רָכָל
𐤓𐤊𐤋
Rakhal
H7403 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
A merchant, trader—someone who travels carrying merchandise for trade, often over distances; also used as a place name signifying a location connected with trade or named after such an individual. As a noun, it designates a person whose principal occupation is the buying and selling of goods, especially through travel or itinerant commerce.
Semantic Range
merchant, trader, itinerant dealer; place associated with merchants or trading
Root / Etymology
Root רכל (ר-כ-ל), meaning 'to go about, to trade, to deal as a merchant.' The noun רָכָל is derived from this root, denoting a person engaged in the practice of rākal (itinerant trading). The form is of a standard noun pattern indicating agent or occupation. As a place name, it either references a settlement known for trade or is named after a prominent merchant or family of merchants. Root meaning 'to travel about (for trade)' underlies the lexical meaning of 'merchant.'
Historical & Contextual Notes
In the Hebrew Bible, רָכָל is a relatively rare term, appearing primarily in lists or genealogical contexts (such as 1 Samuel 30:29, where 'Rachal' appears as a place visited by David). The merchant role represented by רָכָל implies itinerancy (cf. Ezekiel 27:13, where the verb form רֹכֵלִים denotes 'traders' or 'merchants'). This is distinct from other terms for shop-based trading or local commerce. As a place name, the context does not indicate further meaning beyond its association with trading or merchants. English translations sometimes render the place name as 'Rachal,' which obscures its commercial connotations. Over time, similar words in post-biblical Hebrew and in Aramaic continue to carry the sense of itinerant trading or peddling. The later use of cognate terms in rabbinic Hebrew and medieval glossaries often refers to small-scale or traveling traders, with occasional negative connotations (e.g. gossip spreaders), but these connotations are not found in the biblical usage. The English translation 'merchant' is accurate for the personal noun, but for the place name, the mercantile association is likely but not certain.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from רָכַל; merchant; Rakal, a place in Palestine; Rachal.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
רכל (r-k-l) — to go about, to trade, to do business by traveling
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H4819 | מַרְכֹּלֶת | in your trade-goods |
| H7400 | רָכִיל | slander-peddler |
| H7402 | רָכַל | the traveling traders |
| H7404 | רְכֻלָּה | in your traded goods |
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H7403-01 |
בְּ/רָכָ֗ל | berakhal | HR/Np |
in Racal | in Merchant-Place | in Rakhal | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
1 occurrence
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H7403-01 |
1 Samuel 30:29 | בְּ/רָכָ֗ל | berakhal | HR/Np |
in Racal | in Merchant-Place | in Rakhal |