Lexical Summary
orek: Length
Original Word:אֹרֶךְ
Part of Speech:Noun Masculine
Transliteration:orek
Pronunciation:OH-rek
Phonetic Spelling:(o'rek')
KJV: + forever, length, long
NASB:length, long, base, high
Word Origin:[fromH748 (אָרַך - prolong)]
1. length
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
forever, length, long
From'arak; length -- + forever, length, long.
see HEBREW'arak
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originfrom
arakDefinitionlength
NASB Translationbase (1), forbearance* (1), forever* (1), forevermore* (1), high (1), length (59), long (29), so long* (1).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
94 — only singular, absolute
Exodus 27:1 +; construct
Genesis 6:15 +;
Exodus 25:10 +; 2Chronicles 3:11;
Ezekiel 42:11, etc. —
length of arkGenesis 6:15 (P), of land of CanaanGenesis 13:17 (J); most often of ark & other measurements in tabernacle & templeExodus 25:10,17;Exodus 26:2,8;Exodus 27:1,9 + (22 t. Exodus, P),1 Kings 6:2,3,20 + (13 t. Kings & Chronicles),Ezekiel 40:7,11,18 + (41 t. Ezekiel), etc.
Deuteronomy 30:20;Job 12:12;Psalm 21:5;Psalm 23:6;Psalm 91:16;Psalm 93:5;Proverbs 3:2,16;Lamentations 5:20.
forbearance, self-restraint,Proverbs 25:15. — (Ezekiel 31:7 Co read for , compareEzekiel 31:5 where Co strike out verb ;Ezekiel 41:22 read probably Sm, or Co =base.)
Topical Lexicon
Overview of UsageThe Hebrew noun אֹרֶךְ appears roughly ninety-five times across the Old Testament. While its primary sense concerns measurable “length,” the contexts span construction blueprints, geographic descriptions, poetic reflections on longevity, and metaphors for patience or divine forbearance. Narrative, legal, wisdom, and prophetic books alike employ the term, demonstrating Scripture’s integrated view of physical dimensions and spiritual realities.
Physical Dimensions of Objects and Structures
From the earliest narratives, אֹרֶךְ anchors precise engineering details. The ark that preserved Noah’s family was to be “three hundred cubits long” (Genesis 6:15). Such specificity underlines the historical reliability of Genesis and the practical obedience of faith.
Household items also receive exact measurements. For example, the wooden ark of the covenant had to be “two and a half cubits long” (Exodus 25:10). Even minor furnishings—tables (Exodus 25:23), altars (Exodus 27:1), and lampstands—are assigned definite length, teaching Israel that worship is not left to human improvisation but regulated by divine revelation.
Blueprints of the Tabernacle
Multiple references in Exodus detail the curtains, boards, and courtyard of the tabernacle. “The length of each curtain shall be twenty-eight cubits” (Exodus 26:2). These repeated uses of אֹרֶךְ highlight a portable sanctuary calibrated to divine holiness yet designed for wilderness mobility. Collectively, they remind ministry leaders of every era that careful craftsmanship and reverence go hand in hand.
Solomon’s Temple and Later Temple Visions
When Solomon built the permanent house of worship, the Chronicler notes, “The length by cubits according to the old standard was sixty cubits” (2 Chronicles 3:3). Centuries later, Ezekiel’s visionary temple brims with measurements: “He measured the temple, one hundred cubits long” (Ezekiel 41:13). In both historical and prophetic texts, the repeated mention of length underscores continuity between what God once required and what He will ultimately perfect.
Geographical and Military Measurements
Surveying boundaries also features אֹרֶךְ. InJoshua 3:16 the backed-up waters of the Jordan are said to pile “a great distance away,” an event authenticated by measurable extent. Isaiah employs the term militarily: “Within sixty-five years Ephraim will be shattered” (Isaiah 7:8), implying a calculable span of judgment. Such passages teach that God governs both sacred space and national fate with equal precision.
Length of Days and Covenant Blessing
Wisdom literature often shifts from spatial to temporal length. “Long life is in her right hand” (Proverbs 3:16) shows that fearing the Lord not only structures space but also extends time. “The fear of the LORD prolongs life, but the years of the wicked will be cut short” (Proverbs 10:27). Here אֹרֶךְ becomes a covenant key: obedience nurtures longevity; rebellion invites abbreviation.
Metaphorical Usage in Wisdom Literature
Beyond literal dimensions, אֹרֶךְ appears in compound phrases describing character. “Slow to anger” is literally “long of nostrils” (Exodus 34:6;Ecclesiastes 7:8). The metaphor pictures a long-suffering God and calls believers to forbearance.Proverbs 14:29 links patience to wisdom, urging ministries to cultivate deliberate, measured responses—spiritual “length” that mirrors divine patience.
Prophetic and Eschatological Horizons
In MessianicPsalm 21, David rejoices: “You delivered it—length of days forever and ever” (Psalm 21:4). The promise of endless length merges spatial and temporal ideas, projecting an eternal reign fulfilled in Jesus Christ.Isaiah 66:22 anticipates “the new heavens and the new earth,” an unending expanse where redeemed time and space converge.
Messianic and Christological Echoes
The Gospels never quote אֹרֶךְ directly, yet its theological trajectory culminates in Christ. He is the true temple (John 2:21), the ark of preservation, and the embodiment of divine patience (2 Peter 3:15). His resurrection guarantees “length of days forever and ever,” and His return will raise Ezekiel’s measurements from vision to reality (Revelation 21:16 speaks of a city whose “length, width, and height are equal,” drawing the typological thread to its climax).
Implications for Ministry Today
1. Precision in Worship: God’s concern for length encourages accuracy in doctrine and practice.
2. Stewardship of Time: The promise of extended days for the righteous challenges believers to use every hour purposefully.
3. Patience in Character: “Long of spirit” leadership reflects God’s own temperament, essential for pastoral care and congregational unity.
4. Eschatological Hope: Measured promises assure the church that history is neither random nor endless but directed toward a perfectly dimensioned kingdom.
אֹרֶךְ therefore invites the contemporary reader to measure life—its spaces, its character, its duration—by the unerring standard of God’s revealed Word.
Forms and Transliterations
אָרְכָּ֑הּ אָרְכָּ֔הּ אָרְכָּ֖ם אָרְכָּ֗הּ אָרְכָּֽהּ׃ אָרְכָּהּ֙ אָרְכּ֔וֹ אָרְכּ֖וֹ אָרְכּ֗וֹ אָרְכּ֛וֹ אָרְכּ֜וֹ אָרְכּ֞וֹ אָרְכּוֹ֙ אָרְכּוֹ֩ אֹ֑רֶךְ אֹ֔רֶךְ אֹ֕רֶךְ אֹ֖רֶךְ אֹ֗רֶךְ אֹ֙רֶךְ֙ אֹ֚רֶךְ אֹ֜רֶךְ אֹ֣רֶךְ אֹ֣רֶךְ ׀ אֹ֥רֶךְ אֹֽרֶךְ־ אֹרֶךְ֩ ארך ארך־ ארכה ארכה׃ ארכו ארכם בְּאֹ֖רֶךְ בְּאֹ֣רֶךְ בָּאֹ֔רֶךְ בָּאֹ֜רֶךְ בארך הָאֹ֜רֶךְ הָאֹ֡רֶךְ הארך וְאָרְכּ֖וֹ וְאָרְכּ֣וֹ וְאָרְכּ֥וֹ וְאֹ֖רֶךְ וְאֹ֗רֶךְ וְאֹ֜רֶךְ וְאֹ֣רֶךְ וארך וארכו כְּאָרְכָּ֖ן כארכן לְאָרְכָּ֖הּ לְאֹ֣רֶךְ לְאֹ֥רֶךְ לארך לארכה ’ā·rə·kāh ’ā·rə·kām ’ā·rə·kōw ’ārəkāh ’ārəkām ’ārəkōw ’ō·reḵ ’ō·reḵ- ’ōreḵ ’ōreḵ- areKah areKam areKo bā’ōreḵ bā·’ō·reḵ baOrech bə’ōreḵ bə·’ō·reḵ beOrech hā’ōreḵ hā·’ō·reḵ haOrech kə’ārəkān kə·’ā·rə·kān keareKan lə’ārəkāh lə’ōreḵ lə·’ā·rə·kāh lə·’ō·reḵ leareKah leOrech Orech veareKo veOrech wə’ārəkōw wə’ōreḵ wə·’ā·rə·kōw wə·’ō·reḵ
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