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לָקַח

𐤋𐤒𐤇

lâqach

H3947 verb

SILEX Entry

Root לקח to take, to grasp, to seize, to acquire

Definition

To take, seize, acquire, grasp, or obtain something or someone. In the Hebrew Bible, לָקַח is used in a variety of contexts to express (1) the act of physically taking or receiving an object, (2) taking a person (as in marriage, into custody, or for another purpose), (3) acquiring or accepting something offered, (4) carrying or moving an object from one place to another, or (5) capturing or seizing, whether people (as captives) or possessions. Its meaning depends greatly on context and may refer to both literal, physical taking or more abstract acts of acquisition or acceptance.

Semantic Range

to take, to receive, to seize, to acquire, to marry (take a wife), to carry, to fetch, to accept, to capture, to remove, to be taken (passive), to win, to use (metaphorically), to receive (abstract or material things), to bring

Root / Etymology

Root ל-ק-ח. The core root meaning is 'to take' or 'to grasp.' לָקַח is the basic Qal form from this root, functioning primarily as a verb to indicate the action of taking or acquiring. The semantic range broadens considerably through usage and verbal stem variations (niphal: to be taken, pual: to be taken in a stronger sense, etc.), but the underlying sense remains the act of taking or acquiring by the subject.

Historical & Contextual Notes

Throughout the Hebrew Bible, לָקַח reflects a primary action word, central to narratives involving the movement, acquisition, or transfer of people and objects. In the patriarchal and monarchic periods, it frequently appears in the context of marriage ('to take a wife'), acquisition of land or goods, or the taking of captives or spoils in battle. In legal and ritual texts, it commonly describes the act of taking an offering, item, or prescribed object. The word's broad application allows it to function in both concrete and metaphorical ways, e.g., 'the LORD took' someone (signifying death or translation) or in wisdom literature, referring to understanding or acquiring wisdom. English translations often use 'take,' 'receive,' or 'fetch,' sometimes supplemented by context-specific verbs such as 'seize,' 'capture,' or 'accept.' While core meaning remains stable, the breadth of application in Hebrew can be greater than single English counterparts provide. Related words such as קָחַד (to gather) and נָטַל (to lift, take up) are occasionally used with overlapping meaning, but לָקַח is especially broad and regularly employed in narrative, legal, and poetic texts. In later biblical periods, and in most post-exilic Hebrew, the verb continues to serve as the primary word for this semantic domain, with usage patterns largely consistent with earlier periods.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

a primitive root; to take (in the widest variety of applications); accept, bring, buy, carry away, drawn, fetch, get, infold, [idiom] many, mingle, place, receive(-ing), reserve, seize, send for, take (away, -ing, up), use, win.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

לקח (l-q-ḥ) — to take, to grasp, to seize, to acquire

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H3948 לֶקַח Take!
H3949 לִקְחִי and Taken-One
H4455 מַלְקוֹחַ the seized spoil
H4457 מֶלְקָח with grasping-tongs
H4727 מִקָּח and acquisition-of

Word Forms

128 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H3947-89 וַ/יִּקַּ֛ח vayiqach HC/Vqw3ms and took and he took 204
H3947-46 קַח qach HVqv2ms take Take! 66
H3947-11 לָקַ֥ח laqach HVqp3ms took he took 55
H3947-96 וַ/יִּקְח֤וּ vayiqechu HC/Vqw3mp and they took and they took 54
H3947-118 יִֽקַּֽח yiqach HVqi3ms takes he will take 44
H3947-104 וְ/לָקַחְתָּ֥ velaqacheta HC/Vqp2ms and you shall take and you took 40
H3947-60 תִּֽקַּח tiqach HVqi2ms you shall take you will take 34
H3947-100 וְ/לָקַח֙ velaqach HC/Vqq3ms and shall take and he took 33
H3947-82 וַ/תִּקַּ֥ח vatiqach HC/Vqw3fs and took and she took 32
H3947-59 קְח֥וּ qechu HVqv2mp Take Take! 28

Occurrences in Scripture

967 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H3947-89 Genesis 2:15 וַ/יִּקַּ֛ח vayiqach HC/Vqw3ms and took and he took
H3947-89 Genesis 2:21 וַ/יִּקַּ֗ח vayiqach HC/Vqw3ms and he took and he took
H3947-11 Genesis 2:22 לָקַ֥ח laqach HVqp3ms he had taken he took
H3947-39 Genesis 2:23 לֻֽקֳחָה luqochah HVPp3fs she was taken she was taken
H3947-82 Genesis 3:6 וַ/תִּקַּ֥ח vatiqach HC/Vqw3fs she took and she took
H3947-37 Genesis 3:19 לֻקָּ֑חְתָּ luqacheta HVPp2ms you were taken you were taken
H3947-100 Genesis 3:22 וְ/לָקַח֙ velaqach HC/Vqq3ms and take and he took
H3947-36 Genesis 3:23 לֻקַּ֖ח luqach HVPp3ms he had been taken was seized
H3947-12 Genesis 4:11 לָ/קַ֛חַת laqachat HR/Vqc to receive to take
H3947-89 Genesis 4:19 וַ/יִּֽקַּֽח vayiqach HC/Vqw3ms took and he took
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