Hebrew word · H1246
בַּקָּשָׁה
bakashatekh
request
A request or petition, from the root bqsh, 'to seek.' It means something sought from someone with power to grant it. In the Hebrew Bible it occurs almost only in late books: Ezra 7:6 and Esther 5:3, 6, 7, 8; 7:2, 3; 9:12.
Appears 8 times in 8 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·
What it means
request, entreaty, petition
Abridged from Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).
In depth
- Range of meaning
A request or petition, from the root bqsh, 'to seek.' It means something sought from someone with power to grant it. In the Hebrew Bible it occurs almost only in late books: Ezra 7:6 and Esther 5:3, 6, 7, 8; 7:2, 3; 9:12.
- Against the English
'Request' is accurate. In English it can sound casual, but here it is a formal petition at court.
- Used elsewhere in the period
Ezra 7:6 (Artaxerxes grants Ezra 'all his request'), also a Persian royal setting. In Esther it is paired with she'elah ('petition, what is asked'): 'my petition and my request' (5:7; 7:3). Later Hebrew uses baqqashah for petitionary prayer, but that is a later development.
- Range of meaning
"Request, desire," from biqqesh, "to seek." Literally, "what you are seeking." A late Hebrew word, found only in Ezra 7:6 (Artaxerxes granting Ezra "all his request") and seven times in Esther.
- Against the English
"Request" is fine. The root's sense of seeking, of wanting something and going after it, is faintly present.
- Used elsewhere in the period
Both places it appears are Persian-court settings (Ezra 7:6; Esther 5:3, 6, 7, 8; 7:2, 3; 9:12). It seems to be part of the Hebrew vocabulary of the Persian period for petitions to the Great King.
- Range of meaning
From b-q-sh, "to seek". A request or petition, especially one formally made to a ruler. The noun appears only in late books: Ezra 7:6 and Esther (5:3, 6, 7, 8; 7:2, 3; 9:12).
- Against the English
"Request" is accurate. BSB/NIV-style plurals ("all his requests") smooth over the Hebrew singular "all his request", which pictures one petition bundling many items.
- Used elsewhere in the period
In Esther it is the formal word for what one asks of the Persian king ("what is your request? Up to half the kingdom"). This is Persian court language.
Where it appears
Ezra · 1
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Ezra 7:6 בַּקָּשָׁתֽוֹ׃ פ request his
this Ezra came up from Babylon. He was a scribe skilled in the Law of Moses, which the LORD, the God of Israel, had given. The king had granted Ezra all his requests, for the hand of the LORD his God was upon him.
Here: A formal petition, the kind submitted to a royal court. The word belongs to the court language of the Persian period (also Esther 5:3, 7:2). It is singular, "his whole request", treated as one package.
Esther · 7
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Esther 5:3 בַּקָּשָׁתֵ֛ךְ [is] request your
“What is it, Queen Esther?” the king inquired. “What is your request? Even up to half the kingdom, it will be given to you.”
Here: A formal petition, something sought from a superior. The word belongs to late Hebrew and is used mainly in Esther. It shows the king expects a specific request, not just a visit.
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Esther 5:6 בַּקָּשָׁתֵ֛ךְ [is] request your
And as they drank their wine, the king said to Esther, “What is your petition? It will be given to you. What is your request? Even up to half the kingdom, it will be fulfilled.”
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Esther 5:7 וּבַקָּשָׁתִֽי׃ and request my
Esther replied, “This is my petition and my request:
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Esther 5:8 בַּקָּשָׁתִ֑י request my
If I have found favor in the sight of the king, and if it pleases the king to grant my petition and fulfill my request, may the king and Haman come tomorrow to the banquet I will prepare for them. Then I will answer the king’s question.”
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Esther 7:2 בַּקָּשָׁתֵ֛ךְ [is] request your
and as they drank their wine on that second day, the king asked once more, “Queen Esther, what is your petition? It will be given to you. What is your request? Even up to half the kingdom, it will be fulfilled.”
Here: "Your seeking" — from the verb "to seek." It is almost a synonym of "petition"; the pair makes the invitation full and emphatic.
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Esther 7:3 בְּבַקָּשָׁתִֽי׃ for request my
Queen Esther replied, “If I have found favor in your sight, O king, and if it pleases the king, grant me my life as my petition, and the lives of my people as my request.
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Esther 9:12 בַּקָּשָׁתֵ֥ךְ [is] request your
who said to Queen Esther, “In the citadel of Susa the Jews have killed and destroyed five hundred men, including Haman’s ten sons. What have they done in the rest of the royal provinces? Now what is your petition? It will be given to you. And what further do you request? It will be fulfilled.”
Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.