Hebrew word · H6137
עַקְרָב
ba'akrabim
scorpion
Scorpion, the stinging arachnid (Deut 8:15). By extension it can mean a cruel scourge (1 Kgs 12:11, 'I will discipline you with scorpions', probably barbed whips).
Appears 6 times in 6 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·
What it means
scorpion
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
Scorpion, the stinging arachnid (Deut 8:15). By extension it can mean a cruel scourge (1 Kgs 12:11, 'I will discipline you with scorpions', probably barbed whips).
- Against the English
Translations agree on 'scorpions'. They disagree on the preposition: 'among' (KJV, BSB, WEB) or 'sit on' (ESV, NASB).
- Used elsewhere in the period
Scorpions were familiar in the Mesopotamian lowlands where the exiles lived. In Babylonian art and astronomy the scorpion appears as a dangerous creature (e.g. scorpion-men in Gilgamesh, the Scorpion constellation). In Deuteronomy the wilderness is the place 'of fiery serpents and scorpions'.
From the study of 1 Kings 12:14
- Range of meaning
The scorpion, a dangerous creature of the wilderness (Deut 8:15). It appears as a picture of hostile, stinging people (Ezek 2:6, where it is paired with briers and thorns). Here it is used as a punishment tool, and its exact sense is uncertain.
- Against the English
Every major English version keeps 'scorpions' literally, which preserves the shocking image. Some study notes explain it as a barbed whip.
- Used elsewhere in the period
Outside the Bible, Isidore of Seville (7th c. AD, Etymologies 5.27.18) describes a Latin 'scorpio' as a knotted or barbed rod named for the sting-like wound it makes. That evidence is far later than Kings. Medieval Jewish commentators likewise explained the 'scorpions' as whips fitted with thorns or sharp knots. No Iron Age instrument by this name is attested.
Where it appears
Deuteronomy · 1
-
Deuteronomy 8:15 וְעַקְרָ֔ב and scorpion
He led you through the vast and terrifying wilderness with its venomous snakes and scorpions, a thirsty and waterless land. He brought you water from the rock of flint.
Here: The scorpion, a real and common danger in the Sinai and Negev. Its sting could kill a child or a weakened traveler.
1 Kings · 2
-
1 Kings 12:11 בָּעַקְרַבִּֽים׃ with <the> scorpions
Whereas my father burdened you with a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke. Whereas my father scourged you with whips, I will scourge you with scorpions.’”
-
1 Kings 12:14 בָּעַקְרַבִּֽים׃ with <the> scorpions
and spoke to them as the young men had advised, saying, “Whereas my father made your yoke heavy, I will add to your yoke. Whereas my father scourged you with whips, I will scourge you with scorpions.”
Here: 'Scorpions,' the stinging creatures of the desert (Deut 8:15). Used as an escalation of 'whips,' it pictures a punishment that stings far worse. It may also refer to a barbed or knotted whip (see studies). Either way the line ends on its most painful word.
2 Chronicles · 2
-
2 Chronicles 10:11 בָּֽעֲקְרַבִּֽים׃ ס with <the> scorpions
Whereas my father burdened you with a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke. Whereas my father scourged you with whips, I will scourge you with scorpions.’”
-
2 Chronicles 10:14 בָּעֲקְרַבִּֽים׃ with <the> scorpions
and spoke to them as the young men had advised, saying, “Whereas my father made your yoke heavy, I will add to your yoke. Whereas my father scourged you with whips, I will scourge you with scorpions.”
Ezekiel · 1
-
Ezekiel 2:6 עַקְרַבִּ֖ים scorpions
But you, son of man, do not be afraid of them or their words. Do not be afraid, though briers and thorns surround you, and you dwell among scorpions. Do not be afraid of their words or dismayed by their presence, though they are a rebellious house.
Here: Real scorpions, common in Mesopotamia and the wilderness (Deut 8:15). The image is of a danger hidden in the ground that stings without warning. It stands for the people Ezekiel lives among.
Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.