עָרַק
𐤏𐤓𐤒
ʻâraq
H6207 verb
SILEX Entry
Definition
To gnaw or bite away, to flee or disappear abruptly. Primarily denotes a physical act of tearing or gnawing (as done by animals), but also used metaphorically to indicate sudden flight or vanishing, particularly of people or groups escaping danger or judgment. In the participial form, it can indicate one who is fleeing or, by extension, something that causes pain (through the association with tearing or wrenching).
Semantic Range
to gnaw, to tear away, to flee, to vanish, to make an abrupt escape, sinew (by extension), a cause of pain (figuratively)
Root / Etymology
Root: ערק. The root fundamentally means 'to tear away, gnaw, or break off.' From this comes the extended sense of 'fleeing'—to tear oneself away from a place or circumstance. The participial form yields both a fleeing person and, in poetic usage, something that brings pain (as torn sinews or nerves).
Historical & Contextual Notes
In the Hebrew Bible, עָרַק appears infrequently and often with strong imagery of forceful separation or abrupt withdrawal. Its basic physical sense—gnawing or tearing (Job 30:3)—is sometimes extended metaphorically to signal a person who flees swiftly from danger, often under duress or threat (Isaiah 21:15). In post-biblical Hebrew and in later translations (such as the Septuagint and Vulgate), the sense is often limited to 'flee' or 'escape.' The participial form can contextually refer to nerves or sinews due to their association with being pulled or stretched, connecting to the physical imagery of tearing. English translations sometimes oversimplify the semantic range, translating all forms as 'flee' or 'escape,' but the lexical nuance includes both the violent physical act and the psychological state of urgent withdrawal.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
a primitive root; to gnaw, i.e. (figuratively) eat (by hyberbole); also (participle) a pain; fleeing, sinew.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
ערק (ʿ-r-q) — to tear away, gnaw, flee
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H6208 | עַרְקִי | the Arkite |
Word Forms
2 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H6207-02 |
וְ֝/עֹרְקַ֗/י | veoreqay | HC/Vqrmpc/Sp1cs |
my gnawing pains | my fleeing-ones | 1 |
H6207-01 |
הַֽ/עֹרְקִ֥ים | haoreqim | HTd/Vqrmpa |
gnawing | the fleeing ones | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
2 total occurrences