Proverbs 3:18
She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her: and happy is every one that retaineth her.
Read in context →DEEP KJV WORD STUDY
Retaineth
Begin with the exact English word as it appears in the King James Bible. Follow its whole-Bible usage, book distribution, related indexed forms, Webster 1828, every occurrence, and the occurrence-specific Hebrew/Aramaic/Greek mappings behind it.
Micah 7:18
Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy.
Read in context →Proverbs
2 occurrences in 2 verses.
Browse those occurrences →Where retaineth appears.
This is exact English-word usage from the canonical KJV token index, not a Strong's estimate.
Which Hebrew, Aramaic, or Greek words stand behind this KJV word?
These relationships come from exact verse + token-position mappings. We do not assume that one English spelling always equals one Strong's number. A single English token can also carry more than one source tag, so the Strong's-link total can exceed the number of English occurrences.
תָּמַךְ
tâmak · taw-mak'
2 times translated as this KJV form21 total Strong's occurrences
to sustain; by implication, to obtain, keep fast; figuratively, to help, follow close
Strong's KJV usage: (take, up-) hold (up), maintain, retain, stay (up).
Other KJV renderings
Strong's first: Proverbs 3:18Strong's last: Proverbs 11:16
Open full H8551 profile →חָזַק
châzaq · khaw-zak'
1 times translated as this KJV form288 total Strong's occurrences
to fasten upon; hence, to seize, be strong (figuratively, courageous, causatively strengthen, cure, help, repair, fortify), obstinate; to bind, restrain, conquer
Strong's KJV usage: aid, amend, × calker, catch, cleave, confirm, be constant, constrain, continue, be of good (take) courage(-ous, -ly), encourage (self), be established, fasten, force, fortify, make hard, harden, help, (lay) hold (fast), lean, maintain, play the man, mend, become (wax) mighty, prevail, be recovered, repair, retain, seize, be (wax) sore, strengthen (self), be stout, be (make, shew, wax) strong(-er), be sure, take (hold), be urgent, behave self valiantly, withstand.
Other KJV renderings
Strong's first: Micah 7:18Strong's last: Micah 7:18
Open full H2388 profile →Strong's data is a concordance/lexical reference layer. Scripture context controls interpretation. Lexical source data is shown separately from future TWBC editorial teaching.
Read the word in context.
3 occurrences match the current filters. Each row keeps its exact KJV token position so Original Word and TSK remain occurrence-specific.
H8551
She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her: and happy is every one that retaineth her.
H8551
A gracious woman retaineth honour: and strong men retain riches.
H2388
Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy.
English meaning and historical usage.
Dictionary data is kept visibly separate from Scripture and from lexical Strong's data.
retain
RETA'IN, verb transitive [Latin retineo; re and teneo, to hold.]
1. To hold or keep in possession; not to lose or part with or dismiss. The memory retains ideas which facts or arguments have suggested to the mind.
They did not like to retain God in their knowledge. Romans 1:28.
2. To keep, as an associate; to keep from departure.
Whom I would have retained with me. Philemon 1:13.
3. To keep back; to hold.
An executor may retain a debt due to him from the testator.
4. To hold from escape. Some substances retain heat much longer than others. Metals readily receive and transmit heat, but do not long retain it. Seek cloths that retain their color.
5. To keep in pay; to hire.
A Benedictine convent has now retained the most learned father of their order to write in its defense.
6. To engage; to employ by a fee paid; as, to retain a counselor.
RETA'IN, verb intransitive
1. To belong to; to depend on; as coldness mixed with a somewhat languid relish retaining to bitterness.
[Not in use. We now use pertain.]
2. To keep; to continue. [Not in use.]
Noah Webster, An American Dictionary of the English Language (1828). A conservative base-form lookup may be used when the exact inflected KJV form is not a Webster headword.
Know what each layer is—and what it is not.
Curated TWBC teaching will remain a separate editorial layer. Raw source data is never silently rewritten to force a doctrinal conclusion.