surch: Some peculiar senses are: (1) In the books of Moses, especially in Nu, "searching out the land" means to spy out (raggel), to investigate carefully, to examine with a view to giving a full and accurate report on. (2) When applied to the Scriptures, as in Ezr 4:15,19 (baqqer); Joh 5:39; 1Pe 1:11 (eraunao), it means to examine, to study out the meaning. In Ac 17:11, the Revised Version (British and American) substitutes "examining" for the "searched" of the King James Version. See SEARCHINGS. (3) "Search out" often means to study critically, to investigate carefully, e.g. Job 8:8; 29:16; Ec 1:13; La 3:40; Mt 2:8; 1Co 2:10; 1Pe 1:10. (4) When the word is applied to God's searching the heart or spirit, it means His opening up, laying bare, disclosing what was hidden, e.g. 1Ch 28:9; Ps 44:21; 139:1; Pr 20:27; Jer 17:10; Ro 8:27.
G. H. Gerberding