Hebrew word · H3344

יָקַד

yekad

to burn

The verb yaqad means 'to burn, be kindled, keep burning', in the Qal form without an object. The noun yeqod means 'a burning, a blaze'. A related noun, moqed, means 'hearth, glowing mass' (Isa 33:14).

Appears 9 times in 9 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

1) to burn, kindle, be kindled

1a) (Qal) to be kindled

1b) (Hophal) to burn, be burning,

Aramaic equivalent: ye.qad (יְקַד "to burn" H3345)

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 10:16

Range of meaning

The verb yaqad means 'to burn, be kindled, keep burning', in the Qal form without an object. The noun yeqod means 'a burning, a blaze'. A related noun, moqed, means 'hearth, glowing mass' (Isa 33:14).

Against the English

KJV and YLT make God the subject ('he shall kindle', 'He kindleth'). WEB, ESV and NASB render it 'a burning will be kindled', and BSB/NIV have 'a fire will be kindled'. In the Hebrew, the burning itself burns.

Used elsewhere in the period

Deuteronomy 32:22: 'a fire is kindled in my anger, and it burns (wattiqad) to the depths of Sheol', the same root for divine anger as fire. Isaiah 30:14 uses a related word for a hearth. The noun yeqod appears almost only here, so Isaiah seems to have chosen it for the sound.

From the study of Isaiah 65:5

Range of meaning

To burn, be kindled. Used of the perpetual altar fire (Lev 6:9, 12–13 [Heb. 6:2, 5–6]) and of God's anger burning (Deut 32:22; Jer 15:14; 17:4).

Against the English

'A fire that burns all day' is accurate. The echo of the altar fire that 'shall not go out' is invisible in English.

Used elsewhere in the period

Deut 32:22 'a fire is kindled (qādḥāh) in my anger and burns (wattîqad) to the depths of Sheol'. Jer 17:4 'you have kindled a fire in my anger that shall burn forever'.

From the study of Jeremiah 15:14

Range of meaning

To burn, be burning. The hophal form tuqad means 'be kept burning'.

Against the English

English 'shall burn' or 'will burn' is accurate. It cannot carry the echo of the altar fire, because English has no matching ritual word.

Used elsewhere in the period

The same form tuqad appears three times in Leviticus 6:2, 5, 6 (English 6:9, 12, 13) for the altar fire that 'shall be kept burning; it shall not go out'. Deuteronomy 32:22 uses the same verb: the fire 'burns (tiqad) to the depths of Sheol'. Isaiah 65:5 and Jeremiah 17:4 also use it.

Where it appears

Leviticus · 3

  1. Leviticus 6:9 תּ֥וּקַד it will burn

    “Command Aaron and his sons that this is the law of the burnt offering: The burnt offering is to remain on the hearth of the altar all night, until morning, and the fire must be kept burning on the altar.

  2. Leviticus 6:12 תּֽוּקַד־ it will burn

    The fire on the altar shall be kept burning; it must not be extinguished. Every morning the priest is to add wood to the fire, arrange the burnt offering on it, and burn the fat portions of the peace offerings on it.

  3. Leviticus 6:13 תּוּקַ֥ד it will burn

    The fire shall be kept burning on the altar continually; it must not be extinguished.

Deuteronomy · 1

  1. Deuteronomy 32:22 וַתִּיקַ֖ד and it has burned

    For a fire has been kindled by My anger, and it burns to the depths of Sheol; it consumes the earth and its produce, and scorches the foundations of the mountains.

    Here: 'And it burned.' The verb is used for a fire that keeps burning, like the altar fire. The narrative verb form carries the story on from the kindling: once lit, it spreads.

Isaiah · 3

  1. Isaiah 10:16 יֵקַ֥ד it will burn

    Therefore the Lord GOD of Hosts will send a wasting disease among Assyria’s stout warriors, and under his pomp will be kindled a fire like a burning flame.

    Here: 'It will burn'. The verb does not take an object, so the 'burning' that follows is its subject: 'a burning will burn'. God is still the one who lights it, as v. 17 makes clear.

  2. Isaiah 30:14 מִיָּק֔וּד from a fireplace

    It will break in pieces like a potter’s jar, shattered so that no fragment can be found. Not a shard will be found in the dust large enough to scoop the coals from a hearth or to skim the water from a cistern.”

    Here: 'From the burning [place]', meaning the hearth. This noun appears only here. It comes from the verb 'to burn, to be kindled'.

  3. Isaiah 65:5 יֹקֶ֖דֶת [which] burns

    They say, ‘Keep to yourself; do not come near me, for I am holier than you!’ Such people are smoke in My nostrils, a fire that burns all day long.

    Here: Participle, 'burning', ongoing and unbroken. The verb is used for the fire that must be kept burning on the altar (Lev 6:9–13, Heb. 6:2–6), a likely ironic echo.

Jeremiah · 2

  1. Jeremiah 15:14 תּוּקָֽד׃ ס it will burn

    Then I will enslave you to your enemies in a land you do not know, for My anger will kindle a fire that will burn against you.”

    Here: A passive form of 'burn': it will be kept burning. Leviticus 6 uses the same form for the altar fire that must never go out. Here the fire burns against the people rather than on the altar.

  2. Jeremiah 17:4 תּוּקָֽד׃ ס it will burn

    And you yourself will relinquish the inheritance that I gave you. I will enslave you to your enemies in a land that you do not know, for you have kindled My anger; it will burn forever.”

    Here: 'It will be kept burning / it will burn.' This exact form describes the altar fire that must never go out (Lev 6:9, 12–13 Eng.). The verb is about steady, ongoing burning.

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