---
title: בָּחַן — examine · The Tanakh dictionary
description: בָּחַן (974), a word of Biblical Hebrew, used 29 times: examine. BDB 1906: vb. examine, try. With 2 verses in Hebrew, word for word and JPS 1917.
---

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# בָּחַן

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«בָּחַן» in the Tanakh dictionary: **examine** — how often it is used, MACULA's glosses, its meanings in the printed dictionaries and why they were chosen, and 2 verses in layers.

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**Used:** 29 times · **Key:** 974 · **BDB:** בָּחַן

### Glosses

I (3); test (3); \[who\].tests (2)

### Meaning (OSHB)

examine [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1489/974/#m1)

### Meaning (BDB 1906)

vb. examine, try [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1489/974/#m2)

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**The whole BDB entry:** vb. examine, try (cf. Aramaic בְּחַן, Syriac ܒܰܚܶܢ, try, examine; Arabic محن i. viiii. test, cf. WSG 65)— Pf. sf. בְּחָנַ֫נִי Jb 23:10, בָּחַנְתָּ ψ 17:3 + 7 times; Impf. יִבְחָ֑ן ψ 11:5 + 5 times; Imv. sf. בְּחָנֵנִי ψ 26:2 + 2 times; Inf. בְּחֹן Zc 13:9; Pt. בֹּחֵן Je 11:20 + 5 times (‖ צרף, נסה);— examine, scrutinize, try ψ 11:5; 139:23 Jb 7:18; עַפְעַפָּיו יִבְחֲנוּ בְנֵי אָדָם His eyelids try the children of men (search them through and through) ψ 11:4. prove, test, try. with the metaphor of gold Jb 23:10; וּבְחַנְתִּים כִּבְחֹן אֶת־הַזָּהָב and I will try them as one tries gold Zc 13:9. without metaphor, of God testing persons ψ 26:2; 66:10; 81:8 Je 9:6; ways Je 6:27 (prophet); the לֵב ψ 17:3 Je 12:3 Pr 17:3 1 Ch 29:17; reins Je 17:10; heart and reins ψ 7:10 Je 11:20 (= 20:12). of man testing or tempting God ψ 95:9 Mal 3:10, 15. the ear trying words Jb 12:11 = 34:3. Impf. יִבָּחֵן Jb 34:36 Gn 42:15, 16, to be tried, proved. בֹּחַן Ez 21:18 the trial has been made (𝔊 𝔖 𝔙 Ges MV Ew Ke, but noun בֹּ֫חַן MT Symm Haev; read בְּחֵן with grace, favour, Hi Co).

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Why these entries: BDB: headword, part of speech agrees, 28 of its verses cited, 0 words shared with the glosses, lists its Strong's number (5 candidates); OSHB: headword, part of speech agrees, 1 words shared with the BDB entry, 0 with the glosses (5 candidates)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every English meaning of «בָּחַן» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1489/974/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.

### In the verses

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[Job 7:18](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/JOB.7.18/)

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וַתִּפְקְדֶ֥נּוּ לִבְקָרִ֑ים לִ֝רְגָעִ֗ים תִּבְחָנֶֽנּוּ׃

*Word for word:* and you have.visited.him to mornings to moments you test.him

*JPS 1917:* And that Thou shouldest remember him every morning, and try him every moment?

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[Job 34:3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/JOB.34.3/)

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כִּי־אֹ֭זֶן מִלִּ֣ין תִּבְחָ֑ן וְ֝חֵ֗ךְ יִטְעַ֥ם לֶאֱכֹֽל׃

*Word for word:* (dm) \[the\].ear words it.tests and.\[the\] palate it.tastes (to) food

*JPS 1917:* For the ear trieth words, as the palate tasteth food.

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