Definition

properly, to keep in; hence, to measure; figuratively, to maintain (in various senses)

Etymology

a primitive root;

Where the KJV renders it

• (be able to
• can) abide
• bear
• comprehend
• contain
• feed
• forbearing
• guide
• hold(-ing in)
• nourish(-er)
• be present
• make provision
• receive
• sustain
• provide sustenance (victuals)

Every distinct English word the King James Version uses to translate this Hebrew term. The variety shows what readers in English receive across many different surface words — the same underlying word, scattered across the English Bible under different names.

What the first audience heard

A deep-dive treatment of this word is in the works. The featured chapter above carries the long form of what this word meant to its first audience.