Lexical Summary raqa: To spread out, to beat, to stamp, to stretch Original Word: רָקַע Strong's Exhaustive Concordance beat, make broad, spread abroad forth, over, out, into plates, stamp, stretchA primitive root; to pound the earth (as a sign of passion); by analogy to expand (by hammering); by implication, to overlay (with thin sheets of metal) -- beat, make broad, spread abroad (forth, over, out, into plates), stamp, stretch. NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Origina prim. root Definition to beat, stamp, beat out, spread out NASB Translation beaten (1), hammered (2), plates (1), spread (3), spreading (1), stamp (1), stamped (2). Brown-Driver-Briggs [רָקַע] verb beat, stamp, beat out, spread out (Late Hebrew id.; Hiph`il, Aramaic רְקַע Aph`el, both spread out, and derivatives; Syriac  press down (Luke 6:38 ᵑ6), spread out, also consolidate; Arabic  patch, put on a patch, repair, compare Christian-Palestinian Aramaic  patch,  swaddling-bands, SchwIdioticon 90; Phoenician מרקע platter, or bowl, of gold CISi. 90, 1); — Qal Imperfect1singular suffix אֶרְקָעֵם 2 Samuel 22:43 I will stamp them down (probably gloss to אֲדִקֵּם preceding, of. BaePs 18:43); Imperative רְקַע בְּדַגְלְךָ Ezekiel 6:11 beat (stamp) with thy foot, in token of contemptuous pleasure, compare Da ("" הַכֵּה בְכַמְּךָ); so Infinitive construct suffix רַקְעֲךָ בְּרָ֑גֶל Ezekiel 25:6 ("" מַחְאֲךָ יָד); Participle active as substantive construct (Ges§ 65d) רֹקַע הָאָרֶץ (i.e. ׳י) he that (beateth out) spreadeth out the earth Isaiah 42:5, רֹקַע ׳הַא Isaiah 44:24, ׳רוֺקַע הָא Psalm 136:6. Pi`el Imperfect3masculine singular suffix בַּזָּהָב יְרַקְּעֶנּוּ Isaiah 40:19 a goldsmith with gold over-layeth it (literally beateth it out3masculine plural וַיְרַקְּעוּ אֶתֿ מַּחֵי הַזָּהָב Exodus 39:3 they beat out the plates of gold; suffix וַיְרִקְּעוּם צִמּוּי Numbers 17:4 they beat them out as plating. Pu`al Participle כֶּסֶף מְרֻקָּ֑ע Jeremiah 10:9 silver beaten out. Hiph`il Imperfect2masculine singular תַּרְקִיעַ עִמּוֺ לִשְׁחָקִים Job 37:18 canst thou make with (= like) him a spreading for clouds (spread out clouds; cf, רָקִיעַ)? Topical Lexicon Semantic Range and Imagery רָקַע describes forceful flattening that produces a widened, level surface. Whether the object is precious metal, sky, earth, or an enemy underfoot, the word pictures the exertion of decisive power that reshapes what is struck. Cultic and Artistic Craftsmanship • Exodus 39:3 recounts the skilled artisans of the tabernacle who “hammered out gold leaf and cut it into threads to be woven” into priestly garments. The verb underscores the painstaking labor devoted to honoring the LORD’s holiness. Creation Theology: God’s Cosmic Hammer • Job 37:18 asks, “Can you, like Him, spread out the skies, hard as a cast metal mirror?” Creation is likened to a great metal plate beaten into place by the divine hand. Idolatry Exposed The prophets exploit the word’s craftsmanship nuance to ridicule idols. Isaiah and Jeremiah present craftsmen laboring to hammer gold, yet the finished product cannot move or speak. By using the same verb that elsewhere celebrates God’s creative act, Scripture magnifies the futility of substituting creaturely skill for the Creator’s power. Judgment and Warfare Imagery • 2 Samuel 22:43 (parallel Psalm 18:42) speaks of enemies reduced to dust: “I ground them as the dust of the earth; I crushed and trampled them like mud in the streets.” David’s victory echoes divine re-creation—his foes are beaten flat as the sky was spread. Pastoral and Devotional Insights 1. Worship that honors God is meticulous and costly, yet it rests on His prior work; human hammering in Exodus only adorns what He has ordained. Canonical and Christological Trajectory The cross becomes the ultimate reversal of the verb’s imagery: human hands “hammer” nails, intending defeat, yet God through that very act levels the barriers of sin and forges a new creation in Christ. The empty tomb proclaims a Creator who again spreads out life where death had reigned. Summary רָקַע weaves through Scripture as a thread of hammered gold: it adorns true worship, mocks false gods, forms the world, destroys evil, and anticipates redemption. The same sovereign hand that spread out the heavens now upholds every promise to His people. Forms and Transliterations אֶרְקָעֵֽם׃ ארקעם׃ וְרַקְעֲךָ֖ וַֽיְרַקְּע֖וּם וַֽיְרַקְּע֞וּ וּרְקַ֤ע וירקעו וירקעום ורקע ורקעך יְרַקְּעֶ֑נּוּ ירקענו לְרֹקַ֣ע לרקע מְרֻקָּ֞ע מרקע רֹקַ֥ע רקע תַּרְקִ֣יעַ תרקיע ’er·qā·‘êm ’erqā‘êm erkaEm lə·rō·qa‘ leroKa lərōqa‘ mə·ruq·qā‘ merukKa məruqqā‘ rō·qa‘ roKa rōqa‘ tar·qî·a‘ tarKia tarqîa‘ ū·rə·qa‘ ureKa ūrəqa‘ vayrakkeU vayrakkeUm verakaCha way·raq·qə·‘ū way·raq·qə·‘ūm wayraqqə‘ū wayraqqə‘ūm wə·raq·‘ă·ḵā wəraq‘ăḵā yə·raq·qə·‘en·nū yerakkeEnnu yəraqqə‘ennūLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Exodus 39:3 HEB: וַֽיְרַקְּע֞וּ אֶת־ פַּחֵ֣י NAS: Then they hammered out gold sheets KJV: And they did beat the gold into INT: hammered into sheets Numbers 16:39 2 Samuel 22:43 Job 37:18 Psalm 136:6 Isaiah 40:19 Isaiah 42:5 Isaiah 44:24 Jeremiah 10:9 Ezekiel 6:11 Ezekiel 25:6 11 Occurrences |
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