קָרַח
to depilate
Definition
The Hebrew verb קָרַח (qârach) fundamentally means 'to make bald' or 'to shave the head.' In its biblical usage, it describes the physical act of removing hair, often as a sign of mourning, disgrace, or ritual impurity. For instance, in Leviticus 21:5, priests are forbidden from making bald spots on their heads as a mourning rite, associating the act with pagan practices. Conversely, in passages like Jeremiah 16:6 and Ezekiel 27:31, shaving the head is depicted as a common, intense expression of grief. In a unique metaphorical use, Ezekiel 29:18 describes soldiers becoming 'bald' from the hard labor of carrying siege equipment, implying severe physical wear and exhaustion.
Biblical Usage
This verb is used exclusively in contexts of ritual law, prophetic judgment, and lamentation. It appears in legal material (Leviticus), prophetic books (Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Micah), and is consistently associated with human action—either self-inflicted or imposed. In Leviticus 21:5, it is prohibited for priests; in Jeremiah 16:6 and Ezekiel 27:31, it is a mourning practice; in Micah 1:16, it is commanded as a sign of national disaster. The usage in Ezekiel 29:18 is exceptional, applying the concept to the chafing of soldiers' heads from helmets, extending the meaning to physical abrasion.
Etymology
קָרַח is a primitive root. It is related to the noun קָרְחָה (qorchah, H7146), meaning 'baldness' or 'bald spot.' The root conveys the basic sense of being bare or smooth. Cognates in other Semitic languages, like Arabic, carry similar meanings of shaving or making bare, suggesting a stable core meaning across the language family.
Semantic Range
This word is theologically significant as it intersects with themes of holiness, mourning, and divine judgment. The prohibition in Leviticus 21:5 distinguishes Israel's priests from pagan mourning rituals, emphasizing a separation unto God. When prophets like Jeremiah and Micah command or describe baldness, it visually underscores the severity of God's judgment and the profound grief it causes. Understanding this physical act enriches reading by highlighting the tangible, cultural expressions of spiritual concepts like impurity, lament, and consequence.
In ancient Near Eastern culture, shaving the head was a powerful, non-verbal symbol. It was a common mourning practice to express extreme grief and loss (as seen in Jeremiah 16:6). However, it was also associated with pagan rituals for the dead. The biblical law in Leviticus 21:5 specifically rejects this association for priests, marking a distinction in worship. The modern understanding of baldness is primarily aesthetic or medical, lacking this deep ritual and symbolic significance.
גָּזַז (gāzaz, H1494) — to shear, typically used for shearing sheep or cutting hair, but not specifically for mourning. כָּרַת (kārath, H3772) — to cut off or cut down; a more general term for cutting, not specific to hair. גִּלַּח (gillach, H1548) — to shave; a closer synonym, sometimes used interchangeably in ritual contexts (e.g., Leviticus 14:8).
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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