the Week of Proper 28 / Ordinary 33
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Bible Dictionaries
Chariotry
Vine's Expository Dictionary of OT Words
or A. Nouns.
Rekeb (רֶכֶב, Strong's #7393), “chariotry; chariot units; chariot horse; chariot; train; upper millstone.” The noun rekeb appears 119 times and in all periods of biblical Hebrew.The word is used collectively of an entire force of “military chariotry”: “And he took six hundred chosen chariots, and all the [chariotry]” (Exod. 14:7, KJV, NASB, “chariots”). This use of rekeb might well be rendered “chariot-units” (the chariot, a driver, an offensive and a defensive man). The immediately preceding verse uses rekeb of a single “war-chariot” (or perhaps “chariot unit”). The following translation might better represent Exod. 14:6-7: “So he made his chariot ready and took his courtiers with him, and he took six hundred select chariot units, and all the chariotry of Egypt with defensive men.”
In its first biblical appearance, rekeb means “chariotry”: “And there went up with him both chariotry [KJV, “chariots”] and horsemen …” (Gen. 50:9). In 2 Sam. 8:4, the word represents “chariot-horse”: “… And David hamstrung [KJV, “houghed”] all the chariot horses.…” Rekeb also is used of the “chariot” itself: “… And the king was propped [KJV, “stayed”] up in his chariot against the Syrians …” (1 Kings 22:35). Next, rekeb refers to a “column” or “train of donkeys and camels”: “And he saw a chariot with a couple of horsemen, a chariot of asses, and a chariot of camels …” (Isa. 21:7).
Finally, rekeb sometimes signifies an “upper millstone”: “No man shall take the nether or the upper millstone to pledge …” (Deut. 24:6; cf. Judg. 9:53; 2 Sam. 11:21).
Merkâbâh (מֶרְכָּבָה, Strong's #4818), “war chariot.” This word occurs 44 times. Merkâbâh has cognates in Ugaritic, Syriac, and Akkadian. Like rekeb, it is derived from rakab. The word represents a “war-chariot” (Exod. 14:25), which may have been used as a “chariot of honor” (Gen. 41:43—the first occurrence). It may also be translated “traveling coach” or “cart” (2 Kings 5:21).
B. Verb.
Râkab (רָכַב, Strong's #7392), “to ride upon, drive, mount (an animal).” This verb, which has cognates in Ugaritic and several other Semitic languages, occurs 78 times in the Old Testament. The first occurrence is in Gen. 24:61: “And Rebekah arose, and her damsels, and they rode upon the camels.…”
These files are public domain.
Vines, W. E., M. A. Entry for 'Chariotry'. Vine's Expository Dictionary of OT Words. https://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/eng/vot/c/chariotry.html. 1940.
