רָחֵל
𐤓𐤇𐤋
râchêl
H7353 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
Ewe, an adult female sheep; primarily denotes the female of the flock among domesticated sheep. By extension, used as a personal name. In some contexts, symbolizes gentleness or association with flocks in pastoral settings.
Semantic Range
ewe, adult female sheep, personal name (Rachel), symbol of gentleness or flock association
Root / Etymology
Root/etymology uncertain. The traditional association is with an unattested (unused) root allegedly meaning 'to journey' or 'migrate,' possibly related to migratory patterns of sheep flocks, but there is no clear evidence for this root in Biblical Hebrew. The form רָחֵל appears as a feminine noun in Biblical texts.
Historical & Contextual Notes
רָחֵל most frequently refers specifically to an adult female sheep, distinguished from כֶּבֶשׂ (keves, a generic young sheep/lamb) and אַיִל (ayil, male ram). The prevalence of female sheep in flocks made them significant within the agrarian and pastoral economy of ancient Israel, often serving as offerings (e.g., Lev 14:10) and as a unit of household wealth. As a personal name (notably the matriarch Rachel, wife of Jacob), רָחֵל likely carries associations of beauty, gentleness, or pastoral heritage, and is never anachronistically used to designate a people (i.e., never as 'Jew' or 'Judean'). English versions typically translate as 'ewe', conveying the correct biological identification, though the nuance of flock prominence is often not explicit. The symbolic or metaphorical use is limited compared to other animal terms. The suggestion of an underlying verb 'to journey' is traditional but lacks philological support in the extant biblical text. The word is found in narrative, legal, and poetic contexts throughout the Hebrew Bible, with no significant lexical development across different historical periods.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from an unused root meaning to journey; a ewe (the females being the predominant element of a flock) (as a good traveller); ewe, sheep.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
רחל (r-ḥ-l) — ewe; possibly to move, to migrate (uncertain)
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H7354 | רָחֵל | in Rachel |
Word Forms
4 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H7353-01 |
הָֽ/רְחֵלִ֔ים | harechelim | HTd/Ncfpa |
of ewes | ewes | 1 |
H7353-04 |
וּ/כְ/רָחֵ֕ל | ukherachel | HC/R/Ncfsa |
and like a ewe | ewe | 1 |
H7353-03 |
רְחֵלִ֥ים | rechelim | HNcfpa |
ewes | ewes | 1 |
H7353-02 |
רְחֵלֶ֥י/ךָ | recheleykha | HNcfpc/Sp2ms |
your ewes | your ewes | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
4 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H7353-02 |
Genesis 31:38 | רְחֵלֶ֥י/ךָ | recheleykha | HNcfpc/Sp2ms |
your ewes | your ewes |
H7353-03 |
Genesis 32:15 | רְחֵלִ֥ים | rechelim | HNcfpa |
ewes | ewes |
H7353-04 |
Isaiah 53:7 | וּ/כְ/רָחֵ֕ל | ukherachel | HC/R/Ncfsa |
and like a ewe | ewe |
H7353-01 |
Song of Songs 6:6 | הָֽ/רְחֵלִ֔ים | harechelim | HTd/Ncfpa |
of ewes | ewes |