Hebrew word · H3419

יָרָק

yarok

herb

Green growth; edible greens and vegetables (from the root yrq, 'to be green'). It is distinct from ʿesev (wild or field plants) and from yereq (green vegetation in general, Gen 1:30; 9:3). In the phrase gan-yaraq it means a vegetable garden.

Appears 5 times in 5 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

herbs, herbage, vegetables, garden greens

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 1 Kings 21:2

Range of meaning

Green growth; edible greens and vegetables (from the root yrq, 'to be green'). It is distinct from ʿesev (wild or field plants) and from yereq (green vegetation in general, Gen 1:30; 9:3). In the phrase gan-yaraq it means a vegetable garden.

Against the English

KJV and WEB 'garden of herbs' suggests seasoning plants such as mint or thyme to a modern reader. The Hebrew means a kitchen or market garden of vegetables and greens. Modern versions ('vegetable garden') are closer.

How it drifted

In 1611 'herb' meant any non-woody plant used for food, so 'herbs' covered vegetables. Today it has narrowed to aromatic seasonings.

Used elsewhere in the period

The phrase gan hayyaraq appears elsewhere in the Hebrew Bible only in Deut 11:10, which describes Egypt, 'where you sowed your seed and watered it with your foot, like a garden of greens', in contrast to the promised land watered by rain from heaven. Prov 15:17 uses the related word yaraq for a humble 'dinner of greens'. The Septuagint renders kēpos lachanōn ('garden of vegetables') here and a similar phrase in Deut 11:10.

From the study of Proverbs 15:17

Range of meaning

Green plants grown for food: garden greens, vegetables, edible herbs. It comes from the root for 'green'. Compare yereq, 'green growth', and Deut 11:10, where Egypt is watered by foot 'like a garden of greens' (gan hayyārāq). In 1 Kgs 21:2 Ahab wants Naboth's vineyard for a 'vegetable garden'.

Against the English

KJV/WEB/ESV 'herbs' can suggest seasonings such as parsley or basil. BSB/NIV 'vegetables' is closer.

How it drifted

In older English 'herb' meant any non-woody plant used for food. Today it mostly means flavourings.

Used elsewhere in the period

Deut 11:10; 1 Kgs 21:2; 2 Kgs 19:26 / Isa 37:27 ('green herb' of the field). The LXX uses lachana, 'vegetables, garden produce'.

Where it appears

Deuteronomy · 1

  1. Deuteronomy 11:10 הַיָּרָֽק׃ <the> vegetable[s]

    For the land that you are entering to possess is not like the land of Egypt, from which you have come, where you sowed your seed and irrigated on foot, like a vegetable garden.

1 Kings · 1

  1. 1 Kings 21:2 יָרָ֗ק vegetables

    So Ahab said to Naboth, “Give me your vineyard to use as a vegetable garden, since it is next to my palace. I will give you a better vineyard in its place—or if you prefer, I will give you its value in silver.”

    Here: Green plants grown for eating: vegetables and greens, not just seasoning herbs. A vegetable plot is short-cycle, irrigated cultivation, the opposite of a vineyard that takes years to establish. The exact phrase 'garden of greens' occurs elsewhere only in Deut 11:10, of Egypt.

2 Kings · 1

  1. 2 Kings 19:26 וִ֣ירַק and greenery of

    Therefore their inhabitants, devoid of power, are dismayed and ashamed. They are like plants in the field, tender green shoots, grass on the rooftops, scorched before it is grown.

Proverbs · 1

  1. Proverbs 15:17 יָ֭רָק vegetables

    Better a dish of vegetables where there is love than a fattened ox with hatred.

    Here: Garden greens and vegetables, the everyday food of ordinary people. Next to 'ox' it stands for the cheapest end of the menu.

Isaiah · 1

  1. Isaiah 37:27 וִ֣ירַק and [the] greenery of

    Therefore their inhabitants, devoid of power, are dismayed and ashamed. They are like plants in the field, tender green shoots, grass on the rooftops, scorched before it is grown.

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