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רָכַל

𐤓𐤊𐤋

râkal

H7402 verb

SILEX Entry

Root רכל to go around, peddle, trade, circulate for commerce

Definition

To go about as a trader; to engage in itinerant trade or peddling, especially as one dealing in goods, wares, or merchandise. The verb refers primarily to traveling or circulating with goods for commercial purposes rather than stationary commerce. It stresses both the motion involved (journeying, moving from place to place) and the activities of trading, bartering, or making profit from sale of goods. In noun form (esp. רוֹכֵל), it denotes an itinerant merchant, trader, or dealer, at times with the nuance of one who carries goods and information between parties.

Semantic Range

to travel about for trading purposes, to peddle wares, to act as an itinerant merchant, to be a merchant or trader; (by later extension) to deal in commerce or to carry tales/gossip

Root / Etymology

Root: רכל. The base meaning of the root רכל is 'to go around, to go about,' specifically with reference to trade, i.e., to peddle or to be a traveling merchant. The verb רָכַל develops from the idea of circulating or moving about, and applies specifically to the sphere of commerce. Derived nouns (רוֹכֵל rokhēl) refer to a peddler, merchant, or trader; by extension, it also acquires metaphorical connotations such as 'one who carries tales' (i.e., gossip), reflecting the communicative aspect of the merchant’s activity.

Historical & Contextual Notes

The term רָכַל and its derivatives appear primarily in prophetic texts and later writings, where they frequently describe merchants trading in precious goods (cf. Ezekiel 27, regarding Tyrian trade). The underlying image is of someone who travels from place to place to buy and sell goods, in contrast to shop-based or sedentary merchants. In later Hebrew usage and Rabbinic literature, related forms acquire the meaning of 'gossip' or 'one who carries tales,' drawing on the merchant’s association with circulating not only goods, but also news or rumors. While English translations often read 'merchant' or 'trader,' the itinerant aspect and nuance of the term is sometimes lost. In certain contexts, רָכַל (especially nouns from this root) can have a negative ethical nuance, due to associations with haggling, exploitation, or rumor-mongering. The core sense in the Hebrew Bible, however, is commercial and economic, focused on the role of the traveling trader, particularly in international commerce. The word is rarely used for Israelites themselves, more often describing foreigners or depicting Israelite engagement in broader networks of economic exchange.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

a primitive root; to travel for trading; (spice) merchant.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

רכל (r-k-l) — go about, peddle, trade, circulate for commerce

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H4819 מַרְכֹּלֶת in your trade-goods
H7400 רָכִיל slander-peddler
H7403 רָכָל in Merchant-Place
H7404 רְכֻלָּה in your traded goods

Word Forms

8 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H7402-04 רֹֽכְלָ֑יִ/ךְ rokhelayikhe HVqrmpc/Sp2fs your merchants your itinerant traders 6
H7402-08 וְ/הָ/רֹכְלִ֑ים veharokhelim HC/Td/Vqrmpa and the merchants and the traveling traders 2
H7402-01 הָ/רֹכְלִ֑ים harokhelim HTd/Vqrmpa of the peddlers the traveling traders 2
H7402-06 רֹכְלֵ֤י rokheley HVqrmpc merchants of itinerant traders of 2
H7402-02 רֹֽכַלְתֵּ֔/ךְ rokhaletekhe HVqrfsc/Sp2fs was your merchant your (fs) trading-about 2
H7402-07 רֹכְלִ֖ים rokhelim HVqrmpa of traders itinerant traders 1
H7402-05 רֹכֶ֨לֶת֙ rokhelet HVqrfsc merchant female traveling trader of 1
H7402-03 רוֹכֵֽל rokhel HVqrmsa of the merchant itinerant trader 1

Occurrences in Scripture

17 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H7402-01 1 Kings 10:15 הָ/רֹכְלִ֑ים harokhelim HTd/Vqrmpa of the peddlers the traveling traders
H7402-07 Ezekiel 17:4 רֹכְלִ֖ים rokhelim HVqrmpa of traders itinerant traders
H7402-05 Ezekiel 27:3 רֹכֶ֨לֶת֙ rokhelet HVqrfsc merchant female traveling trader of
H7402-04 Ezekiel 27:13 רֹֽכְלָ֑יִ/ךְ rokhelayikhe HVqrmpc/Sp2fs your merchants your itinerant traders
H7402-04 Ezekiel 27:15 רֹֽכְלַ֔יִ/ךְ rokhelayikhe HVqrmpc/Sp2fs your traders your itinerant traders
H7402-04 Ezekiel 27:17 רֹכְלָ֑יִ/ךְ rokhelayikhe HVqrmpc/Sp2fs your traders your itinerant traders
H7402-02 Ezekiel 27:20 רֹֽכַלְתֵּ֔/ךְ rokhaletekhe HVqrfsc/Sp2fs was your merchant your (fs) trading-about
H7402-06 Ezekiel 27:22 רֹכְלֵ֤י rokheley HVqrmpc merchants of itinerant traders of
H7402-04 Ezekiel 27:22 רֹכְלָ֑יִ/ךְ rokhelayikhe HVqrmpc/Sp2fs your merchants your itinerant traders
H7402-06 Ezekiel 27:23 רֹכְלֵ֖י rokheley HVqrmpc traders of itinerant traders of
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