The Old Testament frequently refers to people seeking or inquiring of God. Four Hebrew words which relate to this are “sha’al”, “darash”, “baqar” and “baqash”.
“Sha’al” means “ask, inquire…” [1] or “ask, inquire…inquire of, consult”. [2] “Sha’al” relates primarily to asking God for specific guidance. [3]
“Darash” means “to seek with care, inquire” [4] or “seek, consult, inquire of…seek deity in prayer and worship”. [5] “Darash” can relate to seeking God’s guidance or seeking God Himself. [6] Psalm 53:2 says: “God looks down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there are any who understand, who seek God.”
Isaiah 55:6 states: “Seek the Lord while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near.”
“Baqar” means “inquire, seek” [7] and is used in Psalm 27:4.
“Baqash” means “seek”. [8] Forms of “baqash” are used in relation to seeking God Himself in 1 Chronicles 16:11: “Seek the Lord and His strength; seek His face evermore!” and in Jeremiah 29:13[9]: “And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.”
A form of “baqash” is used in 2 Samuel 21:1 in relation to David inquiring of the Lord for supernatural guidance. A similar usage is found in Amos 9:11-12.
Under the Mosaic Covenant, believers sought both the Lord and His guidance.
[1] Harris, Archer and Waltke, page 891.
[2] Brown, Driver and Briggs, pages 981-982.
[3] Forms of the word “sha’al” are used in Numbers 27:21, Joshua 9:14, Judges 1:1, 20:18, 20:23, 1 Samuel 28:6, 30:8, 2 Samuel 2:1, 5:19, 5:23, 1 Chronicles 14:10, 14:14 and Isaiah 30:2.
[4] Harris, Archer and Waltke, page 198.
[5] Brown, Driver and Briggs, page 205.
[6] Forms of the word “darash” are used in Exodus 18:15, 1 Samuel 9:9, 1 Kings 22:7, 2 Kings 3:11, 8:8, 1 Chronicles 10:14, 13:3, 16:11 (first usage), 2 Chronicles 18:4, 18:6, 18:7, Psalm 53:2, 105:4 (first usage), 119:2, Isaiah 55:6, Ezekiel 14:3, 14:7, 20:1, 20:3, 20:31 (twice), Amos 5:4 and 5:6.
[7] Brown, Driver and Briggs, page 133.
[8] Brown, Driver and Briggs, page 134.
[9] Forms of the word “baqash” are used in Exodus 33:7, Deuteronomy 4:29, 1 Chronicles 16:10, 16:11 (second usage), 2 Chronicles 7:14, 11:16, 15:4, 15:15, 20:4, Psalm 24:6 (second usage), 27:4, 27:8 (2 usages), 40:16, 69:6, 70:4, 105:3, 105:4 (second usage), Proverbs 28:5, Isaiah 45:19, 51:1, 65:1, Jeremiah 29:13, 50:4, Hosea 5:6, 5:15 (first usage), Zephaniah 1:6, 2:3, Zechariah 8:21, 8:22 and Malachi 3:1.