עָקַל
to wrest
Definition
The Hebrew verb עָקַל (ʻâqal) means to twist, pervert, or make crooked. It describes the act of distorting what is straight or right, particularly in a legal or moral context. In its sole biblical occurrence, Habakkuk 1:4, it refers to the perversion of justice, where the wicked 'twist' or 'wrest' the law to their advantage, causing righteous judgment to never go forth. The core idea is a deliberate bending of what is upright into something crooked and unjust.
Biblical Usage
This word is used only once in the Old Testament, in the prophetic book of Habakkuk. It appears in Habakkuk 1:4 within the prophet's complaint about societal corruption. The context is judicial: 'Therefore the law is paralyzed, and justice never goes forth. For the wicked surround the righteous; so justice goes forth perverted (ʻâqal).' Its usage is specific to the perversion of legal systems and moral order.
Etymology
עָקַל is a primitive root meaning 'to twist' or 'to be crooked.' It is related to the adjective עָקֹב (ʻâqôb, H6117), meaning 'crooked' or 'deceitful.' The semantic field connects to physical crookedness and, by extension, to moral and legal distortion. Cognates in other Semitic languages also carry meanings of twisting or bending.
Semantic Range
This word is theologically significant as it captures a profound biblical theme: the corruption of God's righteous standards. In Habakkuk 1:4, it diagnoses the root of societal breakdown—the active twisting of divine law and justice. Understanding this Hebrew term enriches the reading of prophetic literature by highlighting that injustice is not merely passive neglect but an active perversion of God's established order, a sin that provokes His judgment and necessitates His intervention.
In ancient Israelite society, law and justice were central to the covenant community's identity, grounded in the Torah. To 'wrest' the law was not just a legal infraction but a direct assault on the social and religious fabric ordained by God. It implied powerful individuals manipulating legal proceedings, a corruption that undermined the community's stability and violated the principle of impartial justice commanded in passages like Deuteronomy 16:19.
עָוָה (ʻâvâh, H5753) — to bend or twist, often implying iniquity or moral distortion. פָּתַל (pâthal, H6617) — to twist or be crooked, used of deceitful speech or actions. סָגַר (sâgar, H5462) in certain contexts — to turn aside from what is right.
Word Details
How this works
Hebrew definitions are from Brown-Driver-Briggs (1906) and Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (1890), both public domain. BDB was groundbreaking for its era but reflects 19th-century assumptions about Semitic etymology. Modern scholarship (HALOT, DCH) has revised many entries. Use these definitions as a starting point for exploration, not as the final word on a term's meaning in context.
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