Hebrew word · H7246

רָבַךְ

murbekhet

to stir

A rare cooking verb found only three times (Lev 6:21 [Hebrew 6:14]; Lev 7:12; 1 Chr 23:29). The passive participle murbeket describes flour or dough that has been 'well mixed', 'saturated' or 'soaked'. Jewish tradition read it as 'scalded' or 'fried'.

Appears 3 times in 3 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

1) to mix, stir

1a) (Hophal) to be mixed

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 Leviticus 7:12

Range of meaning

A rare cooking verb found only three times (Lev 6:21 [Hebrew 6:14]; Lev 7:12; 1 Chr 23:29). The passive participle murbeket describes flour or dough that has been 'well mixed', 'saturated' or 'soaked'. Jewish tradition read it as 'scalded' or 'fried'.

Against the English

KJV 'fried' (following Jewish tradition). YLT 'fried flour'. BSB 'well-kneaded'. NASB 'well stirred'. Others say 'well mixed' or 'soaked'. The word clearly describes a prepared, oil-rich dough, but the exact kitchen method is not known.

How it drifted

Not drift so much as a real uncertainty that different versions settle in different ways.

Used elsewhere in the period

In Lev 6:21 the priests' grain offering is made 'on a griddle with oil' and brought murbeket. 1 Chr 23:29 lists the Levites' duties 'for the griddle and for the murbaket'. Rashi (on Lev 6:14) explains it as dough scalded in boiling water. The Septuagint generally takes it as dough kneaded with oil. Modern lexicons (HALOT) and Milgrom's commentary prefer 'well soaked' or 'well mixed' in oil.

Where it appears

Leviticus · 2

  1. Leviticus 6:21 מֻרְבֶּ֣כֶת mixed [dough]

    It shall be prepared with oil on a griddle; you are to bring it well-kneaded and present it as a grain offering broken in pieces, a pleasing aroma to the LORD.

  2. Leviticus 7:12 מֻרְבֶּ֔כֶת mixed

    If he offers it in thanksgiving, then along with the sacrifice of thanksgiving he shall offer unleavened cakes mixed with olive oil, unleavened wafers coated with oil, and well-kneaded cakes of fine flour mixed with oil.

    Here: A rare cooking term: flour that has been thoroughly mixed with or soaked in liquid (here, oil). Jewish tradition took it as scalded or fried, which is where the KJV's 'fried' comes from. The exact technique is uncertain.

1 Chronicles · 1

  1. 1 Chronicles 23:29 וְלַמֻּרְבָּ֑כֶת and to the mixed [dough]

    as well as for the rows of the showbread, the fine flour for the grain offering, the wafers of unleavened bread, the baking, the mixing, and all measurements of quantity and size.

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