Hebrew word · H1971
הַכָּרָה
hakarat
look
The noun hakkārāh occurs only here in the Hebrew Bible. It is built on the verb nkr, which in its common causative form (hikkîr) means 'to recognize, take notice of'. The fixed phrase hikkîr pānîm, literally 'to recognize faces', is a technical legal idiom, though.
Appears once in the Hebrew Old Testament. ·
What it means
the look, appearance, expression
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
The noun hakkārāh occurs only here in the Hebrew Bible. It is built on the verb nkr, which in its common causative form (hikkîr) means 'to recognize, take notice of'. So the noun means 'recognition' or 'what is recognized', and with 'faces' it most naturally means the look or expression of their faces. The fixed phrase hikkîr pānîm, literally 'to recognize faces', is a technical legal idiom, though. It means to show partiality in judgment (Deut 1:17; 16:19; Prov 24:23; 28:21).
- Against the English
Nearly all English versions take it as facial expression: KJV 'shew of their countenance', BSB 'expression on their faces', ESV and NIV 'look on their faces'. Few readers would guess that the Hebrew wording echoes the idiom for favouritism in court.
- Used elsewhere in the period
The noun appears only here. The idiom hikkîr pānîm appears in the laws for judges (Deut 1:17; 16:19) and in wisdom sayings (Prov 24:23; 28:21). The Aramaic Targum takes it judicially: their 'respect of persons in judgment' testifies against them. The Septuagint has 'the shame of their face'. Brazen faces as a sign of hardened sin appear in Jer 3:3 ('the forehead of a prostitute… you refuse to be ashamed') and Prov 21:29 ('a wicked man hardens his face').
Where it appears
Isaiah · 1
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Isaiah 3:9 הַכָּרַ֤ת [the] expression of
The expression on their faces testifies against them, and like Sodom they flaunt their sin; they do not conceal it. Woe to them, for they have brought disaster upon themselves.
Here: A rare noun that occurs only here. It comes from the verb 'to recognize', so it means 'what can be recognized' in a face: its look or expression. It is grammatically feminine, and it is the subject of 'has testified'.
Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.