Lexical Summary
yarek: Thigh, loins, side
Original Word:יָרֵךְ
Part of Speech:Noun Feminine
Transliteration:yarek
Pronunciation:yah-REK
Phonetic Spelling:(yaw-rake')
KJV: X body, loins, shaft, side, thigh
NASB:thigh, side, base, direct, hips, loins, thighs
Word Origin:[from an unused root meaning to be soft]
1. the thigh (from its fleshy softness)
2. by euphem. the generative parts
3. (figuratively) a shank, flank, side
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
body, loins, shaft, side, thigh
From an unused root meaning to be soft; the thigh (from its fleshy softness); by euphem. The generative parts; figuratively, a shank, flank, side -- X body, loins, shaft, side, thigh.
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originof uncertain derivation
Definitionthigh, loin, side, base
NASB Translationbase (3), direct (2), hips (1), loins (1), ruthlessly* (1), side (7), thigh (18), thighs (1).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
Numbers 5:27 (Late Hebrew
id.; Aramaic ; Zinjirli
loin; Assyrian
arku, arkâtu,
back,
rear,
hereafter Dl
HWB 242; Arabic
hip) — absolute
Judges 15:8 6t.; construct
Genesis 24:9 11t. +
2 Samuel 3:27 (see below); suffix
Genesis 24:2;
Genesis 47:29;
Numbers 5:21;
Genesis 32:26 6t.;
Exodus 25:31+ 3t.; dual
Exodus 28:42; suffix Cant 7:2; —
thigh,
,Exodus 32:27 (E);Judges 3:16and he girded it upon his right thigh,Judges 3:21;Psalm 45:4;Songs 3:8;Genesis 32:33hollow of the thigh,Genesis 32:26 (twice in verse);Genesis 32:33 (all J); Cant 7:2the roundings of thy thighs;Exodus 28:42 (P); ""Numbers 5:21,22,27 (P);Genesis 32:32 (J),limping upon his thigh;Jeremiah 31:19 and (with )Ezekiel 21:17,smite upon, thigh, in token of consternation;Judges 15:8and he smote them, hip upon thigh, a great slaughter.
thigh =loins, as seat of procreative power (RSK. 34; Semitic i, 360 (380))those proceeding from the loins of any oneGenesis 46:26;Exodus 1:5 (both P),Judges 8:30; henceplace the hand under thigh, in taking oathGenesis 24:2,9 (J),Genesis 47:29.
side (flank) of altar2 Kings 16:14;Leviticus 1:11 (P); of tabernacleExodus 40:22,24;Numbers 3:29,35 (all P); also (for ) Th We Dr Bu Kit.
base (loins) of candlestickExodus 25:31;Exodus 37:17;Numbers 8:4 (all P).
Topical Lexicon
Range of Meaningיָרֵךְ (yārēḵ) designates the upper leg in man or beast, including the hip-socket, the loins, and by extension the reproductive region. The breadth of the term allows it to function both literally (physical body parts) and figuratively (strength, offspring, covenant).
Physical and Anatomical Usage
• The most vivid anatomical scene is Jacob’s wrestle at Peniel, where “He touched the socket of Jacob’s hip so that his hip was dislocated” (Genesis 32:25; cf. 32:31-32). The permanent limp that followed reminds the reader that even the patriarch’s natural strength must submit to Yahweh.
• In everyday description yārēḵ can be aesthetically positive, as inSong of Solomon 7:1, or neutrally physical, as inSong of Solomon 3:8 andPsalm 45:3 where a warrior’s sword is strapped to the thigh, the location symbolizing readiness and power.
•Judges 15:8 uses the idiom “hip and thigh” to record Samson’s overwhelming slaughter of the Philistines, indicating a decisive and exhaustive victory.
Symbol of Strength and Warfare
A weapon fastened to the thigh signals might in battle (Judges 3:16, 21;Psalm 45:3). Enveloped in poetic praise, the royal Warrior Messiah is exhorted: “Strap Your sword at Your side, O Mighty One” (Psalm 45:3). The placement conveys instantaneous access to offensive power.
Place of Covenant Oath
Placing the hand “under the thigh” occurs only inGenesis 24:2, 9 and 47:29. Abraham’s servant swears to secure a spouse for Isaac; Joseph swears to bury Jacob in Canaan. The gesture places the oath-taker’s hand near the generative organs—the locus of posterity—binding the oath to the covenant promises of seed. The same God who guaranteed offspring (Genesis 12:7) is invoked as witness.
Seat of Procreative Power
Origin and posterity are conveyed by yārēḵ. “All the persons who came from Jacob’s loins were seventy” (Exodus 1:5). The loins are the fountainhead of the family line, giving the expression a genealogical nuance.Hebrews 7:10 builds on this Hebrew idiom when it asserts that Levi paid tithes “while still in the body of his ancestor.”
Instrument of Discipline and Judgment
Numbers 5:21-27 employs “your thigh will waste away” as part of the ordeal for adultery. The threatened curse strikes the very area of suspected sin, enforcing moral purity within Israel’s camp. Similarly,Deuteronomy 28:35 warns of an incurable disease “from the sole of your foot to the crown of your head,” including the loins; bodily affliction illustrates covenant curses for disobedience.
Liturgical and Priestly Considerations
Priestly modesty is safeguarded: “Make linen undergarments … to cover their nakedness from the waist to the thighs” (Exodus 28:42). Exposure of the thigh in sanctuary service would profane holiness (cf.Exodus 20:26). The garments emphasize the necessity of moral and ceremonial purity for those who serve at the altar.
Figures of Speech and Idioms
• “Hip and thigh” (Judges 15:8) = utter defeat.
• “To loosen the loins” (Isaiah 45:1, using a related verb) = disarming an opponent.
• “Covering the thighs” = modesty; “uncovering the thigh” = humiliation or judgment (Isaiah 47:2-3).
Prophetic Imagery
Isaiah 47:2-3 paints Babylon as a proud virgin compelled to bare her thigh while crossing rivers—symbolic exposure that anticipates her overthrow. In Ezekiel’s indictment of Jerusalem’s harlotries, exposure of the loins (Ezekiel 16:7, 37) magnifies covenant infidelity.
Spiritual and Ministry Insights
1. Human strength must yield to divine sovereignty (Jacob).
2. Covenantal faithfulness should govern all pledges (Abraham’s servant, Joseph).
3. Moral purity extends to thoughts and actions involving sexuality, underscored by priestly clothing laws and the ordeal of jealousy.
4. Victory in spiritual warfare demands readiness; the sword on the thigh images constant preparedness with God’s Word (cf.Ephesians 6:17).
Inter-Testamental and New Testament Resonance
Greek μηρός (lēros) carries the same physical idea.Revelation 19:16 depicts the triumphant Christ with a name written “on His robe and on His thigh: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS,” echoingPsalm 45:3 and highlighting the Warrior-King’s final victory, fulfilling the earlier scriptural symbolism of strength and covenant authority resident at the thigh.
Summary
Yārēḵ threads through Scripture as a locus of power, procreation, promise, and purity. Whether marking patriarchal covenants, prophetic judgments, or priestly regulations, the thigh underscores the Creator’s claim on human strength and sexuality and ultimately points to the Messiah in whom covenant, strength, and holiness converge.
Forms and Transliterations
הַיָּרֵ֔ךְ הירך יְרֵכ֑וֹ יְרֵכ֔וֹ יְרֵכִ֑י יְרֵכִֽי׃ יְרֵכֵךְ֙ יְרֵכַ֔יִךְ יְרֵכַ֖יִם יְרֵכָ֑הּ יְרֵכָ֣הּ יְרֵכָ֥הּ יְרֵכֽוֹ׃ יֶ֣רֶךְ יֶ֥רֶךְ יֶ֧רֶךְ יֶֽרֶךְ־ יָרֵ֑ךְ יָרֵ֖ךְ יָרֵ֣ךְ יָרֵֽךְ׃ ירך ירך־ ירך׃ ירכה ירכו ירכו׃ ירכי ירכי׃ ירכיך ירכים ירכך haiyaRech hay·yā·rêḵ hayyārêḵ yā·rêḵ yaRech yārêḵ yə·rê·ḵa·yiḵ yə·rê·ḵa·yim yə·rê·ḵāh yə·rê·ḵêḵ yə·rê·ḵî yə·rê·ḵōw ye·reḵ ye·reḵ- Yerech yereChah yereChayich yereChayim yerecheCh yereChi yereCho yereḵ yereḵ- yərêḵāh yərêḵayiḵ yərêḵayim yərêḵêḵ yərêḵî yərêḵōw
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