Zēteō (G2212) means to seek, to search for, to look for, to desire, to strive after. It covers a range of seeking activity: looking for a lost item, inquiring about a person's whereabouts, desiring something, or earnestly pursuing a goal. It appears approximately 117 times in the New Testament. Its intensity can vary from casual looking to passionate, sustained pursuit.
Zēteō is the verb of spiritual quest and divine calling. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus commands: 'Seek (zēteite) first the kingdom of God and his righteousness' (Matthew 6:33) — a command for single-minded, priority-level pursuit of God's reign. This is not casual curiosity but a life-orienting search.
The relationship between divine and human seeking is nuanced in the NT. Paul preaches that God 'made from one man every nation... that they should seek God' (Acts 17:26-27) — human seeking is built into creation's design. Yet Paul also quotes the Psalms: 'No one seeks for God' (Romans 3:11) — apart from grace, human seeking is misdirected. The resolution is that God first seeks us: 'The Son of Man came to seek (zētēsai) and to save the lost' (Luke 19:10). Human seeking is always a response to divine initiative. Those who seek in faith are promised discovery: 'Seek and you will find' (Matthew 7:7).