What does ῥακά (rhaká) mean in the Bible?
ῥακά (rhaká) is a Greek word meaning "fool".
Greek · G4469
ῥακά
Fool
Reading a lexicon entry
What this page is: Each lexicon entry shows the original Hebrew or Greek word behind the English translation: its meaning, its range of use, and where it appears in Scripture.
Strong's number: The Strong's code (H- or G-) is the standard reference number for this word. It connects this entry to chapter and passage language tabs.
Where it appears: The witness passages show where this word is used in context. Click any to open the study page for that passage.
This lexicon entry is part of our ongoing editorial review. If you notice missing content, unclear wording, or a possible correction, please send us a note through the Connect page. Screenshots are helpful.
ῥακά G4469
Pronunciation rhaká
What does ῥακά (rhaká) mean in the Bible?
ῥακά (rhaká) is a Greek word meaning "fool".
Full entry for ῥακά (G4469) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render G4469?
The BSB source-word alignment has 1 aligned row for this entry. Common renderings include Raca (1).
Where does ῥακά (rhaká) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Matthew 5:22. Its strongest book concentrations include Matthew (1).
Source Word Evidence
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders It Raca 1× Matthew 5:22
Show sample aligned rows
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Matthew 5:22
Aligned rows 1
Books represented 1
Matthew 1
Source forms
Ῥακά 1x Rhaka Matthew 5:22
Parsing patterns
Noun - Vocative Masculine Singular 1x Matthew 5:22
Evidence Summary
Greek word. fool
Strong's G4469
Lexical occurrences 1 verse Greek text appearances 1 time Word forms 1 form 1 reference Verse guides 0 guides
Source Gloss
fool
Extended definition Source: STEPBible TBESG + Abbott-Smith
usually taken to represent the Aram. רֵיקָא, a shortened form of H7386, " empty," as vocalized in the Galilæan dialect; an expression of contempt, raca: Mat.5:22 (cf. DB, iv, 191 f.; and for other explanations, see Zorell, see word).
Greek Text Appearances
Textus Receptus witness, full corpus Greek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
1 Greek text appearance shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
Matthew 5:22 Aramaic
Ῥακά, raka
empty, foolish
Read verseFull New Testament corpus: 260 chapters, 7,957 verses, 140,628 tokens. Data source: honza/textus-receptus (data only), with authority check against byztxt/greektext-textus-receptus.
Grammatical Forms
How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.
This word appears as a noun across 1 case and number pattern. The form changes show how the word functions in a sentence; they do not change the basic lexical meaning by themselves.
Form patterns 1 Aligned forms 1 Case pattern Vocative (1) Number pattern Singular (1)
Verse guides are not available for this word yet, so verse references remain plain evidence markers.
Vocative · Singular · Masculine Matt 5:22 1×
Cross-Language Connections
Hebrew roots and equivalents that share conceptual or etymological ground with this Greek word.
Sources
MorphGNT Strong's Dictionary XML — CC0 1.0 Public Domain
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible (morphhb/OSHB) — CC BY 4.0
Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon — CC BY 4.0
Berean Standard Bible (BSB) source-word alignment - CC0 Public Domain