רַךְ
rak · H7390 · Hebrew · 16 occurrences
Meanings
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timid
Literally: soft of heart; hence: state in which humans lack courage and decisiveness
ExamplesDeuteronomy 20:8 “Then the officers shall speak further to the people and say, ‘Who is the man that is afraid and fainthearted? Let him go and return to his house, so that he does not make his brothers’ hearts melt like his heart!’
2 Chronicles 13:7 and worthless men gathered to him, wicked men, who proved too strong for Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, when he was young and timid and could not hold his own against them.
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soft, delicate
Literally: soft; hence: state in which the human body or part of the body is very fine in texture or structure, which is associated with beauty
ExamplesGenesis 29:17 And Leah’s eyes were weak, but Rachel was beautiful in figure and appearance.
Isaiah 47:1 “Come down and sit in the dust, Virgin daughter of Babylon; Sit on the ground without a throne, Daughter of the Chaldeans! For you will no longer be called tender and delicate.
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inexperienced
Literally: soft; hence: state in which humans are relatively unexperienced in a certain area
Examples1 Chronicles 22:5 David said, “My son Solomon is young and inexperienced, and the house that is to be built for the LORD shall be exceedingly magnificent, famous, and glorious throughout the lands. Therefore I now will make preparations for it.” So David made ample preparations before his death.
1 Chronicles 29:1 Then King David said to the entire assembly, “My son Solomon, whom alone God has chosen, is still young and inexperienced, and the work is great; for the temple is not for mankind, but for the LORD God.
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Literally: soft; hence: state in which events take place with the intention to avoid conflicts and promote peace (soft (words))
ExamplesJob 41:3 “Will he make many pleas to you, Or will he speak to you gentle words?
Proverbs 15:1 A gentle answer turns away wrath, But a harsh word stirs up anger.
Proverbs 25:15 Through patience a ruler may be persuaded, And a gentle tongue breaks bone.
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gentle
Literally: soft; hence: state in which humans are very mild-mannered in their interaction with others
ExamplesDeuteronomy 28:54 “The man who is refined and very delicate among you will be hostile toward his brother, toward the wife he cherishes, and toward the rest of his children who are left,
Deuteronomy 28:56 “The refined and delicate woman among you, who would not venture to set the sole of her foot on the ground because of her delicateness and tenderness, will be hostile toward the husband she cherishes and toward her son and daughter,
2 Samuel 3:39 “And I am weak today, though anointed king; and these men, the sons of Zeruiah, are too difficult for me. May the LORD repay the evildoer in proportion to his evil.”
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tender, young
Literally: soft; hence: state in which substances are in a relatively early stage of development
ExamplesGenesis 18:7 Abraham also ran to the herd, and took a tender and choice calf and gave it to the servant, and he hurried to prepare it.
Ezekiel 17:22 This is what the Lord GOD says: “I will also take a sprig from the lofty top of the cedar and set it out; I will break off from the topmost of its young twigs a tender one, and I will plant it on a high and lofty mountain.
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to be weak
Literally: soft; hence: state in which parts of the human body do not function as well as expected
ExamplesGenesis 29:17 And Leah’s eyes were weak, but Rachel was beautiful in figure and appearance.
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frail, delicate
Literally: soft; hence: state in which humans lack strength because of young age
ExamplesGenesis 33:13 But he said to him, “My lord knows that the children are frail and that the flocks and herds that are nursing are a matter of concern to me. And if they are driven hard just one day, all the flocks will die.
Proverbs 4:3 When I was a son to my father, Tender and the only son in the sight of my mother,
How it’s used In 4 roles
Every occurrence, grouped by the words it is grammatically related to.
the word studied the word it goes with
Whose, or of whatGenitive or possessive
1 occurrences in 1 groups
- לֵבָבheart, mind 1
Words describing itAdjectives, demonstratives, participles
1 occurrences in 1 groups
- נָסָהto test 1
What is done to itIt is the object
4 occurrences in 4 groups
- דָבַרto speak, to say 1
- הָיָהto be, to become 1
- קָטַףto pluck 1
- קָרָאto call, to cry out 1
What is said to be itIt is the predicate
5 occurrences in 4 groups
- שְׁלֹמֹהSolomon 2
- יֶלֶדchild, young man 1
- עַיִןeye, sight 1
- אָנֹכִיI 1
When two words share a role, as in “Paul and Barnabas said”, the verse appears under each, so a section’s counts can add up to more than the number of occurrences.
MACULA Greek Linguistic Datasets, available at https://github.com/Clear-Bible/macula-greek/, licensed CC BY 4.0; MACULA Hebrew Linguistic Datasets © 2022-2024 by Biblica, Inc., CC BY 4.0. Westminster Leningrad Codex (tanach.us). OpenScriptures Hebrew Bible morphology (hb.openscriptures.org), CC BY 4.0.
Near synonyms 3 words
- דְּוַי dᵉvay · H1741 · illness
- Both words describe states of weakness or frailty, languishing or sorrowful in one case and faint, soft, tender or weak in the other, in the range of physical or emotional debility.
- יָגֵעַ yâgêaʻ · H3023 · weary
- יָגֵעַ (yâgêaʻ, H3023) emphasizes exhaustion or weariness from labor, while רַךְ (rak, H7390) is broader (“soft,” “tender,” “weak,” “faint-hearted”); the two genuinely overlap in the narrow sense of physical weakness or faintness, though רַךְ (rak, H7390)'s fuller range extends beyond it.
- אֲמֵלָל ʼămêlâl · H537 · feeble, miserable
- אֲמֵלָל (ʼămêlâl, H537) (“feeble”) and רַךְ (rak, H7390) (“faint, soft, tender, weak”) genuinely overlap in the sense of physical or emotional weakness, though רַךְ (rak, H7390)'s gloss spans a much broader range while אֲמֵלָל (ʼămêlâl, H537) is narrowly “feeble.”
In the other Testament 1 word
- δειλός deilós · G1169 · cowardly, coward
- Greek δειλός specifically denotes cowardly timidity with moral/faithfulness implications, whereas Hebrew רַךְ spans broader physical and emotional softness/tenderness including contexts without moral judgment; the overlap occurs in fearful/fainthearted contexts where emotional weakness manifests as timidity.
Semantic domains 8 entries
- Afraid002001002001
- Deuteronomy 20:8 instructs that anyone "afraid and fainthearted" should return home before battle, directly attesting the sense of a timid, fearful disposition.
- Good002001001031
- Genesis 18:7 has Abraham select "a tender and choice calf" to prepare for his guests, directly attesting a positive sense of desirable quality or tenderness.
- Non-Know002004002008
- This word's range can extend to inexperience or a lack of tested skill (as in an untested or unformed heart), though the sampled citations here attest physical frailty and fearfulness rather than inexperience specifically.
- Lax002001003012
- The gentleness or delicacy this word conveys can shade toward a lack of firmness or rigor, though the sampled citations attest tenderness and fear rather than laxity specifically.
- Patient002001002020
- Deuteronomy 28:54 describes a man who was "refined and very delicate" becoming harsh through siege hardship, a picture of gentleness that can extend toward gentleness of temperament, though this is not independently attested by the sampled citations.
- Stage002001001060
- Deuteronomy 28:54's description of one who was formerly "refined and very delicate" also attests a stage of soft, pampered condition contrasted with later hardship.
- Unable002001001065
- Genesis 33:13 has Jacob explain that "the children are frail," directly attesting a sense of physical weakness or incapacity for hard travel.
- Weak002001001069
- Genesis 29:17 describes Leah's "eyes" as "weak" in contrast to Rachel's beauty, and Genesis 33:13's "frail" children likewise attest the core sense of physical weakness or delicacy.
Word family 3 words
Words formed from the same root. They share a form, not always a meaning.
Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon H7390. rak רַךְ adjective tender, delicate, soft; — ׳ר absolute Gen 18:7 +, construct Deu…
רַךְ adjective tender, delicate, soft; — ׳ר absolute Gen 18:7 +, construct Deu 20:8; 2Ch 13:7; feminine singular רַכָּה Deu 28:56 +; masculine plural רֵבִּים Gen 33:13; feminine plural absolute רַכּוֺת Gen 29:17; Job 40:27; —
1 tender of flesh Gen 18:7 (J; בֶּןבֶּֿקָר); tender, delicate, especially in body, of children Gen 33:13 (J), compare (implying weakness of undeveloped character) 2Sa 3:39, וָרָ֑ךְ נַעַר 1Ch 22:5; 1Ch 29:1, (וְיָתִיד) רֵךְ Pro 4:3 ('of tenderage,' Toy, q. v.); of man ( + עָנֹג; i.e. delicately nurtured) Deu 28:54, so of woman Deu 28:56 ( + עֲנֻגָּה), so, figurative of Babylonian, Isa 47:1 ( + id.; רַךְ as substantive =tender (twing) Eze 17:22 (in figurative); delicate, weak, of eyes Gen 29:17 (E).
2 (ה)לֵבָב רֵךְ weak of heart, timid, Deu 20:8 ( + יָרֵא), 2Ch 13:7 (נַעַד).
3 soft, of words, absolute רַכּוֺת Job 40:27 = substantive, mild, Gentle words (|| תַּחֲנוּנִים); רַךְ מַעֲנֶה Pro 15:1 (opposed to עֶצֶב דְּבַר), רַכָּה לָשׁוֺן Pro 25:15.
Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), public domain
Topical studies with this word 8 entries
Meanings adapted from the UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament, © United Bible Societies, CC BY-SA 4.0 and the UBS Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew (from the Semantic Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew), © United Bible Societies, CC BY-SA 4.0; MACULA Greek Linguistic Datasets, available at https://github.com/Clear-Bible/macula-greek/, licensed CC BY 4.0; MACULA Hebrew Linguistic Datasets © 2022-2024 by Biblica, Inc., CC BY 4.0. Westminster Leningrad Codex (tanach.us). OpenScriptures Hebrew Bible morphology (hb.openscriptures.org), CC BY 4.0.
Sources
eRhema lexical overview, based on the UBS Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew and the UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament (© United Bible Societies, CC BY-SA 4.0) and Macula Hebrew and Greek (Clear Bible, CC BY 4.0); released under CC BY-SA 4.0
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