Word Study · Strong's H7270 · Hebrew
רָגַל
ragal
raw-gal'
Strong's 1890 spelling: râgal
“to walk along”
Strong's Dictionary · 1890 · public domain
to walk along; but only in specifically, applications, to reconnoiter, to be atale-bearer (i.e. slander); to lead about
Rendered in the KJV as
backbite, search, slander, (e-) spy (out), teach to go, view.
- 25occurrencesin the Old Testament
- 9 of 39Old Testament bookswhere the word stands
- 20inflected formsdistinct spellings
Across 25 occurrences
The word itself
Inflected forms · 20
- לְרַגֵּ֣ל3
- וַֽיְרַגְּל֖וּ2
- מְרַגְּלִים֙2
- מְרַגְּלִֽים׃2
- הַֽמְרַגְּלִ֤ים1
- הַֽמְרַגְּלִ֗ים1
- וַיְרַגֵּ֣ל1
- וּלְרַגֵּל֙1
- וּלְרַגְּלָ֣הּ1
- וְרַגְּל֣וּ1
- כִּֽמְרַגְּלִ֖ים1
- לְרַגֵּ֥ל1
and 8 more spellings in the ledger below.
How it is rendered · 11
- to spy out6
- spies5
- [are] spies4
- and they spied out2
- who had spied out2
- and he has slandered1
- and spy out1
- and to spy on it1
- and to spy out1
- he takes slander1
- like [those who] spy out1
The sense the word carries at each spot — how the translators read it there, not a fixed translation.
How it parses · 10
- verb · intensive (piel), participle (“the one who…”) · masculine plural9
- preposition + verb · intensive (piel), infinitive (“to…”)6
- Hc/Vpw3mp2
- the definite article (“the”) + verb · intensive (piel), participle (“the one who…”) · masculine plural2
- conjunction (“and”) + preposition + verb · intensive (piel), infinitive (“to…”)1
- conjunction (“and”) + preposition + verb · intensive (piel), infinitive (“to…”) + pronoun suffix · 3rd person feminine singular1
- conjunction (“and”) + verb · intensive (piel), command · 2nd person masculine plural1
- Hc/Vpw3ms1
- preposition + verb · intensive (piel), participle (“the one who…”) · masculine plural1
- verb · simple (qal), completed action · 3rd person masculine singular1
Show the grammar codes as tagged
- HVprmpa · 9
- HR/Vpcc · 6
- Hc/Vpw3mp · 2
- HTd/Vprmpa · 2
- HC/R/Vpcc · 1
- HC/R/Vpcc/Sp3fs · 1
- HC/Vpv2mp · 1
- Hc/Vpw3ms · 1
- HR/Vprmpa · 1
- HVqp3ms · 1
All 25, in canonical order
The ledger of occurrences
Where this word lives
Genesis carries the most and opens below; every other book is one click.
Genesis7 occurrences
- Genesis 42:9מְרַגְּלִ֣יםmeragelimverb · intensive (piel), participle (“the one who…”) · masculine pluralJoseph remembered his dreams about them and said, “You are spies! You have come to see if our land is vulnerable.”here: [are] spies
- Genesis 42:11מְרַגְּלִֽים׃meragelimverb · intensive (piel), participle (“the one who…”) · masculine pluralWe are all sons of one man. Your servants are honest men, not spies.”here: spies
- Genesis 42:14מְרַגְּלִ֥יםmeragelimverb · intensive (piel), participle (“the one who…”) · masculine pluralThen Joseph declared, “Just as I said, you are spies!here: [are] spies
- Genesis 42:16מְרַגְּלִ֖יםmeragelimverb · intensive (piel), participle (“the one who…”) · masculine pluralSend one of your number to get your brother; the rest of you will be confined so that the truth of your words may be tested. If they are untrue, then as surely as Pharaoh lives, you are spies!”here: [are] spies
- Genesis 42:30כִּֽמְרַגְּלִ֖יםkimragelimpreposition + verb · intensive (piel), participle (“the one who…”) · masculine plural“The man who is lord of the land spoke harshly to us and accused us of spying on the country.here: like [those who] spy out
- Genesis 42:31מְרַגְּלִֽים׃meragelimverb · intensive (piel), participle (“the one who…”) · masculine pluralBut we told him, ‘We are honest men, not spies.here: spies
- Genesis 42:34מְרַגְּלִים֙meragelimverb · intensive (piel), participle (“the one who…”) · masculine pluralBut bring your youngest brother back to me so I will know that you are not spies but honest men. Then I will give your brother back to you, and you can trade in the land.’”here: [are] spies
Deuteronomy1 occurrence
Joshua7 occurrences
- Joshua 2:1מְרַגְּלִים֙meragelimverb · intensive (piel), participle (“the one who…”) · masculine pluralThen Joshua son of Nun secretly sent two spies from Shittim, saying, “Go, inspect the land, especially Jericho.” So they went and entered the house of a prostitute named Rahab and stayed there.here: spies
- Joshua 6:22הַֽמְרַגְּלִ֤יםhamragelimthe definite article (“the”) + verb · intensive (piel), participle (“the one who…”) · masculine pluralMeanwhile, Joshua told the two men who had spied out the land, “Go into the house of the prostitute and bring out the woman and all who are with her, just as you promised her.”here: who had spied out
- Joshua 6:23הַֽמְרַגְּלִ֗יםhamragelimthe definite article (“the”) + verb · intensive (piel), participle (“the one who…”) · masculine pluralSo the young spies went in and brought out Rahab, her father and mother and brothers, and all who belonged to her. They brought out her whole family and settled them outside the camp of Israel.here: who had spied out
- Joshua 6:25לְרַגֵּ֥לleragelpreposition + verb · intensive (piel), infinitive (“to…”)And Joshua spared Rahab the prostitute, with her father’s household and all who belonged to her, because she hid the men Joshua had sent to spy out Jericho. So she has lived among the Israelites to this day.here: to spy out
- Joshua 7:2וְרַגְּל֣וּverageluconjunction (“and”) + verb · intensive (piel), command · 2nd person masculine pluralMeanwhile, Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is near Beth-aven to the east of Bethel, and told them, “Go up and spy out the land.” So the men went up and spied out Ai.here: and spy out
- Joshua 7:2וַֽיְרַגְּל֖וּvayrageluHc/Vpw3mpMeanwhile, Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is near Beth-aven to the east of Bethel, and told them, “Go up and spy out the land.” So the men went up and spied out Ai.here: and they spied out
- Joshua 14:7לְרַגֵּ֣לleragelpreposition + verb · intensive (piel), infinitive (“to…”)I was forty years old when Moses the servant of the LORD sent me from Kadesh-barnea to spy out the land, and I brought back to him an honest report.here: to spy out
Judges3 occurrences
- Judges 18:2לְרַגֵּ֤לleragelpreposition + verb · intensive (piel), infinitive (“to…”)So the Danites sent out five men from their clans, men of valor from Zorah and Eshtaol, to spy out the land and explore it. “Go and explore the land,” they told them. The men entered the hill country of Ephraim and came to the house of Micah, where they spent the night.here: to spy out
- Judges 18:14לְרַגֵּל֮leragelpreposition + verb · intensive (piel), infinitive (“to…”)Then the five men who had gone to spy out the land of Laish said to their brothers, “Did you know that one of these houses has an ephod, household gods, a graven image, and a molten idol? Now think about what you should do.”here: to spy out
- Judges 18:17לְרַגֵּ֣לleragelpreposition + verb · intensive (piel), infinitive (“to…”)And the five men who had gone to spy out the land went inside and took the graven image, the ephod, the household idols, and the molten idol, while the priest stood at the entrance of the gate with the six hundred armed men.here: to spy out
1 Samuel1 occurrence
2 Samuel3 occurrences
- 2 Samuel 10:3וּלְרַגְּלָ֣הּuleragelahconjunction (“and”) + preposition + verb · intensive (piel), infinitive (“to…”) + pronoun suffix · 3rd person feminine singularthe princes of the Ammonites said to Hanun their lord, “Just because David has sent you comforters, do you really believe he is showing respect for your father? Has not David instead sent his servants to explore the city, spy it out, and overthrow it?”here: and to spy on it
- 2 Samuel 15:10מְרַגְּלִ֔יםmeragelimverb · intensive (piel), participle (“the one who…”) · masculine pluralThen Absalom sent spies throughout the tribes of Israel with this message: “When you hear the sound of the horn, you are to say, ‘Absalom reigns in Hebron!’”here: spies
- 2 Samuel 19:27וַיְרַגֵּ֣לvayragelHc/Vpw3msand he has slandered your servant to my lord the king. Yet my lord the king is like the angel of God, so do what is good in your eyes.here: and he has slandered