5584. psélaphaó

Lexicon

psélaphaó: To touch, feel, handle

Original Word: ψηλαφάω
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: psélaphaó
Pronunciation: psay-laf-ah'-o
Phonetic Spelling: (psay-laf-ah'-o)
Definition: To touch, feel, handle
Meaning: I feel, touch, handle; I feel after, grope for.

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

grope around, handle, touch.

From the base of psallo (compare psephos); to manipulate, i.e. Verify by contact; figuratively, to search for -- feel after, handle, touch.

see GREEK psallo

see GREEK psephos

HELPS Word-studies

5584 psēlapháō – properly, touch lightly, "feel after" to discover (personally investigate).

[5584 (psēlapháō) comes from a root meaning, "to rub, wipe"; hence, to feel on the surface (see Gen 27:12,21,22 in the LXX).]

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
probably from psalló and haphaó (to handle)
Definition
to feel or grope about
NASB Translation
grope (1), touch (1), touched (2).

Thayer's Greek Lexicon

STRONGS NT 5584: ψηλαφάω

ψηλαφάω, ψηλάφω: 1 aorist ἐψηλάφησα, optative 3 person plural ψηλαφήσειαν (Acts 17:27, the Aeolic form; see ποιέω, at the beginning); present passive participle ψηλαφωμενος; (from ψάω, to touch); to handle, touch, feel: τί or τινα, Luke 24:39; Hebrews 12:18 (see R. V. text and marginal reading, cf. Buttmann, § 134, 8; Winer's Grammar, 343 (322)); 1 John 1:1; metaphorically, mentally to seek after tokens of a person or thing: θεόν, Acts 17:27 (A. V. feel after). (Homer, Aristophanes, Xenophon, Plato, Polybius, Philo, Plutarch; often for מוּשׁ, הֵמִישׁ, מִשֵּׁשׁ.) [SYNONYMS: see ἅπτω, 2 c.]

Topical Lexicon

Word Origin: Derived from a primary verb ψάω (psáō), meaning "to touch lightly."

Corresponding Greek / Hebrew Entries: The concept of touching or feeling to understand is paralleled in the Hebrew Scriptures, though there is no direct one-to-one correspondence. However, similar ideas can be found in Hebrew words like מָשַׁשׁ (māshash, Strong's 4959), which means "to feel" or "to grope," as seen in passages like Genesis 27:12 and Deuteronomy 28:29. These Hebrew terms convey a similar sense of tactile exploration or verification.

Usage: The verb ψηλαφάω is used in the New Testament to describe the act of touching or feeling something in order to perceive or understand it more fully. It often conveys a sense of searching or verifying through physical contact.

Context: The Greek verb ψηλαφάω appears in several key passages in the New Testament, each illustrating the concept of tactile verification or exploration. In Luke 24:39, Jesus invites His disciples to "touch" Him to verify His physical resurrection: "Look at My hands and My feet. It is I Myself. Touch Me and see; for a spirit does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have." Here, ψηλαφάω underscores the reality of Jesus' bodily resurrection, providing tangible evidence to dispel doubt.

In Acts 17:27, Paul uses the term metaphorically when speaking to the Athenians about seeking God: "God intended that they would seek Him and perhaps reach out for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us." The use of ψηλαφάω in this context suggests a groping or searching for God, emphasizing the human desire to connect with the divine, even when it seems elusive.

Hebrews 12:18 employs the term in a contrasting manner, describing the tangible, fearsome experience of the Israelites at Mount Sinai: "For you have not come to a mountain that can be touched and that is burning with fire; to darkness, gloom, and storm." Here, ψηλαφάω is used to highlight the physical and awe-inspiring nature of the old covenant revelation, contrasting it with the spiritual and accessible nature of the new covenant in Christ.

Overall, ψηλαφάω conveys a sense of physical interaction that leads to deeper understanding or confirmation, whether in the context of faith, revelation, or the pursuit of truth.

Forms and Transliterations

εψηλαφησαν εψηλάφησαν ἐψηλάφησαν εψηλάφησεν ψηλαφηθήσεται ψηλαφήσαι ψηλαφήσαισαν ψηλαφησατε ψηλαφήσατέ ψηλαφησειαν ψηλαφήσειαν ψηλαφήση ψηλαφήσουσι ψηλαφήσουσιν ψηλαφήσω ψηλαφητόν ψηλαφωμενω ψηλαφωμένω ψηλαφωμένῳ ψηλαφών epselaphesan epseláphesan epsēlaphēsan epsēláphēsan pselaphesate pselaphḗsaté psēlaphēsate psēlaphḗsaté pselapheseian pselaphḗseian psēlaphēseian psēlaphḗseian pselaphomeno psēlaphōmenō pselaphoménoi psēlaphōménōi

Englishman's Concordance

Luke 24:39 V-AMA-2P
GRK: εἰμι αὐτός ψηλαφήσατέ με καὶ
NAS: that it is I Myself; touch Me and see,
KJV: I myself: handle me, and
INT: am he Touch me and

Acts 17:27 V-AOA-3P
GRK: ἄρα γε ψηλαφήσειαν αὐτὸν καὶ
NAS: perhaps they might grope for Him and find
KJV: haply they might feel after him,
INT: perhaps indeed they might feel after him and

Hebrews 12:18 V-PPM/P-DNS
GRK: γὰρ προσεληλύθατε ψηλαφωμένῳ καὶ κεκαυμένῳ
NAS: For you have not come to [a mountain] that can be touched and to a blazing
KJV: unto the mount that might be touched, and
INT: indeed you have come to being touched and having been kindled

1 John 1:1 V-AIA-3P
GRK: χεῖρες ἡμῶν ἐψηλάφησαν περὶ τοῦ
NAS: we have looked at and touched with our hands,
KJV: our hands have handled, of the Word
INT: hands of us handled concerning the

Strong's Greek 5584
4 Occurrences

ἐψηλάφησαν — 1 Occ.
ψηλαφήσατέ — 1 Occ.
ψηλαφήσειαν — 1 Occ.
ψηλαφωμένῳ — 1 Occ.