Aramaic word · H7127

קְרֵב

kerev

to approach

The root qrb means 'come near'. In the causative form used here it means 'bring near, present'. In Aramaic Ezra it is used for presenting offerings (Ezra 6:10, 17; 7:17). In court settings it is used for bringing a person formally into a ruler's presence.

A Biblical Aramaic word, from the parts of the Old Testament written in Aramaic. Why Aramaic?

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

What it means

1) to approach, come near

1a) (P'al) to approach

1b) (Pael) to offer, draw near

1c) (Aphel) to be summoned

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 Daniel 7:13

Range of meaning

The root qrb means 'come near'. In the causative form used here it means 'bring near, present'. In Aramaic Ezra it is used for presenting offerings (Ezra 6:10, 17; 7:17). In court settings it is used for bringing a person formally into a ruler's presence. The Hebrew equivalent, hiqrîb, is the standard verb for presenting sacrifices and for bringing priests or Levites before the LORD (Exod 29:4; Num 8:9).

Against the English

KJV, WEB and YLT keep 'they brought him near'. ESV and NASB have 'was presented', BSB and NIV 'was led into his presence'. The passive forms render the Aramaic idiom correctly but hide the attendants.

Used elsewhere in the period

Biblical Aramaic often uses an unnamed 'they' to stand for a passive (Dan 4:25, 32; 5:20–21). Here the natural agents are the 'thousand thousands' who serve the Ancient of Days (7:10).

From the study of Ezra 6:10

Range of meaning

The basic verb means to approach or come near. This causative form means to bring near or present, and in a religious setting to offer at an altar.

Against the English

KJV, BSB, WEB and most modern versions say "offer," which is accurate. YLT's "be bringing near" keeps both the spatial picture and the ongoing action.

Used elsewhere in the period

Used for the dedication offerings of this same temple in Ezra 6:17, and for the one like a son of man being brought before the Ancient of Days in Daniel 7:13. The Hebrew equivalent gives qorban, "what is brought near," the common word for an offering (Leviticus 1:2; compare "Corban" in Mark 7:11).

Where it appears

Ezra · 3

  1. Ezra 6:10 מְהַקְרְבִ֛ין offering

    Then they will be able to offer sacrifices of a sweet aroma to the God of heaven and to pray for the lives of the king and his sons.

    Here: "Bringing near," the standard language of presenting an offering at an altar. The priests bring something close to God on the people's behalf, and the form suggests they keep doing so.

  2. Ezra 6:17 וְהַקְרִ֗בוּ and they offered

    For the dedication of the house of God they offered a hundred bulls, two hundred rams, four hundred lambs, and a sin offering for all Israel of twelve male goats, one for each tribe of Israel.

  3. Ezra 7:17 וּתְקָרֵ֣ב so you may offer

    With this money, therefore, you are to buy as many bulls, rams, and lambs as needed, together with their grain offerings and drink offerings, and offer them on the altar at the house of your God in Jerusalem.

Daniel · 6

  1. Daniel 3:8 קְרִ֖בוּ they approached

    At this time some astrologers came forward and maliciously accused the Jews,

  2. Daniel 3:26 קְרֵ֣ב he approached

    Then Nebuchadnezzar approached the door of the blazing fiery furnace and called out, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out!” So Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came out of the fire,

    Here: The king himself walks up to the furnace. The heat of this fire had already killed the soldiers who threw the three men in (v. 22), so his approach is part of the drama. The text does not say whether the fire had died down.

  3. Daniel 6:12 קְרִ֨יבוּ they approached

    So they approached the king and asked about his royal decree: “Did you not sign a decree that for thirty days any man who petitions any god or man except you, O king, will be thrown into the den of lions?” The king replied, “According to the law of the Medes and Persians the order stands, and it cannot be repealed.”

  4. Daniel 6:20 וּכְמִקְרְבֵ֣הּ and just as approached he

    When he reached the den, he cried out in a voice of anguish, “O Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to deliver you from the lions?”

    Here: A verb-noun with 'as/when' and 'his': 'and as he came close.' It picks up the king's hurried dawn run of v.19 and catches him the moment he reaches the pit, before he can see inside.

  5. Daniel 7:13 הַקְרְבֽוּהִי׃ they brought near him

    In my vision in the night I continued to watch, and I saw One like the Son of Man coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into His presence.

    Here: 'They brought him near / presented him.' The 'they' is unnamed, most naturally the myriad attendants of 7:10. Aramaic often uses an unnamed 'they' where English would say 'he was presented'. The verb belongs to formal presentation, at court or (in other contexts) of offerings.

  6. Daniel 7:16 קִרְבֵ֗ת I approached

    I approached one of those who were standing there, and I asked him the true meaning of all this. So he told me the interpretation of these things:

    Here: "I drew near." Daniel is not only watching the vision; he steps into the heavenly throne-room scene and walks up to one of its attendants, as a petitioner approaches an official at a royal court.

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