יָכַח

Genesis 20:16 וְנֹכָֽחַת׃ <and> [you are] vindicated

And he said to Sarah, “See, I am giving your brother a thousand pieces of silver. It is your vindication before all who are with you; you are completely cleared.”

Genesis 21:25 וְהוֹכִ֥חַ and he rebuked

But when Abraham complained to Abimelech about a well that Abimelech’s servants had seized,

Genesis 24:14 הֹכַ֙חְתָּ֙ you have appointed

Now may it happen that the girl to whom I say, ‘Please let down your jar that I may drink,’ and who responds, ‘Drink, and I will water your camels as well’—let her be the one You have appointed for Your servant Isaac. By this I will know that You have shown kindness to my master.”

Genesis 24:44 הֹכִ֥יחַ he has appointed

and she replies, ‘Drink, and I will draw water for your camels as well,’ may she be the woman the LORD has appointed for my master’s son.

Genesis 31:37 וְיוֹכִ֖יחוּ so they may decide

You have searched all my goods! Have you found anything that belongs to you? Put it here before my brothers and yours, that they may judge between the two of us.

Genesis 31:42 וַיּ֥וֹכַח and he decided

If the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the Fear of Isaac, had not been with me, surely by now you would have sent me away empty-handed. But God has seen my affliction and the toil of my hands, and last night He rendered judgment.”

Here: A courtroom verb: to settle a dispute, give a verdict, correct the party in the wrong. Jacob had just called for the relatives to 'decide' (same verb) between him and Laban (v. 37). He now says God already gave the verdict.

Leviticus 19:17 הוֹכֵ֤חַ תּוֹכִ֙יחַ֙ certainly <to rebuke>, you will rebuke

You must not harbor hatred against your brother in your heart. Directly rebuke your neighbor, so that you will not incur guilt on account of him.

Here: A verb-noun form (infinitive absolute) of the same verb that follows. Hebrew uses this doubling to add emphasis: "you really must reprove."

2 Samuel 7:14 וְהֹֽכַחְתִּיו֙ and I will reprove him

I will be his Father, and he will be My son. When he does wrong, I will discipline him with the rod of men and with the blows of the sons of men.

Here: "Then I will correct him." The verb is used for a father or judge setting someone straight. Its aim is to correct, not to destroy, and here it comes with physical punishment.

2 Kings 19:4 וְהוֹכִ֙יחַ֙ and he will rebuke

Perhaps the LORD your God will hear all the words of the Rabshakeh, whom his master the king of Assyria has sent to defy the living God, and He will rebuke him for the words that the LORD your God has heard. Therefore lift up a prayer for the remnant that still survives.”

Here: 'And he will rebuke' or 'call to account.' It is a courtroom word: to rule against, to correct by judgment. The same root gave 'rebuke' (tokhechah) in verse 3. The hope is that the rebuke Judah is suffering will be turned back on Assyria.

1 Chronicles 12:17 וְיוֹכַֽח׃ ס and may he judge

And David went out to meet them, saying, “If you have come to me in peace to help me, my heart will be united with you; but if you have come to betray me to my enemies when my hands are free of violence, may the God of our fathers see it and judge you.”

Here: 'And may he decide/judge.' This is legal language: may God settle the case and bring the guilty party to account. It is a call for divine judgment, not just a verbal scolding.

1 Chronicles 16:21 וַיּ֥וֹכַח and he rebuked

He let no man oppress them; He rebuked kings on their behalf:

Job 5:17 יוֹכִחֶ֣נּֽוּ [whom] he reproves him

Blessed indeed is the man whom God corrects; so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty.

Here: 'He reproves him.' This is the language of argument and the law court: showing someone they are in the wrong. The verb form describes what God habitually does, and the word 'whom' is understood, as often in Hebrew poetry.

Job 6:25 יּוֹכִ֖יחַ הוֹכֵ֣חַ does it prove, completely <to prove>

How painful are honest words! But what does your argument prove?

Job 6:26 הַלְהוֹכַ֣ח ¿ to reprove

Do you intend to correct my words, and treat as wind my cry of despair?

Job 9:33 מוֹכִ֑יחַ [is] an arbiter

Nor is there a mediator between us, to lay his hand upon us both.

Job 13:3 וְהוֹכֵ֖חַ and to argue

Yet I desire to speak to the Almighty and argue my case before God.

Job 13:10 הוֹכֵ֣חַ יוֹכִ֣יחַ certainly <to rebuke>, he will rebuke

Surely He would rebuke you if you secretly showed partiality.

Job 13:15 אוֹכִֽיחַ׃ I will argue

Though He slay me, I will hope in Him. I will still defend my ways to His face.

Here: A courtroom verb: to lay out a case, establish who is in the right, or rebuke. Job will argue his innocence before God as if before a judge, and at the same time as if against an opponent in court.

Job 15:3 הוֹכֵ֣חַ does he argue?

Should he argue with useless words or speeches that serve no purpose?

Job 16:21 וְיוֹכַ֣ח and he may argue

Oh, that a man might plead with God as he pleads with his neighbor!

Here: A courtroom verb: to argue a case, set out the proof, and win a ruling. The short (wish) form plus 'and' makes it 'so that he may argue' or 'oh, that he would argue.' The subject is most naturally the 'witness in heaven' of v. 19.

Job 19:5 וְתוֹכִ֥יחוּ and you may argue

If indeed you would exalt yourselves above me and use my disgrace against me,

Job 22:4 יֹכִיחֶ֑ךָ does he reprove you

Is it for your reverence that He rebukes you and enters into judgment against you?

Here: "He argues against you / he reproves you." In Job this is courtroom language: to state a case against someone, to prove them in the wrong. The ongoing-action form pictures God as presently prosecuting Job.

Job 23:7 נוֹכָ֣ח [will be] reasoning

Then an upright man could reason with Him, and I would be delivered forever from my Judge.

Job 32:12 מוֹכִ֑יחַ [was one who] rebuked

I paid you full attention. But no one proved Job wrong; not one of you rebutted his arguments.

Job 33:19 וְהוּכַ֣ח and he is chastened

A man is also chastened on his bed with pain and constant distress in his bones,

Here: Passive form: 'and he is reproved / set right / argued with.' The verb belongs to the language of the courtroom and the teacher: God makes his case to the man and corrects him. The 'and' links this to verses 15–18: this is the second way God speaks, after dreams.

Job 40:2 מוֹכִ֖יחַ [one who] corrects

“Will the faultfinder contend with the Almighty? Let him who argues with God give an answer.”

Here: A participle ('one who is doing it') from yakhach, the legal verb for proving a case, setting someone right, or deciding between parties. In 9:33 Job longed for a mokhiach, an umpire between himself and God. Here God says Job has made himself that figure: the one who sets God right.

Psalm 6:1 תוֹכִיחֵ֑נִי you rebuke me

For the choirmaster. With stringed instruments, according to Sheminith. A Psalm of David. O LORD, do not rebuke me in Your anger or discipline me in Your wrath.

Here: "Set me right / call me to account." The word comes from the court and from teaching: exposing what is wrong and correcting it. Here it is a request about how God should do it, not a request that God not do it.

Psalm 38:1 תוֹכִיחֵ֑נִי you rebuke me

A Psalm of David, for remembrance. O LORD, do not rebuke me in Your anger or discipline me in Your wrath.

Here: 'May you rebuke/correct me.' The word belongs to the law court and to teaching: proving someone wrong, setting them straight, deciding against them. With 'not' in front, it is a plea that God not bring his case against the speaker in fury.

Psalm 50:8 אוֹכִיחֶ֑ךָ I rebuke you

I do not rebuke you for your sacrifices, and your burnt offerings are ever before Me.

Here: "I bring a charge against you / I reprove you": a courtroom word picking up "I will testify against you" (v. 7). God, as the one bringing the lawsuit, says what the charge is not.

Psalm 50:21 אוֹכִיחֲךָ֖ I will rebuke you

You have done these things, and I kept silent; you thought I was just like you. But now I rebuke you and accuse you to your face.

Here: 'I will argue the case against you and prove you wrong.' It is courtroom language: the judge-accuser shows the guilt so clearly that it cannot be denied. The same verb appears in v. 8 ('Not for your sacrifices do I reprove you').

Psalm 94:10 יוֹכִ֑יחַ does he rebuke

He who admonishes the nations, does He not discipline? He who teaches man, does He lack knowledge?

Psalm 105:14 וַיּ֖וֹכַח and he rebuked

He let no man oppress them; He rebuked kings on their behalf:

Psalm 141:5 וְֽיוֹכִיחֵ֗נִי and let him rebuke me

Let the righteous man strike me; let his rebuke be an act of loving devotion. It is oil for my head; let me not refuse it. For my prayer is ever against the deeds of the wicked.

Here: 'And let him set me right.' This is the word for correcting someone, showing what is wrong and arguing the case, with restoration as the goal. It glosses what the 'blow' is: words of correction.

Proverbs 3:12 יוֹכִ֑יחַ he reproves

for the LORD disciplines the one He loves, as does a father the son in whom he delights.

Here: He reproves: he confronts the wrongdoer, shows him what is wrong, and argues him back toward what is right. It comes from the vocabulary of legal argument and is mostly spoken correction in Proverbs, though elsewhere it can include hard consequences.

Proverbs 9:7 וּמוֹכִ֖יחַ and [one who] reproves

He who corrects a mocker brings shame on himself; he who rebukes a wicked man taints himself.

Here: 'And one who reproves': to confront someone with their wrong and argue the case, a word with courtroom overtones (proving a charge, setting things right). It pairs with yasar here as it does in 3:11–12.

Proverbs 9:8 תּ֣וֹכַח הוֹכַ֥ח you reprove, reprove

Do not rebuke a mocker, or he will hate you; rebuke a wise man, and he will love you.

Here: A shortened verb form that goes with ʾal: 'don't try to correct.' It means confronting someone with their error and trying to set them straight, not just scolding them.

Proverbs 15:12 הוֹכֵ֣חַֽ reproof

A mocker does not love to be reproved, nor will he consult the wise.

Here: A verbal noun naming the act itself: 'reproving' or 'being set straight'. The verb has roots in settling disputes, so it means showing someone where he is in the wrong, whether or not the tone is harsh.

Proverbs 19:25 וְהוֹכִ֥יחַ and to reprove

Strike a mocker, and the simple will beware; rebuke the discerning man, and he will gain knowledge.

Here: "And reproving": a verb form used here like an 'if' clause or a command, so "and if you reprove" or "reprove…". The word sometimes has a courtroom flavour: showing someone where they are wrong. It is words, set against the blows of the first line.

Proverbs 24:25 וְלַמּוֹכִיחִ֥ים and for the [ones who] rebuke [them]

but it will go well with those who convict the guilty, and rich blessing will come upon them.

Proverbs 25:12 מוֹכִ֥יחַ [one who] reproves

Like an earring of gold or an ornament of fine gold is a wise man’s rebuke to a listening ear.

Here: A participle, describing a person: 'one who corrects'. The verb comes from the language of settling disputes: showing what is right and putting someone straight. The verse makes the corrector himself, not just his words, the jewelry on the ear.

Proverbs 28:23 מ֘וֹכִ֤יחַ [one who] reproves

He who rebukes a man will later find more favor than one who flatters with his tongue.

Here: A participle, so it describes a kind of person: 'the one who corrects'. It means telling someone plainly that they are in the wrong so it can be put right. It is more than scolding, and it has a legal flavour of 'making the case' against someone.

Proverbs 30:6 יוֹכִ֖יחַ he should rebuke

Do not add to His words, lest He rebuke you and prove you a liar.

Here: 'He will take you to task.' This is courtroom and correction language: God sets out the case against you and shows you are in the wrong. It means more than a verbal scolding.

Isaiah 1:18 וְנִוָּֽכְחָ֖ה so let us argue our case together

“Come now, let us reason together,” says the LORD. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they will be as white as snow; though they are as red as crimson, they will become like wool.

Here: "And let us argue it out with each other." The verb belongs to the courtroom: two parties present their cases so the dispute can be decided. The form is first person plural and expresses resolve ("let us"), with a reciprocal sense: God and the people face each other as two parties to a case.

Isaiah 2:4 וְהוֹכִ֖יחַ and he will decide

Then He will judge between the nations and arbitrate for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will no longer take up the sword against nation, nor train anymore for war.

Here: A legal verb: to establish what is right between parties, to arbitrate, and where needed to correct the one in the wrong. Here it pairs with 'judge' and means he acts as umpire for the peoples.

Isaiah 11:3 יוֹכִֽיחַ׃ he will decide

And He will delight in the fear of the LORD. He will not judge by what His eyes see, and He will not decide by what His ears hear,

Here: A legal verb: to settle a dispute, rule between parties, show who is in the right. It is a close partner to 'judge'. It can mean 'rebuke', but here it means giving a ruling, as in Isaiah 2:4, where God 'will settle disputes' for the nations.

Isaiah 11:4 וְהוֹכִ֥יחַ and he will decide

but with righteousness He will judge the poor, and with equity He will decide for the lowly of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of His mouth and slay the wicked with the breath of His lips.

Here: A court word: to hear both sides, arbitrate, and declare who is in the right. Here it is done *for* the lowly, so it means a ruling in their favour, not a scolding.

Isaiah 29:21 וְלַמּוֹכִ֥יחַ and for the [one who] adjudicates

those who indict a man with a word, who ensnare the mediator at the gate, and who with false charges deprive the innocent of justice.

Here: "And for the one who argues or settles the case." This is the person at the town court who speaks up for what is right: the arbiter, the honest judge, or the witness or advocate who exposes wrongdoing. The same phrase appears in Amos 5:10.

Isaiah 37:4 וְהוֹכִ֙יחַ֙ and he will rebuke

Perhaps the LORD your God will hear the words of the Rabshakeh, whom his master the king of Assyria has sent to defy the living God, and He will rebuke him for the words that the LORD your God has heard. Therefore lift up a prayer for the remnant that still survives.”

Here: A courtroom word: to judge between parties, give a verdict, set right. It answers the 'rebuke' (tokhechah) of v. 3. Judah is suffering a day of rebuke, and Hezekiah hopes God will now pass sentence on the accuser.

Jeremiah 2:19 תּוֹכִחֻ֔ךְ they will rebuke you

Your own evil will discipline you; your own apostasies will reprimand you. Consider and realize how evil and bitter it is for you to forsake the LORD your God and to have no fear of Me,” declares the Lord GOD of Hosts.

Here: "They will rebuke you / convict you". The word has a courtroom ring: Judah's own apostasies take the stand and argue the case against her.

Ezekiel 3:26 מוֹכִ֑יחַ [who] reproves

I will make your tongue stick to the roof of your mouth, and you will be silent and unable to rebuke them, though they are a rebellious house.

Here: The person who sets matters right by argument. He might rebuke a wrongdoer, argue a case in the town gate, or step between two parties as an umpire (Job 9:33). Ezekiel is barred from this role toward the exiles. Whether the stress falls on rebuking them or on pleading for them is debated.

Hosea 4:4 יוֹכַ֣ח he reprove

But let no man contend; let no man offer reproof; for your people are like those who contend with a priest.

Amos 5:10 מוֹכִ֑יחַ [one who] reproves

There are those who hate the one who reproves in the gate and despise him who speaks with integrity.

Here: The person who stands up in court to say who is in the right: a truthful witness, someone pleading for the wronged party, or an elder ruling fairly. 'Reprove' here means exposing wrongdoing in a legal setting, not scolding someone in private.

Micah 4:3 וְהוֹכִ֛יחַ and he will decide

Then He will judge between many peoples and arbitrate for strong nations far and wide. Then they will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will no longer take up the sword against nation, nor will they train anymore for war.

Here: A legal word: to argue a case, establish who is in the right, render a verdict, and correct the party in the wrong. Here it sits beside 'judge' and means 'arbitrate, settle disputes'. 'Rebuke' covers only the correcting part.

Micah 6:2 יִתְוַכָּֽח׃ he will argue

Hear, O mountains, the LORD’s indictment, you enduring foundations of the earth. For the LORD has a case against His people, and He will argue it against Israel:

Here: "He will argue it out" or "he will enter into dispute." This reflexive-reciprocal form of the verb (the hitpael) occurs only here in the Bible. It describes YHWH arguing his case face to face with Israel, and the argument follows at once in verses 3–5.

Habakkuk 1:12 לְהוֹכִ֥יחַ to reprove

Are You not from everlasting, O LORD, my God, my Holy One? We will not die. O LORD, You have appointed them to execute judgment; O Rock, You have established them for correction.

Here: The verb can mean to argue a case, convict, rebuke or discipline. Here it means corrective punishment carried out against Judah. It is far heavier than a verbal scolding.