← H7400 H7402 →

רָכַךְ

𐤓𐤊𐤊

râkak

H7401 verb

SILEX Entry

Root רךך to be soft, to be tender, to become weak, to be gentle

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.

Semantic Range

to be soft (physically), to be tender, to become gentle or mild, to be fainthearted or emotionally yielding, to be lenient, to be or become weak, to mollify or soften (transitive), to experience compassion or emotional tenderness

Root / Etymology

From the root ר-כ-ך (רך), meaning 'to be soft, tender, or weak.' The verb form is a qal (simple) verbal root indicating the state or process of becoming soft or tender, either physically or metaphorically. The meaning extends from tactile softness to broader metaphorical senses like emotional tenderness or weakness.

Historical & Contextual Notes

רָכַךְ occurs a handful of times in the Hebrew Bible and often appears in contexts emphasizing a change of state, whether physical (as in food or flesh being softened, e.g. 2 Kings 22:19) or emotional/psychological (as in a heart being softened to compassion or, conversely, to faintheartedness, e.g. Isaiah 7:4). In post-exilic and later Hebrew, the sense of 'softness' persists in a slightly broader psychological and ethical domain. The term may contrast with roots denoting hardness or strength (such as חזק or קשה), marking a range from physical pliability to emotional and moral responsiveness. English translations may render it as 'tender,' 'soft,' 'mild,' 'fainthearted,' or 'compassionate,' but these capture only parts of the semantic range. Later tradition sometimes imports a negative sense ('weakness'), but in biblical texts, the context determines whether the sense is positive (tenderness, leniency) or negative (softness as lack of courage). The noun derivative רַךְ (rak), 'tender, soft,' has similar connotations, often applied to young people or sensitive individuals.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

a primitive root; to soften (intransitively or transitively), used figuratively; (be) faint(-hearted), mollify, (be, make) soft(-er), be tender.

Bantu Hebrew

No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.

+ Add Bantu Hebrew Word

Root Family

רכך (r-k-k) — softness, tenderness, weakness, gentleness

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H7390 רַךְ the tender one
H7391 רֹךְ and from softness
H7397 רֵכָה the Rekah-ites

Word Forms

5 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
H7401-05 יֵרַ֣ךְ yerakhe HVqj3ms be faint let him become soft 3
H7401-02 רַךְ rakhe HVqp3ms tender soft 2
H7401-03 רַכּ֖וּ raku HVqp3cp they made soft they became soft 1
H7401-04 רֻכְּכָ֖ה rukekhah HVPp3fs softened was made soft 1
H7401-01 הֵרַ֣ךְ herakhe HVhp3ms has-made-soft he made soft 1

Occurrences in Scripture

8 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
H7401-05 Deuteronomy 20:3 יֵרַ֣ךְ yerakhe HVqj3ms be faint let him become soft
H7401-02 2 Kings 22:19 רַךְ rakhe HVqp3ms tender soft
H7401-04 Isaiah 1:6 רֻכְּכָ֖ה rukekhah HVPp3fs softened was made soft
H7401-05 Isaiah 7:4 יֵרַ֔ךְ yerakhe HVqj3ms be-faint let him become soft
H7401-05 Jeremiah 51:46 יֵרַ֤ךְ yerakhe HVqi3ms grow-faint let him become soft
H7401-03 Psalms 55:22 רַכּ֖וּ raku HVqp3cp they made soft they became soft
H7401-01 Job 23:16 הֵרַ֣ךְ herakhe HVhp3ms has-made-soft he made soft
H7401-02 2 Chronicles 34:27 רַךְ rakhe HVqp3ms tender soft
← H7400 Hebrew Lexicon H7402 →