Searched by candlelight / to search far and wide for / to search carefully / to try hard to find
Searched a lot. Searched for a long time and with great effort.
("At that time I will search Jerusalem with candles, and I will punish the men who are frozen in their dregs, who say in their hearts, 'The Lord will do no good, nor will He do harm.'" - Zephaniah 1:12; and likewise: "Look at her, my friends, for she is beautiful; search for her by candlelight among the city lights" - Natan Alterman, Daughter of the Tavern Keeper)
Translation
Expression (Hebrew)
חִיפֵּשׂ בְּנֵרוֹת
Definition (Hebrew)
חִיפֵּשׂ הַרְבֵּה. חִיפֵּשׂ זְמַן מְמֻשָּׁךְ וּבְמַאֲמַצִּים גְּדוֹלִים.
("וְהָיָה בָּעֵת הַהִיא אֲחַפֵּשׂ אֶת יְרוּשָׁלִַם בַּנֵּרוֹת וּפָקַדְתִּי עַל הָאֲנָשִׁים הַקֹּפְאִים עַל שִׁמְרֵיהֶם הָאֹמְרִים בִּלְבָבָם לֹא יֵיטִיב ה' וְלֹא יָרֵעַ"- צְפַנְיָה א יב, וְכֵן:"הַבִּיטוּ בָּהּ , רֵעַי, כִּי טוֹבָה הִיא,/ חִפְסוּהָ בְּנֵרוֹת עִם שְׁמֵי הַפַּרְוָרִים"- נָתָן אַלְתֶּרְמָן/ בַּת הַמּוֹזֵג)