---
title: רָכַךְ — be tender · The Tanakh dictionary
description: רָכַךְ (7401), a word of Biblical Hebrew, used 8 times: be tender. BDB 1906: vb. be tender, weak, soft Qal. With 2 verses in Hebrew, word for word and JPS 1917.
---

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# רָכַךְ

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«רָכַךְ» in the Tanakh dictionary: **be tender** — 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:** 8 times · **Key:** 7401 · **BDB:** רָכַךְ

### Glosses

it.was.soft (2); let.it.be.timid (2); he.has.made.timid (1)

### Meaning (OSHB)

be tender [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1512/7401/#m1)

### Meaning (BDB 1906)

vb. be tender, weak, soft Qal [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1512/7401/#m2)

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**The whole BDB entry:** vb. be tender, weak, soft (Arabic رَكَّ, Aramaic רְכַךְ (in der. spec. and deriv.), ܪܰܟ, id.);— Pf. 3 ms. רַךְ 2 K 22:19; 2 Ch 34:27; 3 pl. רַכּוּ ψ 55:22; Impf. יֵרַךְ (Ges§ 67 p) Is 7:4 +;— be tender, weak, of heart: be timid, fearful, ‖ יָרֵא, Is 7:4; Je 51:46; Dt 20:3. be softened, penitent, ‖ כָּנַע Niph., 2 K 22:19 = 2 Ch 34:27 be soft, of treacherous words ψ 55:22 (c. מִן comp.; ‖ II. חָלַק). Pf. 3 fs. רֻכְּכָה Is 1:6 it has not been softened, mollified, with oil (of wound, מַכָּה). Pf. 3 ms. וְאֵל הֵרַךְ לִבִּי Jb 23:16 (Ges§ 67 v), causat. of Qal 1 a.

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Why these entries: BDB: headword, part of speech agrees, 8 of its verses cited, 1 words shared with the glosses, lists its Strong's number (1 candidates); OSHB: headword, part of speech agrees, 1 words shared with the BDB entry, 0 with the glosses (1 candidates)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every English meaning of «רָכַךְ» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1512/7401/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.

### In the verses

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[Job 23:16](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/JOB.23.16/)

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וְ֭אֵל הֵרַ֣ךְ לִבִּ֑י וְ֝שַׁדַּ֗י הִבְהִילָֽנִי׃

*Word for word:* and God he.has.made.timid heart my and.\[the\] Almighty he has.terrified.me

*JPS 1917:* Yea, God hath made my heart faint, and the Almighty hath affrighted me;

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[Psalms 55:22](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/PSA.55.22/)

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חָלְק֤וּ ׀ מַחְמָאֹ֣ת פִּיו֮ וּֽקֲרָב־לִ֫בּ֥וֹ רַכּ֖וּ דְבָרָ֥יו מִשֶּׁ֗מֶן וְהֵ֣מָּה פְתִחֽוֹת׃

*Word for word:* they.were.smooth the.creamy.things his.mouth his and.\[was\] war heart his they.were.soft words his more than.oil and they \[were\].drawn.swords

*JPS 1917:* Smoother than cream were the speeches of his mouth, but his heart was war; his words were softer than oil, yet were they keen-edged swords.

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