'Sought' in the Bible

Joseph hurried out for he was deeply stirred over his brother, and he sought a place to weep; and he entered his chamber and wept there.

Now it came about at the lodging place on the way that the Lord met him and sought to put him to death.

Now Moses used to take the tent and pitch it outside the camp, a good distance from the camp, and he called it the tent of meeting. And everyone who sought the Lord would go out to the tent of meeting which was outside the camp.

So you shall stone him to death because he has sought to seduce you from the Lord your God who brought you out from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.

“And He will say, ‘Where are their gods,The rock in which they sought refuge?

They departed and came to the hill country, and remained there for three days until the pursuers returned. Now the pursuers had sought them all along the road, but had not found them.

But now your kingdom shall not endure. The Lord has sought out for Himself a man after His own heart, and the Lord has appointed him as ruler over His people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you.”

Between the passes by which Jonathan sought to cross over to the Philistines’ garrison, there was a sharp crag on the one side and a sharp crag on the other side, and the name of the one was Bozez, and the name of the other Seneh.

David stayed in the wilderness in the strongholds, and remained in the hill country in the wilderness of Ziph. And Saul sought him every day, but God did not deliver him into his hand.

Then they brought the head of Ish-bosheth to David at Hebron and said to the king, “Behold, the head of Ish-bosheth the son of Saul, your enemy, who sought your life; thus the Lord has given my lord the king vengeance this day on Saul and his descendants.”

Now there was a famine in the days of David for three years, year after year; and David sought the presence of the Lord. And the Lord said, “It is for Saul and his bloody house, because he put the Gibeonites to death.”

So the king called the Gibeonites and spoke to them (now the Gibeonites were not of the sons of Israel but of the remnant of the Amorites, and the sons of Israel made a covenant with them, but Saul had sought to kill them in his zeal for the sons of Israel and Judah).

Solomon sought therefore to put Jeroboam to death; but Jeroboam arose and fled to Egypt to Shishak king of Egypt, and he was in Egypt until the death of Solomon.

Now the bronze altar, which Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, had made, was there before the tabernacle of the Lord, and Solomon and the assembly sought it out.

He acted wisely and distributed some of his sons through all the territories of Judah and Benjamin to all the fortified cities, and he gave them food in abundance. And he sought many wives for them.

For he said to Judah, “Let us build these cities and surround them with walls and towers, gates and bars. The land is still ours because we have sought the Lord our God; we have sought Him, and He has given us rest on every side.” So they built and prospered.

But in their distress they turned to the Lord God of Israel, and they sought Him, and He let them find Him.

All Judah rejoiced concerning the oath, for they had sworn with their whole heart and had sought Him earnestly, and He let them find Him. So the Lord gave them rest on every side.

but sought the God of his father, followed His commandments, and did not act as Israel did.

He also sought Ahaziah, and they caught him while he was hiding in Samaria; they brought him to Jehu, put him to death and buried him. For they said, “He is the son of Jehoshaphat, who sought the Lord with all his heart.” So there was no one of the house of Ahaziah to retain the power of the kingdom.

Then the anger of the Lord burned against Amaziah, and He sent him a prophet who said to him, “Why have you sought the gods of the people who have not delivered their own people from your hand?”

But Amaziah would not listen, for it was from God, that He might deliver them into the hand of Joash because they had sought the gods of Edom.

He continued to seek God in the days of Zechariah, who had understanding through the vision of God; and as long as he sought the Lord, God prospered him.

So we fasted and sought our God concerning this matter, and He listened to our entreaty.

Now at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem they sought out the Levites from all their places, to bring them to Jerusalem so that they might celebrate the dedication with gladness, with hymns of thanksgiving and with songs to the accompaniment of cymbals, harps and lyres.

Then the king’s attendants, who served him, said, “Let beautiful young virgins be sought for the king.

In those days, while Mordecai was sitting at the king’s gate, Bigthan and Teresh, two of the king’s officials from those who guarded the door, became angry and sought to lay hands on King Ahasuerus.

But he disdained to lay hands on Mordecai alone, for they had told him who the people of Mordecai were; therefore Haman sought to destroy all the Jews, the people of Mordecai, who were throughout the whole kingdom of Ahasuerus.

It was found written what Mordecai had reported concerning Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king’s eunuchs who were doorkeepers, that they had sought to lay hands on King Ahasuerus.

The Jews assembled in their cities throughout all the provinces of King Ahasuerus to lay hands on those who sought their harm; and no one could stand before them, for the dread of them had fallen on all the peoples.

For Mordecai the Jew was second only to King Ahasuerus, and great among the Jews and in favor with his many kinsmen, one who sought the good of his people and one who spoke for the welfare of his whole nation.

I sought the Lord, and He answered me,And delivered me from all my fears.

Then he passed away, and lo, he was no more;I sought for him, but he could not be found.

For strangers have risen against meAnd violent men have sought my life;They have not set God before them. Selah.

In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord;In the night my hand was stretched out without weariness;My soul refused to be comforted.

When He killed them, then they sought Him,And returned and searched diligently for God;

O God, arrogant men have risen up against me,And a band of violent men have sought my life,And they have not set You before them.

With all my heart I have sought You;Do not let me wander from Your commandments.

I am Yours, save me;For I have sought Your precepts.

Behold, I have found only this, that God made men upright, but they have sought out many devices.”

The Preacher sought to find delightful words and to write words of truth correctly.

“On my bed night after night I sought himWhom my soul loves;I sought him but did not find him.

‘I must arise now and go about the city;In the streets and in the squaresI must seek him whom my soul loves.’I sought him but did not find him.

Madmenah has fled.The inhabitants of Gebim have sought refuge.

O Lord, they sought You in distress;They could only whisper a prayer,Your chastening was upon them.

And they will call them, “The holy people,The redeemed of the Lord”;And you will be called, “Sought out, a city not forsaken.”

“I permitted Myself to be sought by those who did not ask for Me;I permitted Myself to be found by those who did not seek Me.I said, ‘Here am I, here am I,’To a nation which did not call on My name.

They will spread them out to the sun, the moon and to all the host of heaven, which they have loved and which they have served, and which they have gone after and which they have sought, and which they have worshiped. They will not be gathered or buried; they will be as dung on the face of the ground.

For the shepherds have become stupidAnd have not sought the Lord;Therefore they have not prospered,And all their flock is scattered.

When King Jehoiakim and all his mighty men and all the officials heard his words, then the king sought to put him to death; but Uriah heard it, and he was afraid and fled and went to Egypt.

“I called to my lovers, but they deceived me;My priests and my elders perished in the cityWhile they sought food to restore their strength themselves.

I will bring terrors on you and you will be no more; though you will be sought, you will never be found again,” declares the Lord God.

Those who are sickly you have not strengthened, the diseased you have not healed, the broken you have not bound up, the scattered you have not brought back, nor have you sought for the lost; but with force and with severity you have dominated them.

But Daniel made up his mind that he would not defile himself with the king’s choice food or with the wine which he drank; so he sought permission from the commander of the officials that he might not defile himself.

When I, Daniel, had seen the vision, I sought to understand it; and behold, standing before me was one who looked like a man.

As it is written in the law of Moses, all this calamity has come on us; yet we have not sought the favor of the Lord our God by turning from our iniquity and giving attention to Your truth.

Though the pride of Israel testifies against him,Yet they have not returned to the Lord their God,Nor have they sought Him, for all this.

Yes, he wrestled with the angel and prevailed;He wept and sought His favor.He found Him at BethelAnd there He spoke with us,

And those who have turned back from following the Lord,And those who have not sought the Lord or inquired of Him.”

“Get up, take the Child and His mother, and go into the land of Israel; for those who sought the Child’s life are dead.”

When they sought to seize Him, they feared the people, because they considered Him to be a prophet.

who was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, a man of intelligence. This man summoned Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God.

When he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.

And Isaiah is very bold and says,“I was found by those who did not seek Me,I became manifest to those who did not ask for Me.”

But it is good always to be eagerly sought in a commendable manner, and not only when I am present with you.

For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion sought for a second.

For you know that even afterwards, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought for it with tears.