---
title: עָקֵב — heel · The Tanakh dictionary
description: עָקֵב (6119), a word of Biblical Hebrew, used 14 times: heel. BDB 1906: n.m. heel, footprint, hinderpart. With 2 verses in Hebrew, word for word and JPS 1917.
---

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# עָקֵב

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«עָקֵב» in the Tanakh dictionary: **heel** — how often it is used, MACULA's glosses, its meanings in the printed dictionaries and why they were chosen, and 2 verses in layers.

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**Used:** 14 times · **Key:** 6119 · **BDB:** עָקֵב

### Glosses

\[the\].heels (2); a.heel (2); heels (2)

### Meaning (OSHB)

heel [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1506/6119/#m1)

### Meaning (BDB 1906)

n.m. heel, footprint, hinderpart [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1506/6119/#m2)

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**The whole BDB entry:** n.m. heel, footprint, hinderpart (Arabic عَقِبٌ heel, fig. end (of a month), عِقْبَةٌ mark, sign, trace; Aramaic עִקְבָּא, ܥܩܶܒ heel, footprint, fig. trace, mark (cf. Wsd 2:4 𝔖, Ecclus 13:26 ℌ 𝔖), also end, extremity);—ע׳ abs. Gn 3:15 +, cstr. עֲקֵב 25:26, pl. cstr. עִקְבֵי Ct 1:8, עִקְּבֵי Gn 49:17; Ju 5:22, עִקְּבוֹת ψ 77:20; 89:52, etc.;— heel, of man, Gn 25:26 וְיָדוֹ אֹחֶזֶת בַּעֲקֵב אָחִיו, as obj. of attack from behind, 3:15 וְאַתָּה תְּשׁוּפֶנּוּ עָקֵב, Jb 18:9 יֹאחֵז בְּע׳ פַּח, Je 13:22 נֶחְמְסוּ עֲקֵבָ֑יִךְ are treated violently, i.e. are rudely exposed (‖ נִגְלוּ שׁוּלַיִךְ); as instrument of attack, ψ 41:10 הִגְדִּיל עָלַי עָ׳ hath made great the heel against me, i.e. given me insidiously great fall (fig. for, taken some cruel advantage of me; cf. ὑποσκελίζω); of an animal, Gn 49:17 הַנּשֵׁךְ עִקְּבֵי סוּס, Ju 5:22. mark of heel, footprint, Ct 1:8) צְאִי־לָךְ בְּעִקְבֵי הַצֹּאן, ψ 56:7 יִשְׁמְרוּ עַקִבַי they mark my footprints, i.e. watch me insidiously wherever I go, 89:52 אֲשֶׁר חֵֽרְפוּ עִקְּבוֹת מְשִׁיחֶ֑ךָ i.e. followed him mockingly, of י׳ (fig.) ψ 77:20 עִקְּבוֹתֶיךָ לֹא נוֹדָ֑עו thy footprints were not known (the waters closing over them). hinder-part, rear (of a troop of men), Gn 49:19 וְהוּא יָגוּד עָקֵב׃ (read עֲקִבָם׃ אָשֵׁר) he will troop on their rear, Jos 8:13 עֲקֵבוֹ (cf. Di).

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Why these entries: BDB: headword, part of speech agrees, 12 of its verses cited, 1 words shared with the glosses, lists its Strong's number (10 candidates); OSHB: headword, part of speech agrees, 1 words shared with the BDB entry, 1 with the glosses (8 candidates)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every English meaning of «עָקֵב» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1506/6119/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.

### In the verses

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[Genesis 49:19](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/torah/GEN.49.19/)

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גָּ֖ד גְּד֣וּד יְגוּדֶ֑נּוּ וְה֖וּא יָגֻ֥ד עָקֵֽב׃ס

*Word for word:* Gad a.marauding.band it will.attack.him and he he.will.attack a.rearguard

*JPS 1917:* Gad, a troop shall troop upon him; but he shall troop upon their heel.

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[Job 18:9](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/JOB.18.9/)

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יֹאחֵ֣ז בְּעָקֵ֣ב פָּ֑ח יַחֲזֵ֖ק עָלָ֣יו צַמִּֽים׃

*Word for word:* it.takes.hold on a.heel a.trap it.takes.hold on him a.snare

*JPS 1917:* A gin shall take him by the heel, and a snare shall lay hold on him.

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