni","arayan","arıyorum-seni","terbiye-eder-onu","ve-ararlardı","ve-arayacaksın-beni","ve-arayanlar-beni"]·urd["اور-تلاش-کیا","اور-ڈھونڈنے-والے-مجھے","اور-ڈھونڈے-گا-تُو-مجھے","تلاش-کرتا-ہے-اُس-کے-لیے","تلاش-کرنے","تلاش-کریں-گے-مجھے","تلاش-کرے","صبح-سویرے","ڈھونڈتا-ہوں-تُجھے","ڈھونڈتی-ہے-تجھے","ڈھونڈیں-گے-مجھے"]
Job 7:21, Job 8:5, Job 24:5, Ps 63:1, Ps 78:34, Prov 1:28, Prov 7:15, Prov 8:17, Prov 13:24, Isa 26:9, Hos 5:15
▼ 1 more sense below
Senses
2. seek diligently (Qal) — The Qal participial form meaning 'one who diligently seeks' — a hapax at Proverbs 11:27 where שֹׁחֵר טוֹב ('he who diligently seeks good') stands in parallel with בִּקֵּשׁ and דָּרַשׁ. Though semantically near-synonymous with the Piel, the distinct verbal stem marks this as a separate morphological category. Spanish 'el que busca diligente' and English 'he who diligently seeks' both render it as a substantive participle characterizing a habitual seeker of good. 1×
AR["مُبَكِّرٌ"]·ben["যে-অন্বেষণ-করে"]·DE["[שחר]"]·EN["he-who-diligently-seeks"]·FR["chercher-tôt"]·heb["שוחר"]·HI["खोजनेवाला"]·ID["Yang-mencari-dengan-sungguh-sungguh"]·IT["cercare-di-buon'ora"]·jav["tiyang-kang-madosi"]·KO["구하는-자-는"]·PT["Quem-busca"]·RU["ищущий"]·ES["el-que-busca-diligente"]·SW["anayetafuta"]·TR["arayan"]·urd["ڈھونڈنے-والا"]
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† [שָׁחַר] vb.denom. look early, diligently for (late; orig. look for dawn);— Qal Pt. שֹׁחֵר טוֹב Pr 11:27 (‖ בִּקֵּשׁ, דָּרַשׁ), elsewhere Pi. c. acc. (sf.) Pf. 3 ms. sf. שִׁחֲרוֹ מוּסָר Pr 13:24 seeks him early (with) discipline (chastises him betimes); 2 ms. sf. consec. וְשִׁחַרְתַּ֫נִי וְאֵינֶנִּי Jb 7:21; lit. Inf. לְשַׁחֵר פָּנֶיךָ Pr 7:15; of wild asses, Pt. מְשַׁחֲרֵי לַטָּ֑רֶף Jb 24:5…