רָחַק

Genesis 21:16 הַרְחֵק֙ at a distance

Then she went off and sat down nearby, about a bowshot away, for she said, “I cannot bear to watch the boy die!” And as she sat nearby, she lifted up her voice and wept.

Genesis 44:4 הִרְחִיקוּ֒ they had gone far

They had not gone far from the city when Joseph told his steward, “Pursue the men at once, and when you overtake them, ask, ‘Why have you repaid good with evil?

Exodus 8:28 הַרְחֵ֥ק תַרְחִ֖יקוּ certainly <to be far away>, you must be far away

Pharaoh answered, “I will let you go and sacrifice to the LORD your God in the wilderness, but you must not go very far. Now pray for me.”

Exodus 23:7 תִּרְחָ֑ק you will be distant

Stay far away from a false accusation. Do not kill the innocent or the just, for I will not acquit the guilty.

Here: 'You shall keep far.' Not just 'do not lie' but 'put distance between yourself and it': do not bring it, back it, or lend it your name or vote.

Exodus 33:7 הַרְחֵק֙ at a distance

Now Moses used to take the tent and pitch it at a distance outside the camp. He called it the Tent of Meeting, and anyone inquiring of the LORD would go to the Tent of Meeting outside the camp.

Deuteronomy 12:21 יִרְחַ֨ק it will be [too] far

If the place where the LORD your God chooses to put His Name is too far from you, then you may slaughter any of the herd or flock He has given you, as I have commanded you, and you may eat it within your gates whenever you want.

Deuteronomy 14:24 יִרְחַ֤ק it will be [too] far

But if the distance is too great for you to carry that with which the LORD your God has blessed you, because the place where the LORD your God will choose to put His Name is too far away,

Joshua 3:16 הַרְחֵ֨ק far away

the flowing water stood still. It backed up as far upstream as Adam, a city in the area of Zarethan, while the water flowing toward the Sea of the Arabah (the Salt Sea) was completely cut off. So the people crossed over opposite Jericho.

Here: A verb form used as an adverb: 'at a distance, far off'. It puts the heap a long way from where the people crossed.

Joshua 8:4 תַּרְחִ֥יקוּ you go far away

with these orders: “Pay attention. You are to lie in ambush behind the city, not too far from it. All of you must be ready.

Judges 18:22 הִרְחִ֖יקוּ they had gone far away

After they were some distance from Micah’s house, the men in the houses near Micah’s house mobilized and overtook the Danites.

Job 5:4 יִרְחֲק֣וּ they are distant

His sons are far from safety, crushed in court without a defender.

Job 11:14 הַרְחִיקֵ֑הוּ put far away it

if you put away the iniquity in your hand, and allow no injustice to dwell in your tents,

Job 13:21 הַרְחַ֑ק put far away

Withdraw Your hand from me, and do not let Your terror frighten me.

Job 19:13 הִרְחִ֑יק he has put far away

He has removed my brothers from me; my acquaintances have abandoned me.

Here: The verb form means 'he caused to be far'. The 'he' is God, who is the subject all through vv. 6–12. Job says the distance between him and his family is God's doing, not just theirs.

Job 21:16 רָ֣חֲקָה it is far

Still, their prosperity is not in their own hands, so I stay far from the counsel of the wicked.

Here: 'Is (or has been) far.' The verb form can describe a settled fact ('it is far from me') or, as some read it, a wish or oath ('far be it from me!'). Either way Job puts distance between himself and their outlook.

Job 22:18 רָ֣חֲקָה it is far

But it was He who filled their houses with good things; so I stay far from the counsel of the wicked.

Job 22:23 תַּרְחִ֥יק you will remove

If you return to the Almighty, you will be restored. If you remove injustice from your tents

Here: A causative verb: 'make it far away'. It means more than tidying up. Job is to push wrongdoing a long way off from where he lives.

Job 30:10 רָ֣חֲקוּ they are distant

They abhor me and keep far from me; they do not hesitate to spit in my face.

Psalm 22:11 תִּרְחַ֣ק you be far

Be not far from me, for trouble is near and there is no one to help.

Here: 'Be far / stay far away.' The verb form is a wish or plea addressed to God, not a command. It picks up the psalm's opening complaint that God is 'far from my rescue' (v.1) and will be repeated in v.19.

Psalm 22:19 תִּרְחָ֑ק you be distant

But You, O LORD, be not far off; O my Strength, come quickly to help me.

Psalm 35:22 תִּרְחַ֥ק you be distant

O LORD, You have seen it; be not silent. O Lord, be not far from me.

Here: "Be distant." In the laments this means keeping out of reach and giving no help, as in "Why are you so far from saving me?" (Ps 22:1). It is about absence of help, not physical distance.

Psalm 38:21 תִּרְחַ֥ק you be distant

Do not forsake me, O LORD; be not far from me, O my God.

Here: "Be far off." The word is about space, but in prayers like this it also means being out of reach and doing nothing to help. It picks up verse 11, where his friends and family "stand far off" (same root), and asks God not to do the same.

Psalm 55:7 אַרְחִ֣יק I want to be far away

How far away I would flee! In the wilderness I would remain. Selah

Here: "I would put distance" or "I would go far." The form makes the speaker the one who creates the distance. Paired with the next word it works like an adverb: "flee far away." It continues the wish begun in v. 6 ("Oh, that I had wings…"), so it means "I would," not "I will."

Psalm 71:12 תִּרְחַ֣ק you be far

Be not far from me, O God. Hurry, O my God, to help me.

Here: 'Be far / stay far off.' In laments, God being 'far' means God not stepping in. It answers the enemies' claim in v.11 that God has abandoned the psalmist.

Psalm 88:8 הִרְחַ֥קְתָּ you have removed far away

You have removed my friends from me; You have made me repulsive to them; I am confined and cannot escape.

Here: 'You have made distant.' The causative form puts God as the one who pushed the psalmist's people away. It is the first word of the verse, so the stress falls on what God has done.

Psalm 88:18 הִרְחַ֣קְתָּ you have removed far away

You have removed my beloved and my friend; darkness is my closest companion.

Psalm 103:12 כִּרְחֹ֣ק הִֽרְחִ֥יק as is far away, he has removed far away

As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.

Here: The little word 'as' (ke-) joined to a verb form that means 'being far': 'as the far-apartness of'. It sets up the comparison and gives the verse its key root, *r-ḥ-q*, 'far'.

Psalm 109:17 וַתִּרְחַ֥ק and it was far

The cursing that he loved, may it fall on him; the blessing in which he refused to delight, may it be far from him.

Here: Feminine 'it' = the blessing. What he refused to give, he does not receive. The blessing keeps its distance from him. Same grammar question as with 'came': past result or wish.

Psalm 119:150 רָחָֽקוּ׃ they are distant

Those who follow after wickedness draw near; they are far from Your law.

Here: 'They have gone far' or 'they are far off.' It mirrors the opening verb. The enemies are near to the psalmist and far from God's instruction. Being 'far' from God or his ways is a stock biblical picture of estrangement (Psalm 119:155, 'salvation is far from the wicked').

Proverbs 4:24 הַרְחֵ֥ק put far away

Put away deception from your mouth; keep your lips from perverse speech.

Here: "Make it far." It is stronger than simply removing it: put distance between yourself and it, and keep it at a distance.

Proverbs 5:8 הַרְחֵ֣ק make far away

Keep your path far from her; do not go near the door of her house,

Here: A command in the causative form: not just 'be far' but 'make it far'. The son has to put distance between his road and her on purpose. It is the first half of the far/near pair that holds the verse together.

Proverbs 19:7 רָחֲק֣וּ they are distant

All the brothers of a poor man hate him—how much more do his friends avoid him! He may pursue them with pleading, but they are nowhere to be found.

Here: 'They keep their distance.' The verb pictures physical distance: friends stop coming round and are no longer seen with him. It is the friend's version of the relatives' 'hate'.

Proverbs 22:5 יִרְחַ֥ק he will be far

Thorns and snares lie on the path of the perverse; he who guards his soul stays far from them.

Here: 'Will be / keeps far away': the wise person's protection is distance. He does not walk through the thorns carefully; he stays off that road.

Proverbs 22:15 יַרְחִיקֶ֥נָּה it will put far away it

Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline drives it far from him.

Here: 'Will put it far away.' The 'it' is feminine and points back to folly. It is set against 'tied fast': what was knotted close is moved to a distance. The tense states what usually happens.

Proverbs 30:8 הַרְחֵ֬ק put far away

Keep falsehood and deceitful words far from me. Give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the bread that is my portion.

Here: A command addressed to God: "put far away" (the causative form of "be far"). The picture is of distance: keep it out of reach, not only out of my mouth.

Ecclesiastes 3:5 לִרְחֹ֥ק to be far

a time to cast away stones and a time to gather stones together, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,

Isaiah 6:12 וְרִחַ֥ק and he will send far away

until the LORD has driven men far away and the land is utterly forsaken.

Isaiah 26:15 רִחַ֖קְתָּ you have extended

You have enlarged the nation, O LORD; You have enlarged the nation. You have gained glory for Yourself; You have extended all the borders of the land.

Here: "You have made far." In this stem the verb means causing distance. With 'the ends of the land' as its object, most readers take it as pushing the borders far out, which matches the 'adding' earlier in the verse. Elsewhere in Isaiah the same form means removing people far away into exile (6:12), so an older reading hears a scattering here (see debates).

Isaiah 29:13 רִחַ֣ק it has made far away

Therefore the Lord said: “These people draw near to Me with their mouths and honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. Their worship of Me is but rules taught by men.

Here: 'It has put far away'. The verb form is causative: they have actively moved their heart away. This is a deliberate distance, not an accidental drift.

Isaiah 46:13 תִרְחָ֔ק it is far away

I am bringing My righteousness near; it is not far away, and My salvation will not be delayed. I will grant salvation to Zion and adorn Israel with My splendor.

Here: "It will not be far off." This picks up the same root used in verse 12 ("you who are far, rechoqim, from righteousness"). The people are far from it, but God's righteousness will not stay far from them.

Isaiah 49:19 וְרָחֲק֖וּ and they will be far away

For your ruined and desolate places and your ravaged land will now indeed be too small for your people, and those who devoured you will be far away.

Here: 'And they will be far off': a Hebrew verb pattern that describes a future result here. The oppressors do not just lose. They are put at a distance where they can no longer reach her.

Isaiah 54:14 רַחֲקִ֤י be distant

In righteousness you will be established, far from oppression, for you will have no fear. Terror will be far removed, for it will not come near you.

Here: A command form ('Be far!') addressed to Zion, used as a promise spoken with authority: God declares a state of affairs into being. Most translations turn it into 'you will be far'.

Isaiah 59:9 רָחַ֤ק it is far

Therefore justice is far from us, and righteousness does not reach us. We hope for light, but there is darkness; for brightness, but we walk in gloom.

Isaiah 59:11 רָחֲקָ֥ה it is far

We all growl like bears and moan like doves. We hope for justice, but find none, for salvation, but it is far from us.

Here: 'It is far off', or 'it has gone far'. Rescue is pictured almost as a person who has moved away and stayed at a distance.

Jeremiah 2:5 רָחֲק֖וּ they became distant

This is what the LORD says: “What fault did your fathers find in Me that they strayed so far from Me? They followed worthless idols, and became worthless themselves.

Here: 'They went far', a deliberate distancing. The relationship was close at the start (v. 2–3), and they opened the gap themselves.

Jeremiah 27:10 הַרְחִ֤יק to remove far away

For they prophesy to you a lie that will serve to remove you from your land; I will banish you and you will perish.

Lamentations 1:16 רָחַ֥ק he is far

For these things I weep; my eyes flow with tears. For there is no one nearby to comfort me, no one to revive my soul. My children are destitute because the enemy has prevailed.

Here: 'Is far / has gone far.' The comforter is not simply missing; he has moved away. The prayer 'be not far from me' (Ps 22:11, 19) shows how bitter divine or human distance is in a crisis.

Ezekiel 8:6 לְרָֽחֳקָה֙ to be far

“Son of man,” He said to me, “do you see what they are doing—the great abominations that the house of Israel is committing—to drive Me far from My sanctuary? Yet you will see even greater abominations.”

Here: 'With the result of being far'. The Hebrew does not say who ends up far away: God from his sanctuary, or the people from it. The vision as a whole points to God leaving (chapters 10–11), but the grammar leaves both open (see debates).

Ezekiel 11:15 רַֽחֲקוּ֙ be distant

“Son of man, your brothers—your relatives, your fellow exiles, and the whole house of Israel—are those of whom the people of Jerusalem have said, ‘They are far away from the LORD; this land has been given to us as a possession.’

Ezekiel 11:16 הִרְחַקְתִּים֙ I have removed far away them

Therefore declare that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Although I sent them far away among the nations and scattered them among the countries, yet for a little while I have been a sanctuary for them in the countries to which they have gone.’

Here: Causative 'I made them be far'. It picks up the Jerusalemites' taunt in verse 15, 'they are far (rachaqu) from YHWH'. God admits the distance and says he caused it himself, but he denies what they conclude from it.

Ezekiel 43:9 יְרַחֲק֧וּ let them put far away

Now let them remove far from Me their prostitution and the funeral offerings for their kings, and I will dwell among them forever.

Here: In this form the verb means to put something at a distance and keep it there. Here it works as a command or wish: 'let them remove.' The picture is spatial. Things once built right up against God's house must now be moved away from it.

Ezekiel 44:10 רָֽחֲקוּ֙ they became distant

Surely the Levites who wandered away from Me when Israel went astray, and who wandered away from Me after their idols, will bear the consequences of their iniquity.

Here: 'They went far off', a completed act in the past. Distance is the opposite of what a priest exists to do, which is to 'come near' (qārab, v. 13, 15). So the charge fits the penalty: those who chose distance will be kept at a distance.

Joel 2:20 אַרְחִ֣יק I will remove far away

The northern army I will drive away from you, banishing it to a barren and desolate land, its front ranks into the Eastern Sea, and its rear guard into the Western Sea. And its stench will rise; its foul odor will ascend. For He has done great things.

Here: Causative 'I will make (it) be far'. God himself puts distance between the invader and his people. The same verb returns in Joel 3:6 (Heb. 4:6) for the Greeks who carried Judeans far from their borders.

Joel 3:6 הַרְחִיקָ֖ם to remove far away them

You sold the people of Judah and Jerusalem to the Greeks, to send them far from their homeland.

Here: The verb form means "cause to be far," with "them" attached. The captives were sent as far off as possible, beyond any chance of being bought back or getting home.

Micah 7:11 יִרְחַק־ it will be far

The day for rebuilding your walls will come—the day for extending your boundary.

Here: "It will be far / will become far": the basic form describes a state, not something done to an object. Read with 'boundary', it means the border lies far off, so the land is wide. Read with 'decree', it means the decree goes far away, so it is removed.