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Raca

Vine's Expository Dictionary of NT Words

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Nave Topical Bible
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Dictionaries
American Tract Society
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Easton's Bible Dictionary
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Fausset Bible Dictionary
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Holman Bible Dictionary
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Hitchcock Bible Names
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Hastings' BibleDictionary
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Hastings' NT Dictionary
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King James Dictionary
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Morrish Bible Dictionary
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1910 New Catholic Dictionary
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Hawker's Poor Man's Dictionary
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Smith Bible Dictionary
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Vines' Expository Dictionary
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Webster Dictionary
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Watson's Theological Dictionary
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International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
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McClintock and Strong's Bible Encyclopedia
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The Jewish Encyclopedia
• Raca (Reḳa)
Lexicons
• ῥακά , ῥαχά

is an Aramaic word akin to the Heb. req, "empty," the first "a" being due to a Galilean change. In the AV of 1611 it was spelled racha; in the edition of 1638, raca. It was a word of utter contempt, signifying "empty," intellectually rather than morally, "empty-headed," like Abimelech's hirelings, Judges 9:4 , and the "vain" man of James 2:20 . As condemned by Christ, Matthew 5:22 , it was worse than being angry, inasmuch as an outrageous utterance is worse than a feeling unexpressed or somewhat controlled in expression; it does not indicate such a loss of self-control as the word rendered "fool," a godless, moral reprobate.