Original Word: תּוּר
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: tuwr
Pronunciation: toor
Phonetic Spelling: (toor)
KJV: chap(-man), sent to descry, be excellent, merchant(-man), search (out), seek, (e-)spy (out)
NASB: spy, spied, seek, spying, explore, explored, explores
Word Origin: [a primitive root]

1. to meander (causatively, guide) about, especially for trade or reconnoitring

Tokahath, an Israelite

A primitive root; to meander (causatively, guide) about, especially for trade or reconnoitring -- chap(-man), sent to descry, be excellent, merchant(-man), search (out), seek, (e-)spy (out).

Word Origin
a prim. root
Definition
to seek out, spy out, explore
NASB Translation
explore (1), explored (1), explores (1), follow (1), guide (1), investigate (1), seek (2), selected (1), spied (5), spy (6), spying (2), traders* (2).

יָתֵר Proverbs 12:26, see תור.

תּוּר verb seek out, spy out, explore (Late Hebrew id. (rare); perhaps originally turn (to or about), Assyrian târu, turn about, back, taîru adjective turning back, also merciful, and substantive mercy; Arabic () IV. go about (rare), a go-between) —

Qal Perfect1singular תַּרְתִּי Ezekiel 20:6; Ecclesiastes 2:3; 3plural תָּרוּ Numbers 13:32; 2masculine plural תַּרְתֶּם Numbers 14:24; Imperfect3masculine plural יָתֻ֫רוּ Numbers 13:2, וַיָּתֻ֫רוּ Numbers 13:21; read also 3masculine singular, יָתוּר Job 39:8 ᵑ9 ᵑ7 Ew Di Bu Du and most (for יְתוּר); 2 masculine plural תָּתוּ֫רוּ Numbers 15:39; Infinitive construct תּוּר Numbers 10:33 +; Participle plural תָּרִים Numbers 14:6, on 1 Kings 10:15; 2Chronicles 9:14 see infra; —

1 seek out, select: לָתוּר לָהֶם מִנוּחָה Numbers 10:33 (J, subject ark of ׳י), compare Deuteronomy 1:33 (subject ׳י), Ezekiel 20:6 (id., accusative land); followed by infinitive = find out how to do something, בְּלִבִּי לְ ׳ת Ecclesiastes 2:3.

2 spy out, explore, accusative of land Numbers 13:2,16,17,21,23,32 (twice in verse); Numbers 14:7,34,36,38, accusative of mountains Job 39:8 (see above), compare Participle as subject explores, spies Numbers 14:6 (all P); explore mentally, וּבַקֵּשׁ חָכְמָה ׳לָדַעַת וְלָת Ecclesiastes 7:25, compare Ecclesiastes 9:1 Gr (׳ת for בוּר q. v.), בְּחָכְמָה עַלֿ ׳לָת Ecclesiastes 1:13 (Kue^{Ond. 2, iii. 196}).

3 go about, figurative אַהֲרִי לְבַבְכֶם Numbers 15:39 (P); Participle אַנְשֵׁי הַתָּרִים 1 Kings 10:15; 2Chronicles 9:14, usually merchants ("" סֹחֲרִים רִכְּ לִים); Kit, after ᵑ62Chronicles, proposes הֶעָרִים for הַתָּרִים

Hiph`il Imperfect3masculine plural וַיָּתִ֫ירוּ בְּבֵיתאֵֿל Judges 1:23 they made a reconnoisance at Bethel (Vrss disagree, Gie וַיַּחֲנוּ, compare GFM); 3 masculine singular יָתֵר מֵרֵעֵהוּ צַדִּיק Proverbs 12:26 the righteous searches out (RV is a guide to) his friend, ᵑ7 AV is more excellent than (reading יָתָר), Hi Ew De and others spies out his pasture (מִרְעֵהוּ, in spiritual sense), all dubious; Toy conjectures יָסֻר מֵרָעָה.

Meaning and Scope

The verb conveys the act of carefully searching out, scouting, or investigating a matter, place, or relationship. It is never casual; it is a deliberate quest that weighs evidence and draws conclusions. Across Scripture the word ranges from physical reconnaissance to moral self-examination, binding together the themes of exploration, discernment, and decision.

Exploration of the Promised Land

Numbers 13–14 contains more than half of the occurrences, establishing the primary narrative backdrop. Twelve representatives “were to go and explore the land of Canaan” (Numbers 13:2). “After forty days the men returned from spying out the land” (Numbers 13:25). Ten of them “gave the Israelites a bad report about the land they had spied out” (Numbers 13:32), swaying the nation to unbelief. The result was severe: “For forty years—one year for each of the forty days you explored the land—you will bear your iniquity” (Numbers 14:34). Joshua and Caleb, who “had explored the land” with faith (Numbers 14:6-7, 38), alone were spared.

This passage places the verb at the center of a watershed moment: how Israel interpreted what it had diligently investigated determined the course of an entire generation. Exploration without trust produced fear; the same exploration interpreted through God’s promise produced courage.

Consequences of Faith and Unbelief

The verb therefore becomes a moral touchstone. Numbers 15:39 warns Israel not to “follow after your own heart and your own eyes after which you prostitute yourselves,” turning the idea of searching outward land into a call to restrain the inward search for sinful gratification. The physical reconnaissance of Canaan becomes a metaphor for the heart’s wanderings.

Divine Pre-Search and Guidance

Significantly, Scripture shows the Lord Himself performing this action on behalf of His people. “The Ark of the Covenant of the Lord went before them for three days to seek out a resting place for them” (Numbers 10:33). Moses later reminds the new generation that God “went before you on the journey, in fire by night and in a cloud by day, to search out a place for you to camp” (Deuteronomy 1:33). The contrast is striking: where Israel’s search led to paralysis, God’s search leads to provision and rest. Believers are summoned to trust the divine exploration that precedes and surpasses their own.

Personal and Communal Self-Examination

Proverbs 12:26 applies the verb to relationships: “A righteous man is cautious in friendship, but the way of the wicked leads them astray.” Righteousness is pictured as deliberately vetting companions rather than drifting into harmful alliances. Judges 1:23 shows the tribe of Joseph similarly sending men to “spy out Bethel,” translating the principle of prudent inquiry into military strategy.

Wisdom Literature’s Pursuit of Knowledge

Ecclesiastes employs the verb four times to describe the Teacher’s exhaustive investigations. “I set my mind to seek and explore by wisdom all that is done under heaven” (Ecclesiastes 1:13). He explores pleasure (2:3) and the extremes of good and evil (7:25), only to conclude that autonomous investigation cannot secure ultimate meaning. The same word that once uncovered a fruitful land now exposes the limits of human wisdom, driving the reader to “fear God and keep His commandments” (Ecclesiastes 12:13).

Commercial and International Reconnaissance

In the records of Solomon’s kingdom the word shifts to economic diplomacy. “Besides what was brought by the traveling merchants” (1 Kings 10:15; 2 Chronicles 9:14), conveys caravans that searched out trade opportunities, expanding Israel’s prosperity. The verb thus links exploration to the blessing promised to Abraham—that through his offspring the nations would be blessed—hinting at gospel horizons of worldwide reach.

Prophetic Recollection of a Prepared Heritage

Ezekiel 20:6 looks back on the Exodus: the Lord had “searched out” a land “flowing with milk and honey.” The prophet reminds the exiles that their destiny remains tied to the same divinely scouted inheritance. Even after judgment, God’s prior exploration guarantees hope.

Ministry Implications

1. Pastoral leadership follows God’s pattern of pre-searching. Shepherds must scout spiritual terrain—worldviews, cultural pressures, personal vulnerabilities—so that congregations find rest rather than ruin.
2. Believers are called to disciplined self-examination. Every pursuit, relationship, and ambition must be searched in the light of Scripture (Numbers 15:39; 2 Corinthians 13:5).
3. Mission requires thoughtful reconnaissance. Whether entering an unreached culture or planting a church in a secular city, careful exploration precedes faithful proclamation (cf. Acts 17:23’s “examined” altars).
4. Hope anchors on God’s prior exploration. The same Lord who scouted Canaan has prepared “an inheritance that is imperishable” (1 Peter 1:4). Courage to face present giants flows from confidence that the future has already been surveyed by a faithful God.

From the wilderness to the wisdom school, from commerce to prophecy, the verb paints a consistent biblical portrait: diligent searching is indispensable, but only when it rests on and responds to the Lord’s own perfect search. When human investigation aligns with divine revelation, the result is blessing; when it contradicts, it breeds confusion and loss.

הַתָּרִ֔ים הַתָּרִ֖ים הַתָּרִ֛ים התרים וְיָתֻ֙רוּ֙ וְלָת֔וּר וְלָתוּר֙ וַיָּתִ֥ירוּ וַיָּתֻ֣רוּ ויתירו ויתרו ולתור יָתֵ֣ר יתר לָת֖וּר לָת֣וּר לָת֥וּר לתור מִתּ֣וּר מתור תַּ֣רְתִּי תַּרְתֶּ֣ם תָּר֣וּ תָתֻ֜רוּ תרו תרתי תרתם תתרו hat·tā·rîm hattaRim hattārîm lā·ṯūr laTur lāṯūr mit·tūr mitTur mittūr tā·rū ṯā·ṯu·rū tar·tem tar·tî tartem Tarti tartî taRu tārū taTuru ṯāṯurū vaiyaTiru vaiyaTuru velaTur veyaTuru way·yā·ṯî·rū way·yā·ṯu·rū wayyāṯîrū wayyāṯurū wə·lā·ṯūr wə·yā·ṯu·rū wəlāṯūr wəyāṯurū yā·ṯêr yaTer yāṯêrInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts