εὑρίσκω expresses the act of finding or meeting, whether by searching, by discovery, or by being found in a certain condition. In the passages quoted below it ranges from being “found” by others, to finding what is sought, to failing to find what one is looking for.
Occurrences
“Now the birth of Jesus Christ was like this: After his mother, Mary, was engaged to Joseph, before they came together, she was found pregnant by the Holy Spirit.” (Matthew 1:18)
Here εὑρίσκω frames a situation disclosed rather than pursued: Mary is “found” to be pregnant during the engagement period. The verb presents the pregnancy as an established state that becomes evident, and it is immediately qualified as “by the Holy Spirit,” shaping how the discovery is understood within the sentence.
“He sent them to Bethlehem, and said, “Go and search diligently for the young child. When you have found him, bring me word, so that I also may come and worship him.”” (Matthew 2:8)
In this command εὑρίσκω is the expected outcome of a careful search: “search diligently” leads to “When you have found him.” The finding is specific and personal—“the young child”—and it functions as the condition for the next action (“bring me word”), showing how finding can serve as a turning point that enables further response.
““Ask, and it will be given you. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and it will be opened for you.” (Matthew 7:7)
εὑρίσκω appears in a promise set alongside asking and knocking. Finding is paired with seeking, and the structure suggests a directed pursuit that reaches its intended result. The verb is not isolated; it is part of a series of actions with corresponding answers, where finding stands as the response to seeking.
“For everyone who asks receives. He who seeks finds. To him who knocks it will be opened.” (Matthew 7:8)
Here εὑρίσκω is stated as a general pattern: “He who seeks finds.” The emphasis falls on the regularity of the outcome (“everyone,” “he who”), presenting finding as what normally follows seeking. In this line, the verb helps complete a set of parallel results: receives / finds / opened.
“How narrow is the gate, and restricted is the way that leads to life! Few are those who find it.” (Matthew 7:14)
εὑρίσκω is used for reaching or coming upon what leads to “life,” but the sentence stresses rarity: “Few are those who find it.” Finding here is not portrayed as automatic; it is the successful arrival at the narrow gate and restricted way. The verb carries a sense of attainment that is possible yet uncommon in the scene described.
“When Jesus heard it, he marveled, and said to those who followed, “Most certainly I tell you, I haven’t found so great a faith, not even in Israel.”” (Matthew 8:10)
In this saying εὑρίσκω conveys an evaluative encounter: Jesus has “found” (or not found) a quality—“so great a faith.” The verb describes discovery in the course of experience and observation, not an item sought with the eyes. The force of the statement lies in the comparison (“not even in Israel”), where finding marks what Jesus has encountered among people.
“He who seeks his life will lose it; and he who loses his life for my sake will find it.” (Matthew 10:39)
εὑρίσκω is set in contrast with loss. Finding “life” is linked not to preserving it but to losing it “for my sake,” making the verb part of a reversal: the one who relinquishes finds. In this context, finding is the outcome that follows a costly choice, and it signals recovery or attainment after apparent forfeiture.
“Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you will find rest for your souls.” (Matthew 11:29)
Here εὑρίσκω points to an experienced result—“you will find rest for your souls”—that comes through taking a yoke and learning from Jesus. Finding is not pictured as stumbling upon rest by accident, but as arriving at it through a relationship of instruction and posture (“gentle and humble in heart”). The verb marks rest as something genuinely encountered and obtained.
“When an unclean spirit has gone out of a man, he passes through waterless places, seeking rest, and doesn’t find it.” (Matthew 12:43)
εὑρίσκω appears negatively: the spirit “seeking rest” “doesn’t find it.” The verb therefore can denote failed pursuit, where the desired object (“rest”) remains unattained. The “waterless places” sharpen the scene of wandering search, and the failure to find sets up continued movement rather than resolution.
“Then he says, ‘I will return into my house from which I came out,’ and when he has come back, he finds it empty, swept, and put in order.” (Matthew 12:44)
In this continuation εὑρίσκω describes what is encountered upon return: the spirit “finds it empty, swept, and put in order.” Finding here is immediate recognition of a condition; the house is not merely located but assessed as “empty” and arranged. The verb thus introduces the observed state that motivates the spirit’s next intent within the narrative movement.
““Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like treasure hidden in the field, which a man found, and hid. In his joy, he goes and sells all that he has, and buys that field.” (Matthew 13:44)
εὑρίσκω marks a sudden discovery with decisive consequences: a man “found” treasure hidden in a field. The finding triggers concealment (“and hid”) and then radical action (“sells all that he has, and buys that field”) fueled by joy. The verb carries the weight of discovery that reorders priorities; finding is the hinge that explains everything that follows in the parable.
“who having found one pearl of great price, he went and sold all that he had, and bought it.” (Matthew 13:46)
Here εὑρίσκω again introduces discovery, this time of “one pearl of great price.” The finding leads directly to a single-minded exchange—selling “all that he had” to obtain it—showing finding as recognition of surpassing value that elicits total commitment. The verb connects encounter with valuation: what is found is immediately appraised as worth everything.
Sense and Usage
Across these texts εὑρίσκω operates in two main directions: either someone finds something, or someone/something is found in a condition. Matthew 1:18 uses the passive-like idea (“she was found pregnant”) to highlight discovery of an already-existing reality. Matthew 12:44 similarly uses finding to introduce the condition of “the house,” showing that εὑρίσκω can foreground what is encountered as the decisive detail in a scene.
Several occurrences bind finding to seeking. Matthew 2:8 explicitly orders a diligent search with finding as its goal, and Matthew 7:7–8 presents a general promise that seeking culminates in finding. Yet Matthew 12:43 shows that seeking does not always yield finding; the verb cleanly expresses unmet desire (“doesn’t find it”), allowing the narrative to portray restless movement without resolution.
Other uses emphasize meeting something in the course of experience rather than through a search. In Matthew 8:10, Jesus “hasn’t found so great a faith,” where finding describes what he has encountered among people—an experiential assessment rather than a scavenger hunt. In Matthew 11:29, the promise “you will find rest for your souls” treats rest as something truly reached and experienced through taking a yoke and learning; the verb connects discipleship actions with an inwardly apprehended result.
Finally, εὑρίσκω can frame finding in terms of value and reversal. Matthew 13:44 and 13:46 portray discovery (treasure; a pearl) that leads to selling everything; the finding is decisive because what is found is perceived as surpassingly worth it. Matthew 10:39 places finding “life” on the far side of losing it “for my sake,” making εὑρίσκω the verb of regained or newly obtained life where ordinary expectations would predict loss.
Imagery
The repeated pairing of seeking and finding builds an imagery of movement toward a goal—searching for a child, seeking a way that leads to life, wandering in search of rest, or discovering hidden wealth. Even when the object is intangible (faith, rest, life), εὑρίσκω gives it the concreteness of something encountered: a reality that can be met, missed, recognized, or prized enough to reorder everything else.
Sources:
Lexical data from Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance and the Translators Brief Lexicon of Extended Strongs for Greek (STEPBible, CC BY). Occurrence data from the Translators Amalgamated Greek New Testament (STEPBible, CC BY). Scripture quotations from the World English Bible (public domain).
