הָכַר
to injure
Definition
The Hebrew verb הָכַר (hâkar) means to injure, harm, or treat someone harshly or as a stranger. In its single biblical occurrence in Job 19:3, it describes Job's complaint that his friends have 'wronged' or 'injured' him repeatedly with their words, treating him not as a familiar companion but as a hostile outsider. The sense extends beyond physical harm to include relational damage and social alienation, where one is made to feel like a stranger. This links the idea of injury to the breaking of expected bonds of kinship or friendship.
Biblical Usage
This verb is used only once in the Old Testament, in the poetic dialogue of the book of Job. It appears in Job 19:3, where Job accuses his three friends: 'These ten times you have insulted me; you are not ashamed to attack me.' The context is a heated debate about suffering and righteousness, and the 'injury' is entirely verbal and social—a betrayal of counsel that worsens Job's distress. Its solitary use suggests it was a rare or specialized term for a particular kind of relational harm.
Etymology
הָכַר (hâkar) is a primitive root. It is likely related by sound and concept to the more common root נָכַר (nâkar, H5234), meaning 'to recognize, acknowledge, or regard.' This connection implies that הָכַר involves a negative or harmful form of 'regarding' someone—treating them as unrecognized, alien, or hostile. The shift from recognition to injury may reflect the social gravity in ancient Near Eastern culture of denying proper relational acknowledgment.
Semantic Range
This word, though rare, touches on significant themes of human relationship, suffering, and theodicy. In Job 19:3, it captures the profound added pain of spiritual or emotional injury inflicted by those who should offer comfort, reflecting the brokenness of human community in the face of unexplained suffering. Understanding this Hebrew term enriches reading by highlighting how Job's complaint is not just about physical affliction but about social and verbal violence that compounds his isolation, a theme relevant to discussions of lament, friendship, and the ethics of speech.
In ancient Israelite and Near Eastern culture, identity and security were deeply tied to kinship and covenant community. To be treated 'as a stranger' (implied by this verb) was a severe form of social injury, denying a person their place and protection within the group. Job's use of this term underscores that his friends' accusations are not just intellectual disagreements but a fundamental breach of social loyalty, exacerbating his suffering by alienating him from his last human supports.
עָשַׁק (ʿâshaq, H6231) — to oppress or defraud, often in legal or economic contexts. פָּצַע (pâtsaʿ, H6482) — to wound or bruise physically. עָנָה (ʿânâh, H6031) — to afflict or oppress, often used for humiliation or subjugation.
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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