Lexical Summary
lachak: To lick, lap
Original Word:לָחַךְ
Part of Speech:Verb
Transliteration:lachak
Pronunciation:lah-khak'
Phonetic Spelling:(law-khak')
KJV: lick (up)
NASB:lick, licked, licks
Word Origin:[a primitive root]
1. to lick
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
lick up
A primitive root; to lick -- lick (up).
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origina prim. root
Definitionto lick
NASB Translationlick (4), licked (1), licks (1).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
(Late Hebrew
id.; so Aramaic
; Arabic
; -
Infinitive constructNumbers 22:4 (E), followed by accusative; of ox licking up grass.
Perfect3feminine singular1 Kings 18:38;Imperfect3masculine pluralNumbers 22:4;Micah 7:17;Psalm 72:9;Isaiah 43:23;lick up (followed by accusative), fire from heaven the water in trench1 Kings 18:38; of Israel consuming produce of landNumbers 22:3(E); especiallylick the dust, sign of humiliationMicah 7:17;Psalm 72:9;Isaiah 49:23.
Topical Lexicon
Root Imagery and Semantic Rangeלָחַךְ portrays a rapid, sweeping motion of the tongue that reduces the object of contact to nothing—“licking up” grass, water, or dust. The verb conveys either ravenous consumption or utter humiliation, depending on the context.
Occurrences and Narrative Settings
1.Numbers 22:4: Balak fears that Israel will “lick up everything around us, as an ox licks up the grass of the field”. The figure stresses Israel’s divinely aided power to strip the land bare, highlighting covenant faithfulness to Abraham’s seed and the futility of resisting God’s promise.
2.1 Kings 18:38: On Mount Carmel, “the fire of the LORD fell and consumed the burnt offering, the wood, the stones, and the dust, and it licked up the water in the trench”. Here לָחַךְ magnifies Yahweh’s supremacy over Baal by depicting total, instantaneous consumption.
3.Psalm 72:9: Of Messiah’s reign it is said, “May desert dwellers bow before Him, and His enemies lick the dust”. The verb shifts from consumption to submission, portraying foes flattened to the ground in acknowledgment of the royal Son.
4.Isaiah 49:23: Gentile rulers will “bow down to you with their faces to the ground; they will lick the dust at your feet”. The image promises vindication for Zion and anticipates worldwide recognition of Israel’s God.
5.Micah 7:17: Nations that once opposed the LORD “will lick the dust like a snake”. Fear-induced abasement gives way to repentance, echoingGenesis 3:14 and underscoring reversal of the Edenic curse for those reconciled to God.
(The double listing ofNumbers 22:4 on concordance charts reflects the verse’s two clauses, but the form appears once in the narrative.)
Theological Trajectory
1. Covenant Protection: Balak’s anxiety (Numbers) marks the first canonical use; Israel’s march is unstoppable because it is God-directed. לָחַךְ underlines divine backing for His people and anticipates the land promises’ fulfillment.
2. Revelation of Divine Holiness: Fire that “licks” water in1 Kings 18 demonstrates Yahweh’s uncontested holiness. He not only answers prayer but eradicates idolatrous pretension.
3. Messianic Dominion:Psalm 72 andIsaiah 49 apply לָחַךְ to royal victory. Human pride is not merely defeated but driven to prostrate homage. The dust-licking motif feeds New Testament portraits of every knee bowing to Jesus Christ (Philippians 2:10).
4. Eschatological Reversal: Micah envisions erstwhile persecutors practicing serpent-like submission. Their posture anticipates the ultimate triumph of divine justice at the consummation of history.
Ministry and Discipleship Implications
• Confidence in Mission: Just as Israel “licked up” resistance, the Church may advance the gospel with assurance that no earthly power can thwart God’s redemptive design.
• Call to Whole-hearted Worship: Carmel’s scene warns against syncretism. Spiritual fire that “licks up” every hindrance invites believers to offer undivided allegiance.
• Cultivation of Humility: The dust-licking image urges voluntary self-abasement before Christ now, lest enforced humiliation follow His return.
• Hope for the Oppressor: Micah’s nations tremble yet ultimately “turn in fear to the LORD our God.” Even adversaries may become worshipers when confronted with divine majesty.
Contemporary Application
In evangelism, לָחַךְ encourages bold proclamation: God will either consume resistance or convert it. In personal devotion, it fuels awe—His holiness consumes every rival affection. In social engagement, it balances justice and mercy: oppressors face sure humbling, yet the gospel holds out reconciliation. Thus, the verb’s sixfold appearance serves as a vivid reminder that the Lord who can “lick up” is also the Lord who can lift up.
Forms and Transliterations
יְלַחֲכ֤וּ יְלַחֵ֑כוּ יְלַחֵֽכוּ׃ ילחכו ילחכו׃ כִּלְחֹ֣ךְ כלחך לִחֵֽכָה׃ לחכה׃ kil·ḥōḵ kilChoch kilḥōḵ li·ḥê·ḵāh liChechah liḥêḵāh yə·la·ḥă·ḵū yə·la·ḥê·ḵū yelachaChu yelaChechu yəlaḥăḵū yəlaḥêḵū
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