מֶרְכָּבָה

Genesis 41:43 בְּמִרְכֶּ֤בֶת in [the] chariot of

He had Joseph ride in his second chariot, with men calling out before him, “Bow the knee!” So he placed him over all the land of Egypt.

Genesis 46:29 מֶרְכַּבְתּ֔וֹ chariot his

Joseph prepared his chariot and went there to meet his father Israel. Joseph presented himself to him, embraced him, and wept profusely.

Exodus 14:25 מַרְכְּבֹתָ֔יו chariots its

He caused their chariot wheels to wobble, so that they had difficulty driving. “Let us flee from the Israelites,” said the Egyptians, “for the LORD is fighting for them against Egypt!”

Here: 'His chariots'. The 'his' is Egypt or Pharaoh, treated as one person. These are the elite force of verse 7: 'six hundred chosen chariots and all the chariots of Egypt.'

Exodus 15:4 מַרְכְּבֹ֥ת [the] chariots of

Pharaoh’s chariots and army He has cast into the sea; the finest of his officers are drowned in the Red Sea.

Joshua 11:6 מַרְכְּבֹתֵיהֶ֖ם chariots their

Then the LORD said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid of them, for by this time tomorrow I will deliver all of them slain before Israel. You are to hamstring their horses and burn up their chariots.”

Here: Light, two-wheeled war vehicles made of wood and leather. They were the high technology of Late Bronze Age warfare and could be burned.

Joshua 11:9 מַרְכְּבֹתֵיהֶ֖ם chariots their

Joshua treated them as the LORD had told him; he hamstrung their horses and burned up their chariots.

Judges 4:15 הַמֶּרְכָּבָ֖ה the chariot

And in front of him the LORD routed with the sword Sisera, all his charioteers, and all his army. Sisera abandoned his chariot and fled on foot.

Judges 5:28 מַרְכְּבוֹתָֽיו׃ chariots his

Sisera’s mother looked through the window; she peered through the lattice and lamented: ‘Why is his chariot so long in coming? What has delayed the clatter of his chariots?’

1 Samuel 8:11 בְּמֶרְכַּבְתּ֣וֹ מֶרְכַּבְתּֽוֹ׃ in chariot[s] his, chariot his

He said, “This will be the manner of the king who will reign over you: He will take your sons and appoint them to serve his own chariots and horses, and to run in front of his chariots.

Here: Singular but collective: 'his chariot force.' Chariots were the costly showpiece weapon of Canaanite and Philistine kings, and Israel had none at this point.

2 Samuel 15:1 מֶרְכָּבָ֖ה a chariot

Some time later, Absalom provided for himself a chariot with horses and fifty men to run ahead of him.

1 Kings 7:33 הַמֶּרְכָּבָ֑ה <the> chariot

The wheels were made like chariot wheels; their axles, rims, spokes, and hubs were all of cast metal.

1 Kings 10:29 מֶרְכָּבָ֤ה a chariot

A chariot could be imported from Egypt for six hundred shekels of silver, and a horse for a hundred and fifty. Likewise, they exported them to all the kings of the Hittites and to the kings of Aram.

1 Kings 12:18 בַּמֶּרְכָּבָ֔ה in the chariot

Then King Rehoboam sent out Adoram, who was in charge of the forced labor, but all Israel stoned him to death. And King Rehoboam mounted his chariot in haste and escaped to Jerusalem.

1 Kings 20:33 הַמֶּרְכָּבָֽה׃ the chariot

Now the men were looking for a sign of hope, and they quickly grasped at this word and replied, “Yes, your brother Ben-hadad.” “Go and get him!” said the king. Then Ben-hadad came out, and Ahab had him come up into his chariot.

1 Kings 22:35 בַּמֶּרְכָּבָ֖ה in the chariot

The battle raged throughout that day, and the king was propped up in his chariot facing the Arameans. And the blood from his wound ran out onto the floor of the chariot, and that evening he died.

2 Kings 5:21 הַמֶּרְכָּבָ֛ה the chariot

So Gehazi pursued Naaman. And when Naaman saw him running toward him, he got down from the chariot to meet him and asked, “Is everything all right?”

2 Kings 5:26 מֶרְכַּבְתּ֖וֹ chariot his

But Elisha questioned him, “Did not my spirit go with you when the man got down from his chariot to meet you? Is this the time to accept money and clothing, olive groves and vineyards, sheep and oxen, menservants and maidservants?

Here: The war-chariot was the status symbol of an Aramean commander (compare 5:9, 'with his horses and his chariot').

2 Kings 9:27 הַמֶּרְכָּבָ֗ה the chariot

When King Ahaziah of Judah saw this, he fled up the road toward Beth-haggan. And Jehu pursued him, shouting, “Shoot him too!” So they shot Ahaziah in his chariot on the Ascent of Gur, near Ibleam, and he fled to Megiddo and died there.

2 Kings 10:15 הַמֶּרְכָּבָֽה׃ the chariot

When he left there, he found Jehonadab son of Rechab, who was coming to meet him. Jehu greeted him and asked, “Is your heart as true to mine as my heart is to yours?” “It is!” Jehonadab replied. “If it is,” said Jehu, “give me your hand.” So he gave him his hand, and Jehu helped him into his chariot,

2 Kings 23:11 מַרְכְּב֥וֹת [the] chariots of

And he removed from the entrance to the house of the LORD the horses that the kings of Judah had dedicated to the sun. They were in the court near the chamber of an official named Nathan-melech. And Josiah burned up the chariots of the sun.

1 Chronicles 28:18 הַמֶּרְכָּבָ֗ה the chariot

the weight of the refined gold for the altar of incense; and the plans for the chariot of the gold cherubim that spread their wings and overshadowed the ark of the covenant of the LORD.

2 Chronicles 1:17 מֶרְכָּבָה֙ a chariot

A chariot could be imported from Egypt for six hundred shekels of silver, and a horse for a hundred and fifty. Likewise, they exported them to all the kings of the Hittites and to the kings of Aram.

2 Chronicles 9:25 וּמַרְכָּב֔וֹת and chariots

Solomon had 4,000 stalls for horses and chariots, and 12,000 horses, which he stationed in the chariot cities and also with him in Jerusalem.

2 Chronicles 10:18 בַּמֶּרְכָּבָ֔ה in the chariot

Then King Rehoboam sent out Hadoram, who was in charge of the forced labor, but the Israelites stoned him to death. And King Rehoboam mounted his chariot in haste and escaped to Jerusalem.

2 Chronicles 14:9 וּמַרְכָּב֖וֹת and chariots

Then Zerah the Cushite came against them with an army of 1,000,000 men and 300 chariots, and they advanced as far as Mareshah.

Here: War chariots, the most advanced and expensive weapon of the age, usually fielded by states such as Egypt. Their presence fits an organized, state-backed army rather than a loose raiding band.

2 Chronicles 18:34 בַּמֶּרְכָּבָ֛ה in the chariot

The battle raged throughout that day, and the king of Israel propped himself up in his chariot facing the Arameans until evening. And at sunset he died.

2 Chronicles 35:24 הַמֶּרְכָּבָ֗ה the chariot

So his servants took him out of his chariot, put him in his second chariot, and brought him to Jerusalem, where he died. And Josiah was buried in the tomb of his fathers, and all Judah and Jerusalem mourned for him.

Here: 'The chariot,' meaning the war chariot Josiah was fighting in, the one he was standing in when the archers hit him.

Song of Songs 6:12 מַרְכְּב֖וֹת [the] chariots of

Before I realized it, my desire had set me among the royal chariots of my people.

Isaiah 2:7 לְמַרְכְּבֹתָֽיו׃ to chariots its

Their land is full of silver and gold, with no limit to their treasures; their land is full of horses, with no limit to their chariots.

Isaiah 22:18 מַרְכְּב֣וֹת [the] chariots of

roll you into a ball, and sling you into a wide land. There you will die, and there your glorious chariots will remain—a disgrace to the house of your master.

Isaiah 66:15 מַרְכְּבֹתָ֑יו chariots his

For behold, the LORD will come with fire—His chariots are like a whirlwind—to execute His anger with fury and His rebuke with flames of fire.

Here: War chariots were the strike force of an ancient army. YHWH is pictured as a warrior-king leading a heavenly chariot corps. Jer 4:13 uses nearly the same words about a human invader ('his chariots like the storm-wind'). Here the invader is God himself.

Jeremiah 4:13 מַרְכְּבוֹתָ֔יו chariots his

Behold, he advances like the clouds, his chariots like the whirlwind. His horses are swifter than eagles. Woe to us, for we are ruined!

Here: War chariots, the heavy armour of ancient armies. The clause has no verb ('his chariots like the storm-wind'), which keeps it short and breathless.

Joel 2:5 מַרְכָּב֗וֹת chariots

With a sound like that of chariots they bound over the mountaintops, like the crackling of fire consuming stubble, like a mighty army deployed for battle.

Micah 1:13 הַמֶּרְכָּבָ֛ה the chariot

Harness your chariot horses, O dweller of Lachish. You were the beginning of sin to the Daughter of Zion, for the transgressions of Israel were found in you.

Here: 'The chariot.' The singular stands for the city's chariots as a group. In Judah, chariots were the costliest military equipment and they belonged to the king. For prophets they stood for national self-reliance.

Micah 5:10 מַרְכְּבֹתֶֽיךָ׃ chariots your

“In that day,” declares the LORD, “I will remove your horses from among you and wreck your chariots.

Nahum 3:2 וּמֶרְכָּבָ֖ה and a chariot

The crack of the whip, the rumble of the wheel, galloping horse and bounding chariot!

Here: The war chariot, the ancient world's elite strike weapon and the pride of the Assyrian army.

Habakkuk 3:8 מַרְכְּבֹתֶ֖יךָ chariots your

Were You angry at the rivers, O LORD? Was Your wrath against the streams? Did You rage against the sea when You rode on Your horses, on Your chariots of salvation?

Here: War chariots, the tanks of the ancient Near East. The word stands next to 'horses' with no 'and' or 'on' in the Hebrew, as a quick second name for God's war-gear.

Haggai 2:22 מֶרְכָּבָה֙ chariotry

I will overturn royal thrones and destroy the power of the kingdoms of the nations. I will overturn chariots and their riders; horses and their riders will fall, each by the sword of his brother.

Here: Singular in form but meant as a group, 'chariotry'. The war chariot was the elite weapon of ancient empires, the tank of its day, and the very thing Pharaoh's army was famous for.

Zechariah 6:1 מַרְכָּבוֹת֙ chariots

And again I lifted up my eyes and saw four chariots coming out from between two mountains—mountains of bronze.

Here: Horse-drawn chariots, the elite military and royal vehicle of the ancient Near East. The upgrade from riders (1:8) to chariots signals power and action, not only scouting.

Zechariah 6:2 בַּמֶּרְכָּבָ֥ה וּבַמֶּרְכָּבָ֥ה [were] with the chariot, and [were] with the chariot

The first chariot had red horses, the second black horses,

Zechariah 6:3 וּבַמֶּרְכָּבָ֥ה וּבַמֶּרְכָּבָה֙ and [were] with the chariot

the third white horses, and the fourth dappled horses—all of them strong.