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כָּרַע

𐤊𐤓𐤏

kâraʻ

H3766 verb

SILEX Entry

Root כּ-ר-ע to bend, to kneel, to bow

Definition

To bend or kneel down, particularly by bending the knee or lowering oneself bodily. Commonly used to describe acts of bowing, kneeling, or prostration, whether in worship, submission, or defeat. The verb can refer physically to humans or animals bowing down, kneeling, or lying down, and metaphorically to a state of being brought low, subdued, or made to collapse. In worship contexts, it distinguishes the physical act of kneeling or bowing before a deity, king, or superior. In other situations, it describes persons, nations, or animals being brought low, subdued, or made to yield. Rarely, it can refer to the physical weakening or collapse from exhaustion, fear, or defeat.

Semantic Range

to bow down, to kneel, to prostrate oneself (in worship or submission), to bring low, to subdue, to crouch (of animals), to collapse (from exhaustion, defeat, or fear), to humble, to yield, to fall down

Root / Etymology

From the root כ-ר-ע (כָּרַע), which primarily means 'to bend the knee' or 'to kneel.' The root conveys imagery of bending or folding limbs, especially in the context of acts of submission, humility, or worship. Many derived nouns and forms retain this core imagery of kneeling or bowing low.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In the Hebrew Bible, כָּרַע (kâraʻ) is used across a range of periods. During the monarchic period, it frequently describes either Israelites or foreign peoples bowing before kings as a gesture of honor or submission, as well as acts of worship before the Israelite deity or idols. In poetic and prophetic texts, it expands metaphorically to describe nations or individuals being humbled or vanquished. It appears with both human and animal subjects, sometimes describing animals crouching or lying down to rest. The act of כָּרַע is primarily physical, distinguishing it from other terms for worship like שָׁחָה (shāchâ), which can have a broader sense of bowing, prostration, or worship. English translations often render it as 'kneel,' 'bow down,' 'sink,' or 'collapse,' depending on context, but may not always capture the distinction between deliberate acts of humility and involuntary collapse or subjugation. In later periods, related forms continue to be used in Jewish and Samaritan liturgy to denote kneeling or bowing in prayer.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

a primitive root; to bend the knee; by implication, to sink, to prostrate; bow (down, self), bring down (low), cast down, couch, fall, feeble, kneeling, sink, smite (stoop) down, subdue, [idiom] very.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

כרע (k-r-ʿ) — to bend, to kneel, to bow

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H3767 כָּרָע the lower legs

Word Forms

24 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H3766-05 כָּרַ֨ע kara HVqp3ms he bowed he knelt down 6
H3766-06 כָּרְע֥וּ kareu HVqp3cp bowed down they knelt 3
H3766-23 יִ֭כְרְעוּ yikhereu HVqi3mp shall bow down they will kneel down 2
H3766-13 תַּכְרִ֥יעַ takheria HVhi2ms you-have-subdued you will bring to kneeling 2
H3766-22 יִכְרַ֥ע yikhera HVqi3ms kneels he will kneel 2
H3766-19 וַ/יִּכְרַ֥ע vayikhera HC/Vqw3ms and he knelt and he knelt 2
H3766-08 כָֽרְעוּ֙ khareu HVqp3cp have-bowed they have bowed down 2
H3766-14 תִּכְרַ֣ע tikhera HVqi3fs shall bow she will kneel 1
H3766-10 כֹּרְעִ֤ים koreim HVqrmpa bowing the kneeling ones 1
H3766-04 הִכְרִֽיעַ hikheria HVhp3ms he brought down he caused to kneel 1

Occurrences in Scripture

36 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H3766-05 Genesis 49:9 כָּרַ֨ע kara HVqp3ms he crouches he knelt down
H3766-05 Numbers 24:9 כָּרַ֨ע kara HVqp3ms He crouches he knelt down
H3766-05 Judges 5:27 כָּרַ֥ע kara HVqp3ms he bowed he knelt down
H3766-05 Judges 5:27 כָּרַ֣ע kara-2 HVqp3ms he bowed he knelt down
H3766-05 Judges 5:27 כָּרַ֔ע kara-3 HVqp3ms he bowed he knelt down
H3766-22 Judges 7:5 יִכְרַ֥ע yikhera HVqi3ms kneels he will kneel
H3766-06 Judges 7:6 כָּרְע֥וּ kareu HVqp3cp kneeled they knelt
H3766-01 Judges 11:35 הַכְרֵ֣עַ hakherea HVha you have brought ... low to cause to kneel
H3766-03 Judges 11:35 הִכְרַעְתִּ֔/נִי hikheraetini HVhp2fs/Sp1cs you have brought me low you (feminine) caused me to kneel
H3766-18 1 Samuel 4:19 וַ/תִּכְרַ֣ע vatikhera HC/Vqw3fs and she kneeled and she knelt down
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