to search
cha.pha.s denotes searching for a person, object, or concealed matter, and in a separate use concealing oneself by disguise.
The predominant use describes searching for persons, objects, or matters that may be hidden or difficult to locate; it can extend to examination of what is concealed within a person or place. A distinct Hithpael use describes a person disguising himself before an encounter or battle.
Senses in use
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Searching out hidden persons, objects, or matters · dominant
Piel forms describe an active search: in Genesis 44:12 the APB renders the action as searching through the sacks until the cup is found, and in 1 Samuel 23:23 it renders a search for a man among Judah. The same action reaches concealed things in Obadiah 1:6, where hidden treasures are discovered, and inward examination in Proverbs 20:27, where the APB says the lamp searches a person's inner chambers.
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Disguising oneself · common
Hithpael forms occur where a person changes or conceals his appearance. In 1 Kings 20:38 the APB renders the clause as the prophet “disguising himself,” while 1 Samuel 28:8 and 2 Chronicles 35:22 describe Saul and Josiah doing so before their respective encounters.
In the Anselm Project Bible: Across the search contexts, the APB commonly uses “search,” “searched,” or “searched out”; it also presents discovery after searching in Genesis 44:12 and Obadiah 1:6. In the Hithpael contexts it uses “disguised himself” or “disguise yourself,” but these are translation renderings rather than definitions.