βλέπω

βλέπω — blépō

βλέπω; (imperfect ἔβλεπον); future βλεψω; 1 aorist ἔβλεψα; (present passive βλέπομαι); the Sept. for רָאָה, פָּנָה, חָזָה, הִבִּיט; in Greek writings from Aeschylus down; to see, discern:

1. With the bodily eye;

a. to be possessed of sight, have the power of seeing, opposed to τυφλός: Mat 12:22; Mat 13:16; Mat 15:31; Joh 9:7; Joh 9:15; Joh 9:19; Joh 9:25; Act 9:9; Rom 11:8; Rom 11:10; Rev 3:18, etc. (Sophocles Oed. Col. 73; Aristophanes Plutarch, 15; Xenophon, mem. 1, 3, 4; Aelian v. h. 6, 12, etc. Exo 4:11; Exo 23:8, etc. Tob 11:15). τό βλέπειν sight, the power of seeing, Luk 7:21 (G L T Tr WH omit τό).

b. to perceive by the use of the eyes, to see, look, descry; α. absolutely: βλεπόντων αὐτῶν while they were looking, Act 1:9; ( Tr marginal reading WH marginal reading); ἔρχου καί βλέπε, Rec. in Rev 6:1; Rev 6:3; Rev 6:5; Rev 6:7. β. with the accusative of person or thing: Mat 7:3; Mat 11:4; Mat 24:2; Mar 5:31; Mar 8:23; Mar 13:2; Luk 6:41; Luk 24:12 (T omits; L Tr brackets WH reject the verse); Joh 1:29; Act 4:14, etc.; (Rev 18:18 Rec. ὁρῶντες); τήν φωνήν, him who uttered the voice, Rev 1:12; ὅραμα, Act 12:9; he who has free access to one, as princes, ministers, and personal friends have to a king, is said βλέπειν τό πρόσωπον τίνος (הַמֶּלֶך פְּנֵי רֹאֵי 2Ki 25:19; Jer 52:25; Est 1:14); hence, in Mat 18:10 angels of closest access or of highest rank are referred to (see ἀρχάγγελος). Passive τά βλεπόμενα the things that are seen: 2Co 4:18; Heb 11:3 (L T Tr WH τό βλεπόμενον the sum-total or complex of things seen); ἐλπίς βλεπομένη hope of things that are seen, i. e. that are present, Rom 8:24.

c. to turn the eyes to anything, to look at, look upon, gaze at: γυναῖκα, Mat 5:28; εἰς τί or τινα (Winer's Grammar, § 33 g.), Luk 9:62; Joh 13:22; Act 3:4; εἰς τόν οὐρανόν, Act 1:11 T Tr WH; in the sense of looking into (i. e. in order to read), βιβλίον, Rev 5:3 f.

d. universally, to perceive by the senses, to feel: τόν ἄνεμον ἰσχυρόν (T WH omit ἰσχυρόν), Mat 14:30 (κτυπον δέδορκα, Aeschylus sept. 104).

e. to discover by use, to know by experience: τί, Rom 7:23; followed by ὅτι, 2Co 7:8; by attract. τό θηρίον, ὅτι κτλ., Rev 17:8; ὑπέρ ὁ βλέπει με for ὑπέρ τοῦτο, ὁ βλέπει με ὄντα, lest he think me greater than on personal knowledge he finds me to be, 2Co 12:6.

2. metaphorically, to see with the mind's eye;

a. to have (the power of) understanding: βλέποντες οὐ βλέπουσι, though endued with understanding they do not understand, Mat 13:13; Luk 8:10.

b. to discern mentally, observe, perceive, discover, understand; absolutely: δἰ ἐσόπτρου, 1Co 13:12; of the omniscient God βλέπων ἐν τῷ κρύπτω seeing in secret, where man sees nothing, Mat 6:4; Mat 6:6; Mat 6:18 (here L T Tr WH βλέπων ἐν τῷ κρυφαίῳ); ἐγγίζουσαν τήν ἡμέραν, Heb 10:25 (from certain external signs); Ἰησοῦν... ἐστεφανωμένον, we see (from his resurrection and from the effects and witness of the Holy Spirit) Jesus crowned, Heb 2:9; followed by ὅτι, Heb 3:19; Jas 2:22.

c. to turn the thoughts or direct the mind to a thing, to consider, contemplate, look to; absolutely βλέπετε take heed: Mar 13:23; Mar 13:33; with an accusative of the thing or person, 1Co 1:26; 1Co 10:18; 2Co 10:7; Php 3:2; Col 2:5; followed by πῶς with indicative (Winers Grammar, 300 (282); Buttmann, 255 (219)), Luk 8:18; 1Co 3:10; Eph 5:15; to weigh carefully, examine, followed by the interrogative τί with indicative Mar 4:24; εἰς πρόσωπον τίνος, to look at i. e. have regard to one's external condition — used of those who are influenced by partiality: Mat 22:16; Mar 12:14. By a use not found in Greek authors ἑαυτόν βλέπειν to look to oneself (equivalent tosibicavere): Mar 13:9; followed by ἵνα μή (cf. Buttmann, 242 (209)), 2Jn 1:8; βλέπειν ἀπό τίνος (equivalent tosibicavereabaliquo) to beware of one (Winers Grammar, 223 (209), cf. 39 (38); Buttmann, 242 (209), cf. 323 (278)), Mar 8:15; Mar 12:38; look to in the sense of providing, taking care: followed by ἵνα, 1Co 16:10; followed by μή with subjunctive aorist, Mat 24:4; Mar 13:5; Luk 21:8; Act 13:40; 1Co 8:9 (μήπως); 1Co 10:12; Gal 5:15; Heb 12:25; followed by μή with future indicative, Col 2:8; Heb 3:12. The Greeks say ὁρᾶν μή (cf. Winers Grammar, 503 (468f); Buttmann, 242f (209)).

3. in a geographical sense, like Latinspecto (English look), of places, mountains, buildings, etc., turned toward any quarter, as it were facing it: followed by κατά with the accusative, Act 27:12 (cf. Buttmann, D. American edition under the word ) (the Sept. (Num 21:20); Eze 11:1;; πρός, Xenophon, Hell. 7, 1, 17; mem. 3, 8, 9; Herodian, 6, 5, 2; (Diogenes Laërtius 1, 2, 48; the Sept. Eze 9:2; Eze 40:24;; εἰς,, etc. (for other examples see Sophocles Lexicon, under the word)). (Synonym: see under the word ὁράω. Compare: ἀναβλέπω, ἀποβλέπω, διαβλέπω, ἐμβλέπω, ἐπιβλέπω, περιβλέπω, προβλέπω.)