BIBLE GREEK WORD STUDY
Horā (G3708) — Meaning & Usage in the Bible
Horā (ὁράω) is a Greek verb meaning to see, with extended senses of attending to, experiencing, and (passively) appearing.
Meaning of the word
The base meaning of horā is to see with the eyes, that is, to perceive an object visually. The supplied examples show this straightforward sense: in Matthew 5:1 Jesus, 'seeing the multitudes,' went up the mountain, and in John 1:47 he 'saw Nathanael coming to him.' In John 1:39 the disciples are invited to 'come and ... see' where Jesus was staying.
Extended senses given in the lexicon include attentiveness ('to attend to') and experiential knowledge ('to experience, by Hebraism'). With these extensions, seeing can move beyond mere physical sight toward what is known or observed through experience. John 1:34 ('I have seen, and have borne witness that this is the Son of God') and John 1:33 are instances where the verb points to knowledge gained through witnessed encounter.
Finally, the lexicon notes a passive use, 'to appear.' The same root surfaces in the interjection idou (ἰδού), 'behold,' seen in Matthew 7:4 ('lo, the beam is in thine own eye') and in John 1:29, where John the Baptist directs attention to Jesus with 'Behold, the Lamb of God.'
Usage in Scripture
The supplied verses cluster in the Gospels, particularly Matthew and John. Matthew 5:8 promises that the pure in heart 'shall see God,' using the future form ὄψονται, while Matthew 5:1, 5:16, and 7:4 illustrate the verb across narrative, ethical teaching, and the interjectional 'behold.' In John 1, the verb recurs in rapid succession (1:18, 1:29, 1:33, 1:34, 1:35, 1:39, 1:47), supporting the chapter's unfolding testimony about who Jesus is.
The example verses show a range of forms: εἶδον and εἶδεν (aorist, 'saw'), ἑώρακα and ἑώρακεν (perfect, 'have seen'), ὄψομαι, ὄψεσθε, and ὄψονται (future, 'will see'), ἴδωσιν, ἴδῃς, ἴδε (aorist subjunctive/imperative), and ἰδού (interjection, 'behold'). Readers of the Greek text can therefore recognize horā in nearly every tense relevant to the Gospel narratives of seeing and witnessing.
Because the lexicon entry highlights 'attend to' and 'experience,' the verb is not limited to bare physical sight. Texts such as John 1:18, where the Son 'hath declared him,' and John 1:34, where the Baptist bears witness, treat seeing as participation in an event whose meaning is then proclaimed.
The word in detail
- G3708 Lexicon gloss: 'by extension, to attend to; by Hebraism, to experience; passively, to appear.' The base meaning is to see. The supplied data lists 48 occurrences in 47 distinct verses.
Example verses
- Matthew 5:8 Uses the future form ὄψονται, 'they shall see God.' A beatitude that ties moral purity to eschatological sight.
- Matthew 7:4 Here the cognate interjection ἰδού, 'lo' or 'behold,' is used to expose the beam in one's own eye,
- John 1:18 Uses the perfect form ἑώρακεν, 'hath seen,' in the declaration that no one has seen God at any time; the Son has declared him.
- John 1:34 John's testimony in the perfect ἑώρακα, 'I have seen,' combining prior sight with ongoing witness that Jesus is the Son of God.
Common questions
What does horā (G3708) mean in English?
It primarily means to see, with the extended senses of attending to, experiencing, and (passively) appearing, according to the supplied lexicon entry.
Is ἰδού (idou, behold) the same word as horā?
It is the same root: ἰδού is an interjection built from the aorist form of horā, used as 'behold,' as in Matthew 7:4 and John 1:29.
What is the difference between εἶδον and ἑώρακα?
εἶδον is the aorist form ('saw'), seen in John 1:47 (εἶδεν). ἑώρακα is the perfect form ('have seen'), seen in John 1:34 and John 1:18 (ἑώρακεν), implying present standing based on past sight.