Lexical Summary
arag: To weave
Original Word:אָרַג
Part of Speech:Verb
Transliteration:arag
Pronunciation:ah-rag'
Phonetic Spelling:(aw-rag')
KJV: weaver(-r)
NASB:weaver's, woven, weave, weaver, weavers, weaving
Word Origin:[a primitive root]
1. to plait or weave
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
weaver
A primitive root; to plait or weave -- weaver(-r).
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origina prim. root
Definitionto weave
NASB Translationweave (2), weaver (2), weaver's (4), weavers (1), weaving (1), woven (3).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
(Mishna
id. compare Phoenician
weaver) —
Imperfect2feminine singularJudges 16:13, 3masculine pluralIsaiah 59:5;ParticipleExodus 28:32 4t.; pluralIsaiah 19:9 5t.;2 Kings 23:7; —weave cloth, etc.Isaiah 19:9 (in Egypt)2 Kings 23:7, Samson's locksJudges 16:13; metaphor weave spider's web = intrigueIsaiah 59:5; most often Participle used as substantive =weaverIsaiah 38:12; work of the weaverExodus 28:32;Exodus 39:22,27; compareExodus 35:35; weavers' beam (plural)1 Samuel 17:7;2 Samuel 21:19;1 Chronicles 11:23;1 Chronicles 20:5 (simile of huge spear-shaft) — compare also below .
Topical Lexicon
The Weaving Motif in Scriptureאָרַג (’ārag) evokes the deliberate, patterned interlacing of threads into cloth. Across the canon, weaving illustrates artistry, order, strength, and, at times, idolatrous misuse. Whether adorning priests, equipping warriors, or serving as a prophetic metaphor, weaving underscores the truth that God can be glorified—or profaned—through human skill.
Occurrences and Contexts
1. Worship and Holiness
•Exodus 35:35; 39:22, 27 – The robe of the ephod and the tunics of the priests were “the work of a weaver,” displaying God-given craftsmanship dedicated to His service. The single opening of the robe (28:32) prevented tearing, symbolizing wholeness in ministry.
2. Domestic and Vocational Life
•Isaiah 19:9 – Economic judgment falls on Egypt; “the weavers of fine thread will lose hope,” reminding readers that every marketplace skill depends on the LORD’s providence.
3. Personal Experience
•Isaiah 38:12 – Hezekiah likens his fragile life to cloth on a loom: “I have rolled up my life like a weaver; He cuts me off from the loom.” The image captures both human vulnerability and divine sovereignty over life’s span.
4. Moral Failure
•2 Kings 23:7 – Women “were weaving for Asherah” inside the very house of the LORD, a vivid picture of sacred skills corrupted by idolatry.
5. Military Imagery
•1 Samuel 17:7;2 Samuel 21:19;1 Chronicles 11:23; 20:5 – The spear shafts “like a weaver’s beam” stress the massive size of Philistine weaponry while highlighting Israel’s God-given victories.
6. Deception and Folly
•Judges 16:13 – Delilah weaves Samson’s braids into a loom, a picture of ritualistic entanglement leading to betrayal.
•Isaiah 59:5 – The wicked “spin a spider’s web,” contrasting flimsy, deceptive works with the sturdy cloth woven for the priests.
Historical Significance
Ancient Near-Eastern looms produced rectangular cloth used for garments, tents, and hangings. Israel’s artisans, “filled…with skill” (Exodus 35:35), matched neighboring cultures in technique yet surpassed them in purpose—crafting items for the tabernacle that mirrored heavenly patterns (Hebrews 8:5). Conversely, the idolatrous weaving for Asherah (2 Kings 23:7) exposes how cultural crafts can be co-opted by false worship.
Ministry Implications
• Craftsmanship as Calling: Bezalel and Oholiab demonstrate that Spirit-empowered artisanship is valid ministry. Churches can encourage vocational excellence as an act of worship.
• Vigilance against Syncretism: Josiah’s reforms warn leaders to guard sacred spaces from cultural practices that dishonor God, even when those practices employ respectable skills.
• Mortality and Hope: Hezekiah’s “weaver” lament provides a pastoral text for funerals and counseling, pointing sufferers to the One who alone determines the length of the thread.
• Spiritual Warfare: David’s triumph over Goliath, whose spear was “like a weaver’s beam,” illustrates that faith, not outward might, secures victory—a theme vital for preaching onEphesians 6:10-18.
Intertextual Echoes
Although אָרַג appears only thirteen times, the weaving theme resonates elsewhere.Job 7:6 compares fleeting days to “a weaver’s shuttle,” andPsalm 139:13 speaks of God “weaving” the unborn—in Hebrew, a cognate root. These connections broaden meditative and doctrinal applications concerning creation, providence, and human dignity.
Key Takeaways for Teachers and Disciples
1. God endows diverse skills for His glory; weaving exemplifies vocational sanctification.
2. Sacred skills can be perverted when severed from covenant loyalty.
3. Weaving metaphors powerfully communicate life’s brevity, the strength of spiritual weapons, and the contrast between genuine righteousness and fragile deception.
4. Every believer, like a thread, is intentionally placed within the grand design of redemptive history, woven by the Master Craftsman “who works all things according to the counsel of His will” (Ephesians 1:11).
Forms and Transliterations
אֹֽרְגִ֔ים אֹרְג֥וֹת אֹרְגִ֔ים אֹרְגִֽים׃ אֹרֵ֑ג אֹרֵ֗ג ארג ארגות ארגים ארגים׃ וְאֹרְגִ֖ים וְאֹרֵ֑ג וארג וארגים יֶאֱרֹ֑גוּ יארגו כָאֹרֵ֤ג כארג תַּאַרְגִ֗י תארגי ’ō·rə·ḡîm ’ō·rə·ḡō·wṯ ’ō·rêḡ ’ōrêḡ ’ōrəḡîm ’ōrəḡōwṯ chaoReg ḵā’ōrêḡ ḵā·’ō·rêḡ oReg oreGim oregoyt ta’arḡî ta·’ar·ḡî taarGi veoReg veoreGim wə’ōrêḡ wə’ōrəḡîm wə·’ō·rə·ḡîm wə·’ō·rêḡ ye’ĕrōḡū ye·’ĕ·rō·ḡū yeeRogu
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