אַרְכְּוַי
𐤀𐤓𐤊𐤅𐤉
ʼArkᵉvay
H756 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
A person or group originating from the city or region of Erekh (usually rendered Erech in English), one of the peoples listed among those whom the Assyrian king settled in Samaria after the exile of the northern kingdom. The term refers specifically to ethnic or geographic origin, designating inhabitants or natives of Erekh.
Semantic Range
inhabitant of Erekh, person from Erekh, collective group from Erekh (Arkevites)
Root / Etymology
Formed from אֶרֶךְ (Erekh), the name of an ancient Mesopotamian city, with the patrial suffix -וַי (indicating origin or nativity, 'inhabitant of'), common in Aramaic forms. The term is constructed to denote someone belonging to or coming from Erekh.
Historical & Contextual Notes
Used exclusively in Ezra 4:9, in a list of people settled in Samaria by the Assyrian authorities after the exile of the northern kingdom. The city of Erekh is identified with the ancient Sumerian city Uruk, located in southern Mesopotamia (modern Iraq). The population group indicated (Arkevites) is not otherwise attested in the Hebrew Bible, and their role is only as one ethnic component among others in the imperial resettlement policy. English translations have often rendered this term as 'Archevite,' a form with little independent meaning in English. The term itself is not related to religious or covenantal identity, only place of origin. The word’s –vai / –wāy ending reflects standard Aramaic patrials, suggesting the original phrase is preserved from an Aramaic or imperial administrative source. The usage is limited to the Persian period context; there's no evidence of historical development or semantic shift in the biblical period.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
(Aramaic) patrial from אֶרֶךְ; an Arkevite (collectively) or native of Erek; Archevite.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
ארך (ʾ-r-k) — to be long, lengthen; Erekh (city name)
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H216 | אוֹר | length of |
| H724 | אֲרוּכָה | restored wholeness |
| H748 | אָרַךְ | I will lengthen |
| H749 | אֲרַךְ | sufficient |
| H750 | אָרֵךְ | long-of |
Word Forms
2 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H756-02 |
ארכוי | rkhvy | ANgmpc |
Arkites | Erekh-inhabitants | 1 |
H756-01 |
אַרְכְּוָיֵ֤/א | arekevaye | ANgmpd/Td |
the men of Erech | the Erekhites | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
2 total occurrences