רָתַק râthaq — to fasten

pronounced raw-thak' · Strong's H7576 · 2 occurrences in the Hebrew Bible · 2 stems: Niph'al, Pu'al

Translated in the KJV as bind.

a primitive root; to fasten.

râthaq in each stem

Niph'al 1×

Simple · passive — the plain action; the subject has it done to them

Imperfect (yiqtol) 1

יֵרָתֵק֙ Eccl 12:6 Imperfect (yiqtol), 3rd person masculine singular

Or ever the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken, or the pitcher be broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern. (KJV)

Pu'al 1×

Intensive · passive — the action intensified, repeated or brought about; the subject has it done to them

Perfect (qatal) 1

רֻתְּק֥וּ Nah 3:10 Perfect (qatal), 3rd person common plural

Yet was she carried away, she went into captivity: her young children also were dashed in pieces at the top of all the streets: and they cast lots for her honourable men, and all her great men were bound in chains. (KJV)

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 ›

Open in Hebrew Explorer with Verb Anatomy on →

In the app, tap any Hebrew verb while reading: its root, stem and form are named, the letters of the word itself are coloured to show which is which, and the stem's meaning is put in plain English. râthaq in the lexicon ›

Morphology from OpenScriptures MorphHB (CC BY 4.0); definitions from Strong's Hebrew Lexicon (public domain); text from the Westminster Leningrad Codex.

Open Hebrew Explorer — 30+ free study tools →

Hebrew Explorer Weekly

One email, every Friday

This week’s Torah portion, a Hebrew word from it, an archaeology discovery, and what’s new — in time for Shabbat. Free, and one click to stop.

See a recent issue