H8446 H8446
To spy out, explore, or investigate; also as a participle: trader, merchant; in Hifil: to surpass or excel.
A verb of purposeful movement and discovery, tur fundamentally means to go about searching or exploring. Its most vivid usage appears in the spy narrative of Numbers 13-14, where the twelve scouts 'spy out' the land of Canaan. Qoheleth repurposes the same verb for intellectual exploration, declaring that he 'searched out' all that is done under heaven (Eccl 1:13). The participial form yields 'traders'—those who travel about for commerce (1 Kgs 10:15). Spanish 'espiar' and German 'erforschen' capture the dual physical-intellectual range remarkably well.
4. excel, surpass (Hifil) — In the Hifil stem, to have advantage over or to surpass in value. This rare sense appears in Proverbs 12:26, where the righteous 'excels' or 'guides' his neighbor. The notion of superiority may derive from the idea of going beyond or exploring further than another. The multilingual evidence is thin here, with most translations resorting to paraphrase, suggesting this is a specialized extension of the root's core meaning of purposeful movement. 1×
AR["أفْضَلُ"]·ben["উত্কৃষ্ট"]·DE["erforschte"]·EN["more-abundant-than"]·FR["explorer"]·heb["יותר"]·HI["अधिक"]·ID["Lebih-berlimpah"]·IT["più-abundant-than"]·jav["luwih-saé"]·KO["낫다"]·PT["Melhor"]·RU["больше"]·ES["aventaja"]·SW["bora-kuliko"]·TR["üstündür"]·urd["بڑھ-ہے"]
▼ 3 more senses below
Senses
1. spy out, reconnoiter land — To spy out or reconnoiter a territory for military or settlement purposes. This is the dominant sense, appearing sixteen times in the Pentateuch and Judges. The twelve spies 'toured' Canaan from the wilderness of Zin to Rehob (Num 13:21), and the Danites sent five men to 'spy out' the hill country (Judg 18:2). Spanish 'espiar' and French 'espionner' preserve the intelligence-gathering nuance. The verb implies purposeful, systematic traversal rather than casual wandering. 16×
AR["الْمُتَجَسِّسِينَ","تَتَجَوَّلُونَ","تَجَسَّسُوهَا","تَجَسَّسْتُمْ","لِ-يَتَجَسَّسَ","لِنَتَجَسَّسَهَا","لِيَتَجَسَّسَ","لِيَتَجَسَّسُوا","مِنْ-تَجَسُّسِ","وَ-تَجَسَّسَ","وَ-تَجَسَّسُوا","وَ-لِيَتَجَسَّسُوا"]·ben["অনুসন্ধান-করতে","অনুসন্ধান-করতে-","এবং-গুপ্তচর-করল","এবং-গুপ্তচর-করুক","এবং-গুপ্তচর-পাঠাল","গুপ্তচর-করতে","গুপ্তচর-করা-থেকে","গুপ্তচর-করেছিল","তোমরা-অনুসন্ধান-করেছ","তোমরা-অনুসরণ-করবে","যারা-অনুসন্ধান-করেছিল"]·DE["der-die-spying-heraus","du-spied-heraus","explore","sie-spied-heraus","und-lass-ihnen-kundschaften-heraus","und-sie-spied-heraus","von-spying-heraus","zu-durchsuchen-heraus","zu-kundschaften-heraus","zu-suchen-heraus"]·EN["and-let-them-spy-out","and-they-spied-out","explore","from-spying-out","the-ones-spying-out","they-spied-out","to-search-out","to-seek-out","to-spy-out","you-spied-out"]·FR["de-spying-dehors","et-ils-espionna-dehors","et-ils-spied-dehors","et-laisse-eux-spy-dehors","explore","ils-spied-dehors","le-ones-spying-dehors","tu-spied-dehors","à-chercher-dehors","à-search-dehors","à-spy-dehors"]·heb["ה-תרים","ו-יתרו","ו-תרו","ל-תור","לתור","מ-תור","תרו","תרתם","תתרו"]·HI["और-जासूसी-करें","और-जासूसी-की","और-जासूसी-भेजा","खोजने-को","जासूसी-करने-को","जासूसी-करने-वालों-से","जासूसी-करोगे","जासूसी-की-थी","तुमने-जासूसी-की","देखने-के-लिए","से-जासूसी-करने"]·ID["Dan-mengintailah-mereka","dan-mereka-mengintai","dari-mengintai","kamu-mengikuti","kamu-mengintai","mereka-intai","supaya-mereka-mengintai","untuk-mencari","untuk-mengintai","yang-mengintai"]·IT["a-cercare-fuori","a-esplorare-fuori","da-spying-fuori","e-essi-spied-fuori","e-lascia-loro-esplorare-fuori","essi-spied-fuori","explore","il-quelli-spying-fuori","tu-spied-fuori"]·jav["Lan-telik","kangge-madosi","kanggé-madosi","kanggé-ngubengi","lan-ngubengi","ngubengi","panjenengan-sadaya-ngubengi","para-telik-sandi","piyambak-ipun-sadaya-ngubengi","saking-ngubengi","supados-sami-ngubengi"]·KO["그들이-정탐한","그리고-그들이-정탐할-것이다","그리고-그들이-정탐했다","그리고-정탐했다","너희가-뒤따라-가다","너희가-정탐한","정찰하기-위하여","정탐하기-에서","정탐하기-위하여","정탐하는-자들","찾기-위해"]·PT["E-espiaram","de-espiar","e-espiaram","e-espiarão","espiaram","espiareis","espiastes","os-espiando","para-buscar","para-espiar","para-explorar"]·RU["И-проверяли","будете-следовать","и-обследовали","и-обследуют","из-обследования","искать","обследовавших","обследовали","обследовали-вы","обследовать","чтобы-высмотреть","чтобы-обследовать"]·ES["Y-espiaron","de-espiar","espiaron","espiasteis","exploraréis","los-que-espiaron","para-buscar","para-espiar","y-espiaron","y-espíen"]·SW["-tafute","kumweka","kupeleleza","kutafuta","kutoka-kupeleleza","mlipeleleza","na-wakapeleleza","na-wakautazama","na-wapeleleze","walipeleleza","wapelelezi"]·TR["-den-gözetlemekten","-için-gözetlemek","-için-keşfetmek","aramak-için","dolaşacaksınız","gözetlediler","gözetlediniz","gözetleyenlerden","ve-gözetlediler","ve-gözetlesinler"]·urd["اور-جاسوسی-کریں","اور-جاسوسی-کی","تلاش-کرنے-کو","تم-گھوموگے","جاسوسوں","جاسوسی-سے","جاسوسی-کرنے-کو","جاسوسی-کی-تھی"]
2. search out, investigate intellectually — To search out or investigate through intellectual inquiry. Qoheleth employs this verb four times for his philosophical explorations: 'I applied my heart to search out by wisdom all that is done under heaven' (Eccl 1:13). The shift from geographical to mental exploration is natural—the same deliberate, thorough surveying is now directed at wisdom and folly. German 'erforschen' (to research) and Spanish 'escudriñar' (to scrutinize) both capture this investigative depth. Ezekiel 20:6 bridges both senses, as God 'searched out' a land for Israel. 4×
AR["بَحَثْتُ","بِـ-الحِكْمَةِ","تَجَسَّسْتُهَا","وَلِأَبْحَثَ"]·ben["অন্বেষণ-করলাম","আমি-বেছে-নিয়েছিলাম","এবং-অন্বেষণ-করতে"]·DE["[תרתי]","erforschte","und-erforschte"]·EN["I-searched","I-searched-out","and-to-search-out"]·FR["espionner","et-explorer","explorer"]·heb["ו-ל-תור","תרתי"]·HI["और-छानबीन-करने-को","और-छानबीन-करने-में","खोजा-मैंने","मैंने-खोजा"]·ID["Aku-menyelidiki","Aku-pilih","dan-menyelidiki","dan-untuk-menyelidiki"]·IT["Io-searched","[תרתי]","e-per-e-a-search-out"]·jav["Kula-pirsani","kula-nliti","lan-madosi","lan-nliti"]·KO["그리고-조사하기를","그리고-탐구하기-위해","찾아낸","탐구하였다"]·PT["Busquei","e-investigar","e-para-investigar","explorei"]·RU["Исследовал-я","высмотрел","и-искать","и-исследовать"]·ES["Busqué","escudriñé","y-a-explorar","y-para-escudriñar"]·SW["Nilitafiti","na-kuchunguza","niliichunguza"]·TR["arastirdim","araştırdım","ve-kesfetmek-icin"]·urd["اور-تلاش-کرنے-کے-لیے","اور-جانچنے","تلاش-کی","سوچا-میں-نے"]
3. trader, merchant — As a participial substantive (hattorim), this denotes traders or merchants—those who 'go about' for commerce. It appears in the accounting of Solomon's revenue alongside the income from 'the traders' (1 Kgs 10:15; 2 Chr 9:14). The semantic path from 'one who goes about exploring' to 'traveling merchant' reflects the ancient reality of trade caravans scouting routes and markets. Spanish 'comerciantes' and 'mercaderes' render this commercial sense directly. 2×
AR["التُّجّارِ","الـ-تُّجَّارِ"]·ben["-বণিকদের","বণিকদের"]·DE["[התרים]","der-traders"]·EN["the-traders"]·FR["[התרים]","le-traders"]·heb["ה-תרים","הַ-תָּרִים"]·HI["व्यापारियों-के"]·ID["pedagang-keliling","pengembara"]·IT["[התרים]","il-traders"]·jav["pedagang","sudagar"]·KO["그-상인들의","그-정탐하는자들-의"]·PT["os-mercadores"]·RU["купцов","путешественников"]·ES["los-comerciantes","los-mercaderes"]·SW["wafanyabiashara"]·TR["tüccarların"]·urd["تاجروں-کے","پھیری-والوں"]
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† תּוּר vb. seek out, spy out, explore (NH id. (rare); perhaps orig. turn (to or about), Assyrian târu, turn about, back, taiâru adj. turning back, also merciful, and subst. mercy; Arabic تَارَ (و) iv. go about (rare), تَوْرٌ a go-between);— Qal Pf. 1 s. תַּרְתִּי Ez 20:6; Ec 2:3; 3 pl. תָּרוּ Nu 13:32; 2 mpl. תַּרְתֶּם 14:24; Impf. 3 mpl. יָתֻ֫רוּ 13:2, וַיָּתֻ֫רוּ v 21; read also 3 ms. יָתוּר…