Bible Word Study
רָכָל
Râkâl · Rakal, a place in Palestine
רָכָל
Rakal, a place in Palestine
Definition
Rakal is a proper noun referring to a location in ancient Palestine, mentioned only once in the Old Testament. It is listed among the towns to which David sent spoils after his victory over the Amalekites (1 Samuel 30:29). The name itself is derived from the Hebrew root meaning 'to trade' or 'to go about as a merchant,' suggesting the place may have been associated with commercial activity. No other biblical passages provide further details about its specific location or significance.
Biblical Usage
The word Rakal is used only once in the entire Old Testament, in 1 Samuel 30:29. In this context, it appears as one of several Judahite towns—including Hebron, Jattir, and Eshtemoa—that received a portion of the plunder David recovered from the Amalekites. This single usage places it within a list of settlements, indicating it was a recognized locality in southern Judah during the time of David's early leadership.
Etymology
Rakal (רָכָל) is derived from the Hebrew root רָכַל (rakal, H7402), which means 'to go about as a trader' or 'to merchant.' As a proper noun, it is a place name formed from this root, likely indicating the town was known as a trading center or market. This etymological connection highlights how place names in Hebrew often reflect the economic or social character of a location.
Semantic Range
In the ancient Near East, place names often described a location's function or characteristic. Rakal, meaning 'merchant,' suggests it was a commercial hub or market town within the tribal territory of Judah. This reflects the economic and social landscape of Iron Age Palestine, where towns frequently developed around specific trades or routes. Its mention alongside other Judahite towns in 1 Samuel 30:29 underscores the communal sharing of resources and loyalty to David during his fugitive years.
Word Details
How this works
Definitions are from the Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (BDB, 1906, public domain). Concordance and morphology data are from the OSHB (Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible).
Full methodology & sources →References
- Abbott-Smith, G. (1921) A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament. Edinburgh: T&T Clark. [Public Domain]
- Brown, F., Driver, S.R. and Briggs, C.A. (1906) A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament. Oxford: Clarendon Press. [Public Domain]
- Tyndale House, Cambridge (n.d.) Tyndale Brief lexicon of Extended Strongs for Greek (TBESG). STEPBible. Available at: https://www.stepbible.org. [CC BY 4.0]
- Tyndale House, Cambridge (n.d.) Translators Formatted full LSJ (TFLSJ). STEPBible. Available at: https://www.stepbible.org. [CC BY 4.0]
- Thayer, J.H. (1889) A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament. [Public Domain]
- Gesenius, W. (1846) Gesenius' Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon to the Old Testament. [Public Domain]
- Dodson, J. (2010) Greek Lexicon. Biblical Humanities. [CC0]