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גָּרָה

𐤂𐤓𐤄

gârâh

H1624 verb

SILEX Entry

Root גרה to incite, to provoke, to stir up, to challenge

Definition

To incite or stir up, especially in the sense of provoking, challenging, or initiating conflict; to engage in contention or dispute, whether verbal or physical. In some contexts, it carries the nuance of rousing anger or enmity, but it can also refer more broadly to instigating engagement with an adversary or provoking a reaction.

Semantic Range

to provoke to anger, to incite strife, to stir up rivalry, to challenge to contest, to begin or initiate conflict, to contend, to meddle

Root / Etymology

Root: גרה (g-r-h). Likely derived from a core sense of 'inciting' or 'stirring up.' The root appears to express the idea of provoking a response, challenging, or engaging in hostile or competitive interaction. The primary semantic development is from the idea of physically or emotionally provoking another, particularly toward anger, contention, or rivalry.

Historical & Contextual Notes

Across biblical usage, גָּרָה is mainly found in contexts describing provocation to conflict, whether between individuals (such as Jacob and Esau in Genesis 26:21, 26:22) or between nations (Deuteronomy 2:5, 2:9, 2:19, depicting YHWH instructing Israel not to 'provoke' Edomites, Moabites, or Ammonites to war). Over time, usage focused on the sense of rousing or inciting to action, often of a confrontational or combative nature. While Strong's gloss includes metaphorical senses like 'to anger', many contexts are not primarily about emotion but about initiative for strife or challenge. English translations such as 'contend' or 'provoke' sometimes obscure the nuance of deliberate initiation of conflict or challenge. The term is not limited to emotional agitation but broadly covers prompting or instigating altercation, whether verbal or military. In contrast to synonyms such as רִיב (riv, to dispute, quarrel, or litigate), גָּרָה typically emphasizes the act of stirring up or beginning contention, rather than the ongoing process of legal or verbal argumentation. The meaning remains consistent across the main biblical periods, though later Hebrew shifts in some dialects away from the verb. English translations at times render the term as 'provoke', 'contend', or 'stir up', which may reflect particular contextual emphases but do not always capture the full semantic range.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

a primitive root; properly, to grate, i.e. (figuratively) to anger; contend, meddle, stir up, strive.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

גרה (g-r-h) — to incite, to provoke, to stir up, to challenge

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H1617 גֵּרָא Gera
H8409 תִּגְרָה from a legal contention

Word Forms

10 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H1624-08 יְגָרֶ֣ה yegareh HVpi3ms stirs up he incites 3
H1624-10 יִתְגָּ֥רוּ yitegaru HVti3mp shall wage war they will stir themselves up 2
H1624-03 תִתְגָּרֶה֙ titegareh HVti2ms should you provoke you will provoke yourself 2
H1624-02 תִּתְגָּ֥ר titegar HVtj2ms you-shall-provoke engage yourself in contention 2
H1624-06 וְ/יִתְגָּרֶ֖ה veyitegareh HC/Vti3ms and wage war and he will stir himself up 1
H1624-01 הִתְגָּרִֽית hitegarit HVtp2fs you have striven you stirred yourself up to contend 1
H1624-09 יִתְגָּרֶה֙ yitegareh HVti3ms shall stir up he will stir himself up 1
H1624-04 תִּתְגָּר֣וּ titegaru HVtj2mp provoke provoke yourselves 1
H1624-07 ו/יתגרו vytgrv HC/Vti3mp and they will stir up and they will provoke themselves 1
H1624-05 וְ/הִתְגָּ֥ר vehitegar HC/Vtv2ms and engage provoke yourself 1

Occurrences in Scripture

15 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H1624-04 Deuteronomy 2:5 תִּתְגָּר֣וּ titegaru HVtj2mp provoke provoke yourselves
H1624-02 Deuteronomy 2:9 תִּתְגָּ֥ר titegar HVtj2ms provoke engage yourself in contention
H1624-02 Deuteronomy 2:19 תִּתְגָּ֣ר titegar HVtj2ms you-shall-provoke engage yourself in contention
H1624-05 Deuteronomy 2:24 וְ/הִתְגָּ֥ר vehitegar HC/Vtv2ms and engage provoke yourself
H1624-03 2 Kings 14:10 תִתְגָּרֶה֙ titegareh HVti2ms should you provoke you will provoke yourself
H1624-01 Jeremiah 50:24 הִתְגָּרִֽית hitegarit HVtp2fs you have striven you stirred yourself up to contend
H1624-08 Proverbs 15:18 יְגָרֶ֣ה yegareh HVpi3ms stirs up he incites
H1624-10 Proverbs 28:4 יִתְגָּ֥רוּ yitegaru HVti3mp strive they will stir themselves up
H1624-08 Proverbs 28:25 יְגָרֶ֣ה yegareh HVpi3ms stirs up he incites
H1624-08 Proverbs 29:22 יְגָרֶ֣ה yegareh HVpi3ms stirs up he incites
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