חָבַק châbaq — to clasp (the hands or in embrace)
Translated in the KJV as embrace, fold.
a primitive root; to clasp (the hands or in embrace).
châbaq in each stem
Pi'el
Imperfect (yiqtol) 4Wayyiqtol 3Perfect (qatal) 2Infinitive construct 1
And it came to pass, when Laban heard the tidings of Jacob his sister’s son, that he ran to meet him, and embraced him, and kissed him, and brought him to his house. And he told Laban all these things.
And Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck, and kissed him: and they wept.
Now the eyes of Israel were dim for age, so that he could not see. And he brought them near unto him; and he kissed them, and embraced them.
Qal (Pa'al)
Participle (active) 2Infinitive construct 1
And he said, About this season, according to the time of life, thou shalt embrace a son. And she said, Nay, my lord, thou man of God, do not lie unto thine handmaid.
A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
The fool foldeth his hands together, and eateth his own flesh.
What the stems mean
A Hebrew verb is its root letters set into a pattern. The pattern — the binyan — is the grammar's way of saying three things at once: whether the action is simple, intensive or causative, and whether its subject is active, passive or reflexive. That is why one Hebrew word can need six English ones. All seven binyanim, explained ›