Acts 7:31

κατανοῆσαι : this careful observation is implied in the narrative of Exodus though the word is not employed. It is a favourite word with St. Luke, and is used by him four times in his Gospel and four times in Acts, elsewhere in Gospels only in Matthew 7:3 (five times in Epistles). On its force see Westcott on Hebrews 3:1 : “oculos vel mentem defigere in aliquo” Grimm; properly = to take notice of, so in classical Greek; it is used also in the sense of observing, looking at, cf. James 1:27; and in a general sense, to see, cf. LXX, Ps. 93:9, cf. Psalms 90:8; and also, to consider, Hebrews 10:24 (Mayor, note on James 1:27). In the LXX, where it is frequent, it is used with both shades of meaning.