Hebrew word · H1627

גָּרוֹן

garon

throat

Throat, gullet, neck. The organ of sound and of swallowing: Ps 5:9 "their throat is an open grave"; Ps 115:7 idols "make no sound in their throat"; Ps 149:6 "the high praises of God in their throat"; Isa 3:16 the women walk "with outstretched necks".

Appears 8 times in 8 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

1) neck, throat

1a) neck

1b) throat

1b1) of open sepulchre (fig.)

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

From the study of Isaiah 58:1

Range of meaning

Throat, gullet, neck. The organ of sound and of swallowing: Ps 5:9 "their throat is an open grave"; Ps 115:7 idols "make no sound in their throat"; Ps 149:6 "the high praises of God in their throat"; Isa 3:16 the women walk "with outstretched necks".

Against the English

Most versions fold it into "cry aloud". YLT keeps "call with the throat"; NJPS has "cry with full throat"; the Greek Septuagint renders it "with strength".

Used elsewhere in the period

Used only a handful of times; physical and concrete in every case.

From the study of Psalm 5:9

Range of meaning

Throat or neck, both as the channel of the voice ('cry aloud with the throat', Isa 58:1; Ps 115:7; 149:6 'high praises in their throat') and as the gullet that swallows or thirsts (Ps 69:3, 'my throat is parched'; Jer 2:25).

Against the English

English 'throat' covers both senses well. Nothing is lost.

Used elsewhere in the period

Ps 149:6 uses the throat for loud praise. Isa 58:1 uses it for proclamation. Ps 69:3 uses it for physical thirst.

From the study of Psalm 149:6

Range of meaning

Throat or neck, as part of the body (Isaiah 3:16, 'outstretched necks'; Jeremiah 2:25, a throat parched with thirst), and especially as the organ of sound. Idols 'make no sound in their throat' (Psalm 115:7). The prophet must 'cry with the throat, not hold back' (Isaiah 58:1). The wicked's 'throat is an open grave' (Psalm 5:9).

Against the English

KJV, BSB, WEB and NASB have 'mouth(s)'. YLT and ESV keep 'throat(s)'. 'Mouth' is not wrong as an idiom for speech, but it hides the loud, full-chested cry the Hebrew suggests, and it hides the play between the throat and the sword's 'mouths'.

Used elsewhere in the period

Septuagint en tō laryngi autōn, 'in their larynx/throat'. Vulgate in gutture eorum, 'in their throat'. Both ancient translations kept the body part.

Where it appears

Psalms · 4

  1. Psalm 5:9 גְּרוֹנָ֑ם throat their

    For not a word they speak can be trusted; destruction lies within them. Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit.

    Here: The throat as the passage of both voice and swallowing. Their speech comes up from a place of death, and their throat swallows victims the way a grave does.

  2. Psalm 69:3 גְּר֫וֹנִ֥י throat my

    I am weary from my crying; my throat is parched. My eyes fail, looking for my God.

    Here: 'My throat,' the organ of the voice that has been doing the calling. This man is drowning in water (v. 2), yet his throat is burnt dry. The contrast is pointed.

  3. Psalm 115:7 בִּגְרוֹנָֽם׃ with throat their

    they have hands, but cannot feel; they have feet, but cannot walk; they cannot even clear their throats.

  4. Psalm 149:6 בִּגְרוֹנָ֑ם [be] in throat their

    May the high praises of God be in their mouths, and a double-edged sword in their hands,

    Here: 'In their throat': the organ that produces a loud cry. It points to full-voiced shouting, not quiet speech (compare Isaiah 58:1, 'cry with the throat, do not hold back').

Isaiah · 2

  1. Isaiah 3:16 גָּר֔וֹן of neck

    The LORD also says: “Because the daughters of Zion are haughty—walking with heads held high and wanton eyes, prancing and skipping as they go, jingling the bracelets on their ankles—

    Here: Usually 'throat' (Ps 5:9; 69:3). Here it means the front of the neck, displayed as the head is thrown back. Compare 'stiff-necked' as an idiom for pride.

  2. Isaiah 58:1 בְגָרוֹן֙ with a throat

    “Cry aloud, do not hold back! Raise your voice like a ram’s horn. Declare to My people their transgression and to the house of Jacob their sins.

    Here: "With the throat": a full-throated shout from deep in the chest, not a murmur or a polite word. The physical image stresses volume and force.

Jeremiah · 1

  1. Jeremiah 2:25 וּגְרוֹנֵ֖ךְ and throat your

    You should have kept your feet from going bare and your throat from being thirsty. But you said, ‘It is hopeless! For I love foreign gods, and I must go after them.’

    Here: 'And your throat.' The physical throat, parched from running in dry country, and also the seat of craving.

Ezekiel · 1

  1. Ezekiel 16:11 גְּרוֹנֵֽךְ׃ neck your

    I adorned you with jewelry, and I put bracelets on your wrists and a chain around your neck.

    Here: "Your throat / neck." The front of the neck, where a necklace lies. Isaiah uses the same word for the proud 'daughters of Zion' who walk 'with outstretched necks' (Isa 3:16).

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.