What does עָקֵב (‘āqēḇ) mean in the Bible?
עָקֵב (‘āqēḇ): Heel as bodily extremity extends to footprints, trajectory, and rearguard—connoting vulnerability and pursuit.
Hebrew · H6119
עָקֵב
A heel (as protuberant); hence, a track ; figuratively, the rear (of an army)
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עָקֵב H6119
Pronunciation ‘āqēḇ
What does עָקֵב (‘āqēḇ) mean in the Bible?
עָקֵב (‘āqēḇ): Heel as bodily extremity extends to footprints, trajectory, and rearguard—connoting vulnerability and pursuit.
Full entry for עָקֵב (H6119) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render H6119?
The BSB source-word alignment has 13 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include his heel (2), [and] your body (1), [his] heel (1), and the rear guard (1), but Your footprints (1).
Where does עָקֵב (‘āqēḇ) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Genesis 3:15. Its strongest book concentrations include Genesis (4), Psalms (4), Jeremiah (1), Job (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 his heel 2× Genesis 3:15, Job 18:9
[and] your body 1× Jeremiah 13:22
[his] heel 1× Psalms 41:9
and the rear guard 1× Joshua 8:13
but Your footprints 1× Psalms 77:19
every step 1× Psalms 89:51
heel 1× Genesis 25:26
heels 1× Genesis 49:17
my steps 1× Psalms 56:6
the hooves 1× Judges 5:22
the tracks 1× Song Of Solomon 1:8
their heels 1× Genesis 49:19
Show sample aligned rows
Genesis 3:15 עָקֵֽב׃ס to his heel Noun - masculine singular Genesis 25:26 בַּעֲקֵ֣ב to heel Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular construct Genesis 49:17 עִקְּבֵי־ to heels Noun - masculine plural construct Genesis 49:19 עָקֵֽב׃ס to their heels Noun - masculine singular Joshua 8:13 עֲקֵב֖וֹ to and the rear guard Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine singular Judges 5:22 עִקְּבֵי־ to the hooves Noun - masculine plural construct Job 18:9 בְּעָקֵ֣ב to his heel Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular Psalms 41:9 עָקֵֽב׃ to [his] heel Noun - masculine singular Psalms 56:6 עֲקֵבַ֣י to my steps Noun - masculine plural construct | first person common singular Psalms 77:19 וְ֝עִקְּבוֹתֶ֗יךָ to but Your footprints Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine plural construct | second person masculine singular
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Genesis 3:15
Aligned rows 13
Books represented 7
Genesis 4 Joshua 1 Judges 1 Job 1 Psalms 4 Song Of Solomon 1 Jeremiah 1
Source forms
עָקֵֽב׃ס 2x ‘ā·qêḇ Genesis 3:15, Genesis 49:19
עִקְּבֵי־ 2x ‘iq·qə·ḇê- Genesis 49:17, Judges 5:22
בְּעָקֵ֣ב 1x bə·‘ā·qêḇ Job 18:9
בַּעֲקֵ֣ב 1x ba·‘ă·qêḇ Genesis 25:26
בְּעִקְבֵ֣י 1x bə·‘iq·ḇê Song Of Solomon 1:8
וְ֝עִקְּבוֹתֶ֗יךָ 1x wə·‘iq·qə·ḇō·w·ṯe·ḵā Psalms 77:19
עָקֵֽב׃ 1x ‘ā·qêḇ Psalms 41:9
עֲקֵב֖וֹ 1x ‘ă·qê·ḇōw Joshua 8:13
Parsing patterns
Noun - masculine plural construct 3x Genesis 49:17, Judges 5:22, Psalms 89:51
Noun - masculine singular 3x Genesis 3:15, Genesis 49:19, Psalms 41:9
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine plural construct | second person masculine singular 1x Psalms 77:19
Noun - masculine plural construct | first person common singular 1x Psalms 56:6
Noun - masculine plural construct | second person feminine singular 1x Jeremiah 13:22
Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine singular 1x Joshua 8:13
Preposition-b | Noun - masculine plural construct 1x Song Of Solomon 1:8
Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular 1x Job 18:9
Evidence Summary
Hebrew word. Heel as bodily extremity extends to footprints, trajectory, and rearguard—connoting vulnerability and pursuit.
Source Gloss
a heel (as protuberant); hence, a track ; figuratively, the rear (of an army)
Extended definition Source: Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon + Brown-Driver-Briggs
Heel as bodily extremity extends to footprints, trajectory, and rearguard—connoting vulnerability and pursuit.
a heel (as protuberant); hence, a track; figuratively, the rear (of an army) BDB: heel Usage: heel, (horse-) hoof, last, lier in wait (by mistake for 6120), (foot-) step.
Grammatical Forms
How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.
Selected Scripture Witness
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Old Testament Witnesses
Heel; rear; indicates a deceptive or aggressive movement made behind one's back
Showing 1 selected witness from 13 lexical occurrence verses.
Word Origins
עָקֵב is built from this root:
עָקַב H6117
Part of These Phrases
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
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