### Core Meaning & Semantic Range
The Greek word **psēlapháō**, represented by `{{G5584}}`, means to manipulate or verify by contact. It is used to mean **handle**, **touch**, or figuratively, to **feel after** or search for something. It appears **4 times** across **4 unique verses** in the Bible, highlighting its specific application in both literal and metaphorical contexts.
### Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis
In its biblical usage, `{{G5584}}` provides a powerful sense of tangible reality. After the resurrection, Jesus invites his disciples to "**handle** me, and see" to prove that he is not a spirit but has flesh and bones [[Luke 24:39]]. Similarly, John emphasizes the apostles' direct, physical experience with Christ, stating that their "**hands** have **handled**, of the Word of life" [[1 John 1:1]]. The term is also used figuratively by Paul in Athens, where he speaks of humanity's innate desire to "seek the Lord, if haply they might **feel** after him, and find him" [[Acts 17:27]]. Finally, it is used to describe the tangible nature of the Old Covenant, referencing "the mount that might be **touched**" [[Hebrews 12:18]].
### Related Words & Concepts
Several related words expand upon the concepts of seeking, perceiving, and physical contact:
* `{{G2212}}` **zētéō** (to seek): This word is used for the act of searching, often with a specific goal. It is paired directly with `{{G5584}}` when Paul describes the human effort to **seek** God and **feel after** Him [[Acts 17:27]].
* `{{G2147}}` **heurískō** (to find): This is the intended result of the "seeking" and "feeling after." In Paul's address, the hope is that in feeling after God, people might **find** Him [[Acts 17:27]].
* `{{G5495}}` **cheír** (hand): This word for **hand** is the literal instrument of handling. It is used in direct connection with `{{G5584}}` both when Jesus offers His **hands** to be handled and when John testifies that the apostles' **hands** handled the Word of life ([[Luke 24:39]], [[1 John 1:1]]).
### Theological Significance
The theological weight of `{{G5584}}` is centered on providing tangible proof for spiritual realities.
* **Evidence of the Resurrection:** The word is used by the resurrected Christ himself to offer empirical proof of his physical body, challenging the disciples to **handle** him and confirm he was not a spirit [[Luke 24:39]].
* **The Search for God:** In its figurative sense, it describes the human spiritual quest as a form of searching by touch, an intimate attempt to **feel after** a God who is "not far from every one of us" [[Acts 17:27]].
* **Apostolic Eyewitness Testimony:** The word underpins the authority of the apostles' witness. John's claim that they physically **handled** the Word of life establishes their testimony as being based on firsthand, sensory experience [[1 John 1:1]].
### Summary
In summary, `{{G5584}}` bridges the gap between the physical and spiritual. It is far more than a simple word for touch; it is a term used to confirm the most profound truths of the faith, from the bodily resurrection of Christ to the universal human search for God. It demonstrates how physical, sensory experience is used in Scripture to validate and understand divine reality.
TRV