אֶכֶף
𐤀𐤊𐤐
ʼekeph
H405 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
A burden or load carried, typically referring to something borne on the back or shoulders. In poetic or metaphorical contexts, it may refer to a blow or stroke, possibly the burden or weight of a strike. There is an ambiguity in some usages, where it could also denote the hand or palm, as the part of the body that bears or receives impact, though this meaning is rare.
Semantic Range
burden, load, something borne on the back or shoulders; by extension a blow or stroke; rarely, hand or palm (as a part that bears or receives a burden)
Root / Etymology
From the root אָכַף (ʾ-k-p), which primarily means 'to bend, to curve, to be bowed down.' The noun אֶכֶף is derived from this root and originally refers to something bowed down or curved, hence a burden that causes one to bend or something carried on the back. The semantic development to 'stroke' likely derives from the idea of the impact that bends or bows one, but this is a secondary extension. An occasional usage as 'hand' may arise from the form or function, but this is seldom attested and debated among scholars.
Historical & Contextual Notes
אֶכֶף appears rarely in the Hebrew Bible, most notably in poetic contexts such as Job 33:7. There, the term likely has the sense of a weight or burden that makes one bend down, though contextual ambiguity has led to alternative translations such as 'hand' or 'blow.' Some early and traditional translations have rendered the word as 'hand' (by association with that which receives or delivers a blow), but most modern lexicography understands the root as denoting a physical or figurative burden. The secondary sense of 'stroke' (i.e., a blow or a striking action) is best seen as a poetic extension from the base idea of weight or burden. The interpretation as 'dignity' is a later development, possibly influenced by parallel usages in cognate languages, but is not well-supported contextually in Biblical Hebrew. The meaning of the word appears to have been obscure already in antiquity, as indicated by its rare occurrence and the variance among ancient translations. Related terms include מַשָּׂא (massa', 'burden, load') and שֶׁכֶם (shekhem, 'shoulder,' as that which bears a load), which emphasize either the action of bearing or the part of the body used, while אֶכֶף focuses on the load itself or the effect it has on the bearer.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from אָכַף; a load; by implication, a stroke (others dignity); hand.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
אכף (ʾ-k-p) — to bend, to curve, to cause to be bowed down
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H404 | אָכַף | he pressed down |
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H405-01 |
וְ֝/אַכְפִּ֗/י | veakhepi | HC/Ncmsc/Sp1cs |
and my pressure | and my burden-load | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
1 total occurrence
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H405-01 |
Job 33:7 | וְ֝/אַכְפִּ֗/י | veakhepi | HC/Ncmsc/Sp1cs |
and my pressure | and my burden-load |