3419. yaraq

Lexical Summary

yaraq: Green, herbs, vegetables

Original Word: יָרָק
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: yaraq
Pronunciation: yah-rahk'
Phonetic Spelling: (yaw-rawk')
KJV: green, herbs
NASB: green, vegetable, vegetables
Word Origin: [from the same as H3418 (יֶרֶק - green)]

1. (properly) green
2. (concretely) a vegetable

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

green, herbs

From the same as yereq; properly, green; concretely, a vegetable -- green, herbs.

see HEBREW yereq

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
from the same as yereq
Definition
herbs, herbage
NASB Translation
green (2), vegetable (2), vegetables (1).

Brown-Driver-Briggs

יָרָק noun [masculine] herbs (collective), herbage (green, greens) — absolute יָרָק Deuteronomy 11:10 2t.; construct יְרַק Isaiah 37:27 = 2 Kings 19:26; — גַּןיָֿרָק Deuteronomy 11:10; 1 Kings 21:2; אֲרֻחַת יָרָק Proverbs 15:17; as substantive, יְרַק דֶּשֶׁא Isaiah 37:27 = 2 Kings 19:26 green shoots of grass ("" עֵשֶׂב שָׂדֶה, etc.)

Topical Lexicon

Concept Overview

יָרָק (yarāq) denotes the edible green plants—vegetables, herbs, leafy shoots—cultivated for daily sustenance in Israel’s agrarian society. Scripture employs the term both literally, for produce grown in family plots, and figuratively, to contrast human frailty with divine permanence or to highlight spiritual priorities over material luxury.

Occurrences and Contexts

1. Deuteronomy 11:10—contrasts Egypt’s foot-irrigated “vegetable garden” with the rain-dependent hills of Canaan, underscoring Israel’s call to rely on Yahweh rather than human engineering.
2. 1 Kings 21:2—King Ahab covets Naboth’s vineyard “for a vegetable garden,” illustrating royal abuse of power and the sanctity of ancestral inheritance.
3. 2 Kings 19:26 (parallel Isaiah 37:27)—Assyrian boasts are silenced by the Lord; their people become “as the green herb,” a picture of withering transience before God’s sovereign word.
4. Proverbs 15:17—“Better a meal of vegetables where there is love than a fattened ox with hatred.” The proverb elevates covenantal love above culinary richness.

Agricultural and Historical Background

Vegetable plots in the ancient Near East were small, intensively tended, and usually positioned near water sources. In Egypt, the annual Nile inundation made irrigation predictable; hence Deuteronomy’s contrast accentuates the new land’s dependence on seasonal rains. Israelite house-gardens typically grew cucumbers, leeks, onions, lettuce, and herbs, providing essential vitamins alongside grain staples. Foot-powered waterwheels or channels were common in Egypt but not in hill-country Israel, where cisterns and early-rain prayers shaped Israel’s spiritual consciousness (see Deuteronomy 11:11-14).

Literary and Theological Themes

• Reliance on God: Deuteronomy teaches that the success of even the simplest greens stems from divine provision, forming a backdrop for Israel’s covenant obedience.
• Justice and Covenant Faithfulness: Naboth’s refusal to sell reveals Torah’s protections (Leviticus 25:23); Ahab’s desire to downgrade a vineyard to a vegetable patch mirrors moral decline.
• Human Frailty: Isaiah’s oracle likens proud nations to herbs scorched before maturity, stressing that political power is, like vegetation, subject to the Creator’s command.
• Contentment and Love: Proverbs extols modest fare seasoned with love, anticipating New Testament exhortations on godliness with contentment (1 Timothy 6:6).

Ministry and Discipleship Implications

1. Stewardship: Gardens remind believers to cultivate creation responsibly, trusting God for the increase (1 Corinthians 3:7).
2. Social Ethics: Naboth’s account warns leaders against covetous exploitation and champions the oppressed, guiding modern advocacy ministries.
3. Spiritual Priorities: Proverbs calls families and congregations to prize loving relationships over material abundance; pastoral care can apply this in counseling on financial or marital tensions.
4. Humility before God: Isaiah’s herb imagery encourages intercession and dependence, especially when confronting cultural powers; mission teams may draw courage from the Lord who withers opposition at His word.

Summary

Throughout Scripture יָרָק serves as a humble yet potent emblem—of everyday provision, ethical integrity, fleeting human strength, and the primacy of love and faith. The believer who heeds these lessons will cultivate gratitude, justice, and devotion, bearing fruit that endures beyond the life-span of the green herb itself.

Forms and Transliterations

הַיָּרָֽק׃ הירק׃ וִ֣ירַק וירק יָ֭רָק יָרָ֗ק ירק haiyaRak hay·yā·rāq hayyārāq Virak wî·raq wîraq yā·rāq yaRak yārāq Yarok

Englishman's Concordance

Deuteronomy 11:10
HEB: בְרַגְלְךָ֖ כְּגַ֥ן הַיָּרָֽק׃
NAS: it with your foot like a vegetable garden.
KJV: as a garden of herbs:
INT: your foot garden A vegetable

1 Kings 21:2
HEB: לִ֣י לְגַן־ יָרָ֗ק כִּ֣י ה֤וּא
NAS: that I may have it for a vegetable garden
KJV: that I may have it for a garden of herbs, because it [is] near
INT: may have garden A vegetable because it

2 Kings 19:26
HEB: עֵ֤שֶׂב שָׂדֶה֙ וִ֣ירַק דֶּ֔שֶׁא חֲצִ֣יר
NAS: of the field and as the green herb,
KJV: of the field, and [as] the green herb,
INT: were as the vegetation of the field and as the green herb grass

Proverbs 15:17
HEB: ט֤וֹב אֲרֻחַ֣ת יָ֭רָק וְאַהֲבָה־ שָׁ֑ם
NAS: is a dish of vegetables where
KJV: [is] a dinner of herbs where love
INT: Better dish of vegetables love where

Isaiah 37:27
HEB: עֵ֤שֶׂב שָׂדֶה֙ וִ֣ירַק דֶּ֔שֶׁא חֲצִ֣יר
NAS: of the field and [as] the green herb,
KJV: of the field, and [as] the green herb,
INT: were the vegetation of the field and the green herb grass

5 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 3419
5 Occurrences

hay·yā·rāq — 1 Occ.
wî·raq — 2 Occ.
yā·rāq — 1 Occ.
yā·rāq — 1 Occ.