Lexical Summary qorchah or qorcha: Baldness Original Word: קָרְחָה Strong's Exhaustive Concordance baldness, utterly Or qorcha; (Ezek. 27:31) {kor-khaw'}; from qarach; baldness -- bald(-ness), X utterly. see HEBREW qarach NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom qarach Definition baldness, bald spot NASB Translation bald (2), bald* (1), baldness (4), baldness* (1), plucked-out scalp (1), shave* (1), shaving the head (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs קָרְחָה noun feminine baldness, bald spot, made as sign of mourning; — absolute ׳ק Isaiah 3:24 +; suffix קָרְחָתֵח Micah 1:16; — bald spot, עַלכָּֿלרֿאֹשׁ Amos 8:10, ׳בְּכָלרֿ Isaiah 15:2; Ezekiel 7:18; בְּראֹשׁ ׳ק Leviticus 21:5 (accusative of congnate meaning with verb); ׳כָּלרֿאֹשׁ ק Jeremiah 48:37; כַנֶּשֶׁר ׳ק Micah 1:16; בֵּין עֵינֵיכֶם Deuteronomy 14:1; opposed to מַעֲשֶׂה מִקְשֶׁה Isaiah 3:24; also Jeremiah 47:5 and (accusative of congnate meaning with verb) Ezekiel 27:31. Topical Lexicon Overview קָרְחָה portrays the deliberate shaving or bald patch made on the scalp as a public emblem of grief, humiliation, or calamity. The term appears eleven times and moves along two main axes: (1) a forbidden practice for the covenant community when tied to pagan mourning rites and (2) a prophetic symbol of deep lamentation when judgment falls on nations. Representative Scripture Instances • Leviticus 21:5 – “Priests must not shave their heads or shave off the edges of their beards or cut their bodies.” Mourning Customs in the Ancient Near East Archaeology and cuneiform texts show that shaving the head, lacerating the flesh, and donning sackcloth were standard funeral gestures intended to placate departed spirits. Israel’s neighbors—Moab (Isaiah 15:2), Philistia (Jeremiah 47:5), and Tyre (Ezekiel 27:31)—all manifested these customs, and the prophets borrow the imagery to describe their downfall. קָרְחָה thus evokes both raw sorrow and ritualized attempts to secure favor from the dead. Israel’s Priestly Distinctiveness Leviticus 21:5 and Deuteronomy 14:1 forbid the practice among priests and lay Israelites alike. The restriction guarded Israel’s identity as “sons of the LORD” who trust the living God rather than placating deceased ancestors. In place of extreme self-abasement, the Law provided regulated avenues for grief—wailing, sackcloth, fasting—without syncretistic overtones. By refusing קָרְחָה, the priesthood modeled holy wholeness of body, anticipating the complete consecration later fulfilled in the perfect High Priest. Prophetic Imagery of Judgment When Isaiah (3:24; 22:12), Ezekiel (7:18), Amos (8:10), and Micah (1:16) speak of baldness falling upon Israel and Judah, the vocabulary shifts from prohibition to prediction. The prophets are not endorsing the act; they are announcing that disobedient people will be driven to frantic mourning reminiscent of pagan despair. Kadesh becomes exile; festive song becomes funeral dirge. The ironic reversal underscores that covenant blessings can be forfeited through persistent rebellion. National Catastrophe and Corporate Grief Jeremiah targets Philistia (47:5) and Moab (48:37); Ezekiel laments the commercial empire of Tyre (27:31). In every oracle, קָרְחָה communicates a shared fate: proud nations are stripped of glory, left visibly marked by loss. The prophets thereby universalize the moral order of God—no people, inside or outside Israel, can escape accountability. Christological and Eschatological Resonances While the Gospels never mention literal head-shaving for Jesus, the deeper theme of shame-bearing culminates at the Cross: “He had no form or majesty” (Isaiah 53:2). The prophetic baldness scenes foreshadow the Servant who endures ultimate humiliation so that His people may receive “a garland instead of ashes” (Isaiah 61:3). In Revelation every tear is wiped away; baldness as mourning disappears in the consummation. Contemporary Ministry Reflection 1. Funeral and grief care: Visible tokens of sorrow vary by culture, yet Scripture directs mourners to authentic lament, not despairing ritual. Pastoral counsel may affirm outward symbols that point to hope rather than to superstition. Through the lens of קָרְחָה Scripture links the visible scalp to invisible realities—grief, repentance, covenant loyalty, and, ultimately, the hope of restoration in the Messiah. Forms and Transliterations וּלְקָרְחָ֖ה ולקרחה קָרְחָ֑ה קָרְחָ֔ה קָרְחָ֛ה קָרְחָֽה׃ קָרְחָה֙ קָרְחָתֵךְ֙ קרחה קרחה׃ קרחתך kareChah karechateCh qā·rə·ḥā·ṯêḵ qā·rə·ḥāh qārəḥāh qārəḥāṯêḵ ū·lə·qā·rə·ḥāh ulekareChah ūləqārəḥāhLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Leviticus 21:5 HEB: (יִקְרְח֤וּ ק) קָרְחָה֙ בְּרֹאשָׁ֔ם וּפְאַ֥ת KJV: They shall not make baldness upon their head, INT: nor make bald baldness their heads the edges Deuteronomy 14:1 Isaiah 3:24 Isaiah 15:2 Isaiah 22:12 Jeremiah 47:5 Jeremiah 48:37 Ezekiel 7:18 Ezekiel 27:31 Amos 8:10 Micah 1:16 11 Occurrences |
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