עֲקַלָּתוֹן
𐤏𐤒𐤋𐤕𐤅𐤍
ʻăqallâthôwn
H6129 adjective
SILEX Entry
Definition
A winding or twisting path, something that is tortuous, meandering, or marked by loops and curves. In the singular, most often refers to a physical feature such as a winding road or a serpentine course, rather than an abstract or moral dimension. Used to describe literal crookedness rather than metaphorical deviousness.
Semantic Range
winding path, serpentine road, physically crooked place, tortuous or meandering way
Root / Etymology
Derived from the root עָקַל (ʻ-q-l), which means 'to bend, twist, or curve.' The noun עֲקַלָּתוֹן augments this idea, denoting a thing or way that is physically twisted or winding.
Historical & Contextual Notes
עֲקַלָּתוֹן appears only once in the Hebrew Bible (Numbers 22:26) to describe the 'narrow' or 'crooked' place in the path where Balaam's donkey could not pass. The term is rare and poetic, stressing the physical difficulty and complexity of passing through such a path, rather than conveying moral or behavioral crookedness. The more common עָקַל is used for both literal and metaphorical forms of 'crookedness,' whereas עֲקַלָּתוֹן is restricted to a concrete, spatial description of a route. Later translations sometimes render it as 'narrow' or 'confined,' but its primary sense is winding or serpentine. There is no clear evidence that the term was used in a moral or spiritual sense in pre-exilic or exilic texts.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from עָקַל; tortuous; crooked.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
עקל (ʿ-q-l) — to twist, to bend, to curve
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H6129-01 |
עֲקַלָּת֑וֹן | aqalaton | HAamsa |
twisted | winding | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
1 total occurrence
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H6129-01 |
Isaiah 27:1 | עֲקַלָּת֑וֹן | aqalaton | HAamsa |
twisted | winding |