The Hebrew verb the KJV renders “visit”, for blessing and judgment alike, 304 times; the BSB renders it number, appoint, punish and attend to.
Paqad is to turn your attention to someone and act on what you find. Moses paqads the tribes and counts them; Potiphar paqads Joseph and puts him in charge; God paqads Sarah, and she bears a son; and God paqads iniquity, calling it to account. The KJV said “visit” for both of God’s visits, so “the LORD visited Sarah” and “visiting the iniquity of the fathers” use the same English word for opposite things. Modern translations divide them: the BSB has “attended to Sarah” and “punish”, and keeps “visiting the iniquity” in the commandment.
One verb, 304 times
How the BSB translates it. Paqad is to give someone your attention and act on what you find: to count them, to put them in charge, to come to their help, or to call them to account.
The KJV’s “visit”, and what became of it
| Verse | KJV | WEB | BSB |
|---|---|---|---|
| Genesis 21:1blessing | the LORD visited Sarah | Yahweh visited Sarah | the LORD attended to Sarah |
| Psalm 8:4care | that thou visitest him | that you care for him | that You care for him |
| Jeremiah 29:10blessing | I will visit you | I will visit you | I will attend to you |
| Exodus 20:5judgment | visiting the iniquity | visiting the iniquity | visiting the iniquity |
| Hosea 2:13judgment | I will visit upon her | I will visit on her | I will punish her |
| Jeremiah 5:9judgment | Shall I not visit for these | Shouldn’t I punish them | Should I not punish them |
| Numbers 1:3census | shall number them | shall count them | are to number |
The KJV says “visit” in 56 of the verses that use the word, for blessing and judgment alike: God visits Sarah with a son, and visits iniquity on the children (marked). Of those, the BSB renders 20 “punish” and 19 “attend to”, and keeps “visit” in 12 places, the commandment among them. Counted in the site’s Hebrew by Strong’s number H6485.