רַכּ֖וּ
𐤓𐤊𐤅
râkak
they made soft
To be soft or tender, in a physical or figurative sense; to become tender, gentle, weak, or mild; to make or become emotionally soft or yielding. The word is used to express both physical softness (e.g., tenderness of flesh) and emotional or psychological softness (e.g., faintheartedness, gentleness, or leniency). It can denote a literal softening (e.g., of food or physical material), but more often carries figurative meaning of emotional, moral, or psychological yielding, such as becoming compassionate or losing courage.
Psalms 55:22 · Word #6
Lexicon H7401
| Lemma | רָכַךְ |
| Lemma (Paleo) | 𐤓𐤊𐤊 |
| Transliteration | râkak |
| Strong's | H7401 |
| Definition | To be soft or tender, in a physical or figurative sense; to become tender, gentle, weak, or mild; to make or become emotionally soft or yielding. The word is used to express both physical softness (e.g., tenderness of flesh) and emotional or psychological softness (e.g., faintheartedness, gentleness, or leniency). It can denote a literal softening (e.g., of food or physical material), but more often carries figurative meaning of emotional, moral, or psychological yielding, such as becoming compassionate or losing courage. |
Morphology HVqp3cp
All morphology codes
| Part of Speech | V — Verb — An action or state |
| Binyan | q — Qal — Simple active |
| Conjugation | p — Perfect — Completed action |
| Person | 3 — 3rd person — Third person ("he/she/they") |
| Gender | c — Common — Common (both genders) |
| Number | p — Plural — Plural |
Common Translation
| Phrase | they made soft |
SIBI-P1 Translation H7401-03
they became soft
| Morphological Notes | Verb, Qal stem, perfect conjugation, 3rd person common plural. |
| Rendering Rationale | The Qal perfect 3rd person common plural form denotes a completed action by 'they.' In Qal, the root primarily expresses becoming soft or tender, so 'they became soft' preserves both the stative-process sense and the plural morphology. |
View full lexicon entry for H7401 →
SILEX v2
SIBI-P2 (Context-Aware)
they are softer
| Same as P1 | No — adjusted for context |
| Rationale | Given the context (comparison with oil), the simple present 'they are softer' aligns naturally with the poetic comparison and retains the figurative sense. |