לָקַח
to take
also: get, fetch, lay hold of, seize fuller range ↓
Full lexicon entry — Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB)
From Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB)
Where this word appears
See every Qal verb in the Hebrew Bible →
Grammar key — what these labels mean
Part of speech
- Verb
- An action or state-of-being word.
- Noun
- A naming word — a person, place, thing, or idea.
Noun type
- Common
- A common noun — a general class of person, place, or thing (“king,” “city,” “water”), not a specific name.
Stem
- Qal
- The basic, simple active stem — the plain form of the verb (“he wrote”). Here: ‘take’
- Pual
- The passive counterpart of the Piel. Here: ‘be taken from’
- Niphal
- Usually the simple passive or reflexive of the Qal (“he was written”). Here: ‘be captured’
- Hithpael
- The reflexive or reciprocal stem (the subject acts on itself).
- Qal Passive
- An archaic passive of the Qal, preserved in a few forms.
Form
- Sequential Imperfect
- An imperfect with prefixed waw — the standard past-narrative form (waw-consecutive imperfect).
- Imperative
- A direct command (“write!”).
- Perfect
- A completed action or state — Hebrew marks aspect (completeness) more than strict tense (“he wrote”).
- Imperfect
- An incomplete, ongoing, or future action (“he will / would write”).
- Sequential Perfect
- A perfect with prefixed waw continuing a preceding imperfect or command (waw-consecutive perfect).
- Infinitive Construct
- A bound verbal noun, frequently with prepositions (“to write / in writing”).
- Participle Active
- A verbal adjective expressing ongoing or characteristic action (“writing / one who writes”).
- Cohortative
- A first-person volitional form expressing wish or resolve (“let me / let us write”).
- Infinitive Absolute
- An unbound verbal noun, often intensifying or standing in for a finite verb.
- Jussive
- A third- or second-person volitional form expressing wish or command (“let him write”).
- Participle Passive
- A verbal adjective expressing action received (“written”).
State
- Absolute
- The independent form of a noun, not bound to a following word.
- Construct
- A noun bound to a following noun in a possessive / “of” relationship (the construct chain).
Person
- 3rd Person
- The one spoken about (“he / she / it / they”).
- 2nd Person
- The one addressed (“you”).
- 1st Person
- The speaker (“I / we”).
Gender
- Masculine
- Grammatically masculine.
- Feminine
- Grammatically feminine.
- Common
- Either gender — not distinguished for this form.
Number
- Singular
- One.
- Plural
- More than one (in Hebrew, generally three or more).
70 verses where H3947 appears in the Qal stem in the Book of 1 Samuel. Filtered view — show all forms. Click any verse to open its interlinear word-by-word view. Verse text shown in the World English Bible for context — . Each verse’s Hebrew form is shown with its reference; the English is not keyword-highlighted, since the data carries no word-level English alignment. Use “Compare translations” on any verse to read it across multiple English versions. This concordance covers the Hebrew Bible; Septuagint (Greek Old Testament) occurrences are not indexed here.
1 Samuel
- 1 Samuel 2:14 יִקַּ֥ח Qal impf 3ms and he struck it into the pan, or kettle, or caldron, or pot; all that the flesh-hook brought up the priest took therewith. So they did in Shiloh to all the Israelites who came there.
- 1 Samuel 2:15 יִקַּ֧ח Qal impf 3ms Yes, before they burnt the fat, the priest's servant came, and said to the man who sacrificed, Give flesh to roast for the priest; for he will not have boiled flesh of you, but raw.
- 1 Samuel 2:16 וְ/קַ֨ח לָקַ֥חְתִּי conj + Qal impv 2ms Qal pf 1cs If the man said to him, They will surely burn the fat first, and then take as much as your soul desires; then he would say, No, but you shall give it me now: and if not, I will take it by force.
- 1 Samuel 4:3 נִקְחָ֧ה Qal coh 1cp When the people were come into the camp, the elders of Israel said, Why has Yahweh struck us today before the Philistines? Let us get the ark of the covenant of Yahweh out of Shiloh to us, that it may come among us, and save us out of the hand of our enemies.
- 1 Samuel 5:1 לָֽקְח֔וּ Qal pf 3cp Now the Philistines had taken the ark of God, and they brought it from Ebenezer to Ashdod.
- 1 Samuel 5:2 וַ/יִּקְח֤וּ conj + Qal wimpf 3mp The Philistines took the ark of God, and brought it into the house of Dagon, and set it by Dagon.
- 1 Samuel 5:3 וַ/יִּקְחוּ֙ conj + Qal wimpf 3mp When they of Ashdod arose early on the next day, behold, Dagon was fallen on his face to the ground before the ark of Yahweh. They took Dagon, and set him in his place again.
- 1 Samuel 6:7 קְח֨וּ Qal impv 2mp Now therefore take and prepare yourselves a new cart, and two milk cattle, on which there has come no yoke; and tie the cattle to the cart, and bring their calves home from them;
- 1 Samuel 6:8 וּ/לְקַחְתֶּ֞ם conj + Qal wpf 2mp and take the ark of Yahweh, and lay it on the cart; and put the jewels of gold, which you return him for a trespass-offering, in a coffer by the side of it; and send it away, that it may go.
- 1 Samuel 6:10 וַ/יִּקְח֗וּ conj + Qal wimpf 3mp The men did so, and took two milk cattle, and tied them to the cart, and shut up their calves at home;
- 1 Samuel 7:9 וַ/יִּקַּ֣ח conj + Qal wimpf 3ms Samuel took a sucking lamb, and offered it for a whole burnt-offering to Yahweh: and Samuel cried to Yahweh for Israel; and Yahweh answered him.
- 1 Samuel 7:12 וַ/יִּקַּ֨ח conj + Qal wimpf 3ms Then Samuel took a stone, and set it between Mizpah and Shen, and called the name of it Ebenezer, saying, Hitherto has Yahweh helped us.
- 1 Samuel 7:14 לָֽקְחוּ Qal pf 3cp The cities which the Philistines had taken from Israel were restored to Israel, from Ekron even to Gath; and the border of it did Israel deliver out of the hand of the Philistines. There was peace between Israel and the Amorites.
- 1 Samuel 8:3 וַ/יִּ֨קְחוּ conj + Qal wimpf 3mp His sons didn't walk in his ways, but turned aside after lucre, and took bribes, and perverted justice.
- 1 Samuel 8:11 יִקָּ֗ח Qal impf 3ms He said, This will be the manner of the king who shall reign over you: he will take your sons, and appoint them to him, for his chariots, and to be his horsemen; and they shall run before his chariots;
- 1 Samuel 8:13 יִקָּ֑ח Qal impf 3ms He will take your daughters to be perfumers, and to be cooks, and to be bakers.
- 1 Samuel 8:14 יִקָּ֑ח Qal impf 3ms He will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your olive groves, even the best of them, and give them to his servants.
- 1 Samuel 8:16 יִקָּ֑ח Qal impf 3ms He will take your men-servants, and your maid-servants, and your best young men, and your donkeys, and put them to his work.
- 1 Samuel 9:3 קַח Qal impv 2ms The donkeys of Kish, Saul's father, were lost. Kish said to Saul his son, Take now one of the servants with you, and arise, go seek the donkeys.
- 1 Samuel 9:22 וַ/יִּקַּ֤ח conj + Qal wimpf 3ms Samuel took Saul and his servant, and brought them into the guest-chamber, and made them sit in the best place among those who were invited, who were about thirty persons.
- 1 Samuel 10:1 וַ/יִּקַּ֨ח conj + Qal wimpf 3ms Then Samuel took the vial of oil, and poured it on his head, and kissed him, and said, Isn't it that Yahweh has anointed you to be prince over his inheritance?
- 1 Samuel 10:4 וְ/לָקַחְתָּ֖ conj + Qal wpf 2ms and they will greet you, and give you two loaves of bread, which you shall receive of their hand.
- 1 Samuel 10:23 וַ/יִּקָּחֻ֣/הוּ conj + Qal wimpf 3mp + sfx pers 3ms They ran and fetched him there; and when he stood among the people, he was higher than any of the people from his shoulders and upward.
- 1 Samuel 11:7 וַ/יִּקַּח֩ conj + Qal wimpf 3ms He took a yoke of oxen, and cut them in pieces, and sent them throughout all the borders of Israel by the hand of messengers, saying, Whoever doesn't come forth after Saul and after Samuel, so shall it be done to his oxen. The dread of Yahweh fell on the people, and they came out as one man.
- 1 Samuel 12:3 לָקַ֜חְתִּי לָקַ֗חְתִּי לָקַ֣חְתִּי Qal pf 1cs Qal pf 1cs Qal pf 1cs Here I am: witness against me before Yahweh, and before his anointed: whose ox have I taken? or whose donkey have I taken? or whom have I defrauded? whom have I oppressed? or of whose hand have I taken a ransom to blind my eyes therewith? and I will restore it you.
- 1 Samuel 12:4 לָקַ֥חְתָּ Qal pf 2ms They said, You have not defrauded us, nor oppressed us, neither have you taken anything of any man's hand.
- 1 Samuel 14:32 וַ/יִּקְח֨וּ conj + Qal wimpf 3mp and the people flew on the spoil, and took sheep, and oxen, and calves, and killed them on the ground; and the people ate them with the blood.
- 1 Samuel 15:21 וַ/יִּקַּ֨ח conj + Qal wimpf 3ms But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the chief of the devoted things, to sacrifice to Yahweh your God in Gilgal.
- 1 Samuel 16:2 תִּקַּ֣ח Qal impf 2ms Samuel said, How can I go? if Saul hear it, he will kill me. Yahweh said, Take a heifer with you, and say, I am come to sacrifice to Yahweh.
- 1 Samuel 16:11 וְ/קָחֶ֔/נּוּ conj + Qal impv 2ms + sfx pers 3ms Samuel said to Jesse, Are here all your children? He said, There remains yet the youngest, and, behold, he is keeping the sheep. Samuel said to Jesse, Send and get him; for we will not sit down until he come here.
- 1 Samuel 16:13 וַ/יִּקַּ֨ח conj + Qal wimpf 3ms Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brothers: and the Spirit of Yahweh came mightily on David from that day forward. So Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah.
- 1 Samuel 16:20 וַ/יִּקַּ֨ח conj + Qal wimpf 3ms Jesse took a donkey loaded with bread, and a bottle of wine, and a kid, and sent them by David his son to Saul.
- 1 Samuel 16:23 וְ/לָקַ֥ח conj + Qal wpf 3ms It happened, when the [evil] spirit from God was on Saul, that David took the harp, and played with his hand: so Saul was refreshed, and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him.
- 1 Samuel 17:17 קַח Qal impv 2ms Jesse said to David his son, Take now for your brothers an ephah of this parched grain, and these ten loaves, and carry [them] quickly to the camp to your brothers;
- 1 Samuel 17:18 תִּקָּֽח Qal impf 2ms and bring these ten cheeses to the captain of their thousand, and look how your brothers fare, and take their pledge.
- 1 Samuel 17:31 וַ/יִּקָּחֵֽ/הוּ conj + Qal wimpf 3ms + sfx pers 3ms When the words were heard which David spoke, they rehearsed them before Saul; and he sent for him.
- 1 Samuel 17:40 וַ/יִּקַּ֨ח conj + Qal wimpf 3ms He took his staff in his hand, and chose him five smooth stones out of the brook, and put them in the shepherd's bag which he had, even in his wallet; and his sling was in his hand: and he drew near to the Philistine.
- 1 Samuel 17:49 וַ/יִּקַּ֨ח conj + Qal wimpf 3ms David put his hand in his bag, and took there a stone, and slang it, and struck the Philistine in his forehead; and the stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the earth.
- 1 Samuel 17:51 וַ/יִּקַּ֣ח conj + Qal wimpf 3ms Then David ran, and stood over the Philistine, and took his sword, and drew it out of the sheath of it, and killed him, and cut off his head therewith. When the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled.
- 1 Samuel 17:54 וַ/יִּקַּ֤ח conj + Qal wimpf 3ms David took the head of the Philistine, and brought it to Jerusalem; but he put his armor in his tent.
- 1 Samuel 17:57 וַ/יִּקַּ֤ח conj + Qal wimpf 3ms As David returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, Abner took him, and brought him before Saul with the head of the Philistine in his hand.
- 1 Samuel 18:2 וַ/יִּקָּחֵ֥/הוּ conj + Qal wimpf 3ms + sfx pers 3ms Saul took him that day, and would let him go no more home to his father's house.
- 1 Samuel 19:13 וַ/תִּקַּ֨ח conj + Qal wimpf 3fs Michal took the teraphim, and laid it in the bed, and put a pillow of goats' [hair] at the head of it, and covered it with the clothes.
- 1 Samuel 19:14 לָ/קַ֣חַת prep + Qal inf.cs When Saul sent messengers to take David, she said, He is sick.
- 1 Samuel 19:20 לָ/קַ֣חַת prep + Qal inf.cs Saul sent messengers to take David: and when they saw the company of the prophets prophesying, and Samuel standing as head over them, the Spirit of God came on the messengers of Saul, and they also prophesied.
- 1 Samuel 20:21 קָחֶ֧/נּוּ Qal impv 2ms + sfx pers 3ms Behold, I will send the boy, [saying], Go, find the arrows. If I tell the boy, Behold, the arrows are on this side of you; take them, and come; for there is peace to you and no hurt, as Yahweh lives.
- 1 Samuel 20:31 וְ/קַ֤ח conj + Qal impv 2ms For as long as the son of Jesse lives on the earth, you shall not be established, nor your kingdom. Therefore now send and bring him to me, for he shall surely die.
- 1 Samuel 21:8 לָקַ֣חְתִּי Qal pf 1cs David said to Ahimelech, Isn't there here under your hand spear or sword? for I have neither brought my sword nor my weapons with me, because the king's business required haste.
- 1 Samuel 21:9 תִּֽקַּח קָ֔ח Qal impf 2ms Qal impv 2ms The priest said, The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you killed in the valley of Elah, behold, it is here wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod: if you will take that, take it; for there is no other except that here. David said, There is none like that; give it me.
- 1 Samuel 24:2 וַ/יִּקַּ֣ח conj + Qal wimpf 3ms Then Saul took three thousand chosen men out of all Israel, and went to seek David and his men on the rocks of the wild goats.
- 1 Samuel 24:11 לְ/קַחְתָּֽ/הּ prep + Qal inf.cs + sfx pers 3fs Moreover, my father, behold, yes, see the skirt of your robe in my hand; for in that I cut off the skirt of your robe, and didn't kill you, know you and see that there is neither evil nor disobedience in my hand, and I have not sinned against you, though you hunt after my life to take it.
- 1 Samuel 25:11 וְ/לָקַחְתִּ֤י conj + Qal wpf 1cs Shall I then take my bread, and my water, and my meat that I have killed for my shearers, and give it to men who I don't know where they come from?
- 1 Samuel 25:18 וַ/תִּקַּח֩ conj + Qal wimpf 3fs Then Abigail made haste, and took two hundred loaves, and two bottles of wine, and five sheep ready dressed, and five measures of parched grain, and one hundred clusters of raisins, and two hundred cakes of figs, and laid them on donkeys.
- 1 Samuel 25:35 וַ/יִּקַּ֤ח conj + Qal wimpf 3ms So David received of her hand that which she had brought him: and he said to her, Go up in peace to your house; behold, I have listened to your voice, and have accepted your person.
- 1 Samuel 25:39 לְ/קַחְתָּ֥/הּ prep + Qal inf.cs + sfx pers 3fs When David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, Blessed be Yahweh, who has pleaded the cause of my reproach from the hand of Nabal, and has kept back his servant from evil: and the evil-doing of Nabal has Yahweh returned on his own head. David sent and spoke concerning Abigail, to take her to him as wife.
- 1 Samuel 25:40 לְ/קַחְתֵּ֥/ךְ prep + Qal inf.cs + sfx pers 2fs When the servants of David were come to Abigail to Carmel, they spoke to her, saying, David has sent us to you, to take you to him as wife.
- 1 Samuel 25:43 לָקַ֥ח Qal pf 3ms David also took Ahinoam of Jezreel; and they became both of them his wives.
- 1 Samuel 26:11 קַח Qal impv 2ms Yahweh forbid that I should put forth my hand against Yahweh's anointed: but now please take the spear that is at his head, and the jar of water, and let us go.
- 1 Samuel 26:12 וַ/יִּקַּח֩ conj + Qal wimpf 3ms So David took the spear and the jar of water from Saul's head; and they got them away: and no man saw it, nor knew it, neither did any awake; for they were all asleep, because a deep sleep from Yahweh was fallen on them.
- 1 Samuel 26:22 וְ/יִקָּחֶֽ/הָ conj + Qal impf 3ms + sfx pers 3fs David answered, Behold the spear, O king! let then one of the young men come over and get it.
- 1 Samuel 27:9 וְ/לָקַח֩ conj + Qal pf 3ms David struck the land, and saved neither man nor woman alive, and took away the sheep, and the oxen, and the donkeys, and the camels, and the clothing; and he returned, and came to Achish.
- 1 Samuel 28:24 וַ/תִּקַּח conj + Qal wimpf 3fs The woman had a fattened calf in the house; and she hurried, and killed it; and she took flour, and kneaded it, and did bake unleavened bread of it:
- 1 Samuel 30:11 וַ/יִּקְח֥וּ conj + Qal wimpf 3mp They found an Egyptian in the field, and brought him to David, and gave him bread, and he ate; and they gave him water to drink.
- 1 Samuel 30:16 לָקְח֛וּ Qal pf 3cp When he had brought him down, behold, they were spread abroad over all the ground, eating and drinking, and dancing, because of all the great spoil that they had taken out of the land of the Philistines, and out of the land of Judah.
- 1 Samuel 30:18 לָקְח֖וּ Qal pf 3cp David recovered all that the Amalekites had taken; and David rescued his two wives.
- 1 Samuel 30:19 לָקְח֖וּ Qal pf 3cp There was nothing lacking to them, neither small nor great, neither sons nor daughters, neither spoil, nor anything that they had taken to them: David brought back all.
- 1 Samuel 30:20 וַ/יִּקַּ֣ח conj + Qal wimpf 3ms David took all the flocks and the herds, [which] they drove before those [other] cattle, and said, This is David's spoil.
- 1 Samuel 31:4 וַ/יִּקַּ֤ח conj + Qal wimpf 3ms Then said Saul to his armor bearer, Draw your sword, and thrust me through therewith, lest these uncircumcised come and thrust me through, and abuse me. But his armor bearer would not; for he was sore afraid. Therefore Saul took his sword, and fell on it.
- 1 Samuel 31:12 וַ/יִּקְח֞וּ conj + Qal wimpf 3mp all the valiant men arose, and went all night, and took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Beth-shan; and they came to Jabesh, and burnt them there.
- 1 Samuel 31:13 וַ/יִּקְחוּ֙ conj + Qal wimpf 3mp They took their bones, and buried them under the tamarisk tree in Jabesh, and fasted seven days.
About this entry
At a glance — auto-summarized from this page’s data, not written by a person. Every figure links to its source below. This summary describes the numbers; it doesn’t interpret them.
לקח (lâqach) is a Hebrew verb most often rendered “to take.” Different stems carry different senses — BDB groups them under 5 stems, among them Qal and Niphal. Spanning 909 verses in 32 books, it ranks among the most common words of the Hebrew Bible. Scripture first uses it in Genesis 2:15. Sharing its root, it stands alongside לקח, מלקוח and מלקח. For the data behind this summary, explore the sense tree and the renderings breakdown below.
Gloss history
Strong's 1890 vs modern scholarship
About this word
Strong's H3947 catalogs a Hebrew word from the Hebrew Old Testament.
These counts are not copied from any lexicon or concordance. They are computed here, from the morphology-tagged Hebrew Old Testament. What Lemma adds →
- 909
- distinct verses
- The word appears in 909 distinct verses.
- 32 / 39
- OT books
- The word appears in 32 of 39 Old Testament books.
- #44
- by frequency
- Top 50 most frequent Hebrew words (rank 44 of 8,640 Hebrew words by occurrence).
View all 909 occurrences in the concordance →
By section of the Old Testament
By traditional corpus
Conventional, traditional groupings — biblical authorship is debated, so this is a traditional corpus grouping, not an authorship claim. Each share is this word’s portion of its verses in that division of the Hebrew canon. Each figure is a share of the word’s 909 distinct verses.
- Prophets (Nevi'im) 443 verses · 49%
- Torah (Pentateuch) 371 verses · 41%
- Writings (Ketuvim) 95 verses · 10%
How translations render this word
Counts come from each version’s own published word-to-Strong’s tagging or interlinear alignment — an approximate guide to how each version renders this word, not a word-level alignment the data otherwise carries. Because each total is that version’s own tagged count, the per-version totals vary from one another and need not match the appearance or distinct-verse counts above. These counts may also differ from a printed concordance because Lemma counts each distinctly tagged rendering and does not collapse phrase taggings into a single head-word total. This is a fixed set of word-tagged versions (KJV, ASV, BSB, ULT) and does not change with the reading translation you choose elsewhere. Each version’s license is shown beside its name below (and on Sources).
BDB lists this Strong’s number as 2 distinct words (homographs). Each count above pools all of them and is not split by sense — see the Senses section below. A low-frequency rendering may belong to a different one of those words, not the primary meaning.
- King James Version†: Took 222×, Take 163×, He took 53×
- American Standard Version†: Took 202×, Take 130×, He took 53×
- Berean Standard Bible†: Take 150×, Took 147×, He took 36×
- unfoldingWord Literal Text†: Take 191×, Took 176×, And 111×
King James Version Public Domain
Renders H3947 across 968† tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 173 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings. Not rendered by a distinct English word in 1 further occurrence.
American Standard Version Public Domain
Renders H3947 across 967† tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 193 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
Berean Standard Bible Public Domain
Renders H3947 across 937† tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 245 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings. Not rendered by a distinct English word in 27 further occurrences.
unfoldingWord Literal Text CC BY-SA 4.0
Renders H3947 across 1,162† tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 123 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
37 senses and sub-senses in the full BDB
Hebrew verbs can shift meaning by stem (binyan): Qal is the basic action, Niphal is often passive or reflexive, Piel often intensifies or makes it factitive, and Hiphil is typically causative. The senses below are grouped under the stem BDB assigns to each. This entry also uses Pual (the passive of Piel), Hophal (the passive of Hiphil), and Hithpael (reflexive or reciprocal).
What do BDB’s symbols mean?
BDB uses these scholarly abbreviations:
| Symbol | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 𝔊 | the Septuagint (the ancient Greek translation, LXX) |
| 𝔙 | the Vulgate (the Latin translation) |
| 𝔖 | the Syriac version (the Peshitta) |
| 𝔗 | the Targum (the Aramaic translation) |
| ψ | the Psalms |
| √ | root (the underlying root or stem) |
| ‖ | parallel passage (a synonymous or contrasted parallel) |
| † | the dagger: every passage where the word occurs is cited |
The 37 senses and sub-senses the full Brown-Driver-Briggs lexicon distinguishes for this word, in lexicon order (not ranked by frequency), with BDB’s own verbatim wording and sub-sense lettering. Shown in Hebrew script with BDB’s own scholarly abbreviations. The condensed entry is in the Lexicon Entry tab. See also the Forms in the corpus table below.
Qal
- Pf. ל׳ Gn 2:22 +, לָקָ֑ח 27:36 + (קָח Ez 17:5 is textual error; om. 𝔊 𝔖 Co, cf. Ges§ 19, 3.a); sf. לְקָחַנִי Gn 24:7, לְקָחָם Je 27:20 (for קָחָם Ho 11:3 read prob. אֶקָּחֵם 𝔊 𝔗 Ew St Sta§ 384, 4 Now Che Or We); 2 ms. לָקַחְתָּ Gn 20:3 +, etc.; Impf. יִקַּח Ex 21:10 +, וַיִּקַּח Gn 2:15 + (Nu 16:1 read וַיָּקָם Bö We Di Dr 2 S 18:18; 1 S 30:20 read וַיִּקְחוּ We Dr Kit Bu); sf. יִקָּחֵנִי 2 S 22:17 +; יִקָּחֲךָ Jb 15:12; 3 fs. תִּקַּח Gn 38:23 +; 1 s. אֶקַּח 14:23 +, וָאֶקְחָה Zc 11:13; 1 pl. נִקַּח Gn 34:6 +, נִקְחָה 1 S 4:3 +; וַנִּקַּח Dt 3:8; 29:7; Imv. לְקַח Ex 29:1 Pr 20:16 + Ez 37:16 (Co וְלָקַחְתָּ֫, after 𝔊); fs. לִקְחִי 1 K 17:11; usually קַח Gn 6:21 +, קְחָה 15:9, sf. 3 ms. קָחֶנּוּ 1 S 16:11 + 2 times; sf. 3 fs. קָחֶנָּה Je 36:14; sf. 3 mpl. קָחֶם־נָא Gn 48:9 (cf. Köi. 330 Ges§ 61, 2); fs. קְחִי Is 23:16 + 3 times; mpl. קְחוּ Gn 42:33 +, sf. 3 ms. קָחֻהוּ 1 K 20:33; Inf. abs. לָקוֹחַ Je 32:14 + 2 times, לָקֹחַ Dt 31:26; cstr. קַחַת Je 5:3 +; קְחַת־ 2 K 12:9 (Köi. 318); usually c. prep. לָקַ֫חַת Gn 4:11 +, מִקַּ֫חַת 1 K 22:3 +, etc.; sf. קַחְתִּי Ez 24:25, קַחְתֵּךְ Gn 30:15 +, etc.; Pt. act. לֹקֵחַ 27:46 +, etc.; pass. pl. לְקֻחִים Pr 24:11;— e.g. Genesis 2:22
- 1. take, take in the hand, sq. acc. rei, Ex 7:15 (J), 17:5 (E), Nu 25:7 (P), 2 K 4:29 (all c. בְּיַד) 2 S 18:14 (c. בְּכַף), cf. Gn 8:9 (J), Ex 4:17; 12:22 (JE), Dt 15:17 + often; Gn 40:11 (E; of plucking grapes. 2 S 4:6 read סֹקְלָה for לֹקְחֵי v. חִטָּה, p. 334 supra, and סקל). This easily passes into e.g. Exodus 7:15
- 2. take and carry along with oneself, כֶּסֶף קְחוּ בְיֶדְכֶם Gn 43:12 (J), Jos 9:11 (JE), 1 K 14:3; 2 K 5:5; 8:8, 9; 9:1 Pr 7:20 (all c. בְּיַד); cf. Gn 43:15 Jos 9:4 (both JE), +. e.g. Genesis 43:12
- 3.
- a. take from, or out of, sq. acc. rei vel pers., + מִן loc.: Gn 2:22 (rib from man), 3:22 (man from ground; both J); Dt 19:12; 1 S 17:49; 1 K 17:19 +; וַיִּקַּה אֶת־הַחֶרֶב מֵעַל יֶרֶךְ יְמִינוֹ Ju 3:21 (i.e. drew it); c. ב instr. בְּמֶלְקָחַיִם ל׳ מֵעַל הַמִּזְבֵּחַ Is 6:6; sq. מִן partit. 2 S 12:4. e.g. Genesis 2:22
- b. take, carry away: Ez 3:14 spirit lifted me up and carried me away; fig. of passion carrying one away Jb 15:12. e.g. Ezekiel 3:14
- c. take away from, so as to deprive of, sq. acc. Gn 42:36 (E); sq. acc. + מִן, Gn 44:29 (מֵעִם; J), 1 K 11:34 ψ 51:13; י׳ לֹקֵחַ אֶת־אֲדֹנֶיךָ מֵעַל רֹאשֶׁ֑ךָ 2 K 2:3 י׳ is about to take away thy lord from over thy head, so v 5; cf. abs. אֵינֶנּוּ כִּי־ל׳ אֹתוֹ אלהים Gn 5:24 (P); more often without מִן, Gn 27:36(×2); 30:15(×2); 31:1 (all J), Ju 11:13, 15; 15:6; 18:24 1 S 12:3(×2) 2 S 12:4; 1 K 11:34 Jb 12:20; abs. Jb 1:21; אֶתֶּן־לְךָ מֶלֶךְ בְּאַפִּי וְאֶקַּח בְּעֶבְרָתִי Ho 13:11; of the sword, taking away its victims Ez 33:4, 6; fig. of taking away understanding Ho 4:11. e.g. Genesis 42:36
- d. especially take away life 1 K 19:10, 14 ψ 31:14; Pr 1:19 Jon 4:3. e.g. 1 Kings 19:10
- 4. take to or for a person:
- a. for oneself, sq. acc. + לְ, = appropriate to oneself Dt 7:25 Nu 8:16 (P), Dt 22:7; 2 K 12:6; c. לְ as dat. comm., Zc 11:7; ל׳ אֶת־שְׁנֵי יְלָדַי לוֹ לַעֲבָדִים 2 K 4:1 to take my two sons for himself for slaves; so (without לְ reflex.), תִּקָּחֶנּוּ לְעֶבֶד עוֹלָם Jb 40:28 wilt thou take him as slave for ever? e.g. Deuteronomy 7:25
- b. = procure, get, sq. acc. + לְ, קְחוּ לָכֶם תֶּבֶן Ex 5:11 (J) get you straw; לֹקֵחַ לוֹ קָלוֹן Pr 9:7 getteth to himself shame; so often, especially קַח לְךָ, etc., Gn 6:21; 12:19; 16:21; 45:19 +; without לְ, Ne 5:2 let us procure corn, and eat and live; of acquiring a field Pr 31:16. e.g. Exodus 5:11
- c. take possession of, sq. acc., of land Dt 29:7 Jos 11:16, 23 (all D), 2 Ch 16:5; cf. פְּקֻדָּתוֹ יִקַּח אַחֵר ψ 109:8 his office let another take; fig. הַלַּיְלָה הַהוּא יִקָּחֵהוּ אֹפֶל Jb 3:6 that night—let darkness take possession of it! e.g. Deuteronomy 29:7
- d. = select, choose, וְאֶתְכֶם ל׳ י׳ Dt 4:20, cf. v 34 (+ לוֹ), 1 K 11:37; of men Dt 1:15 Jos 3:12 (JE; + לָכֶם); + מִן Dt 1:23 Jos 4:2 (JE). e.g. Deuteronomy 4:20
- e. especially take in marriage: (1) for another, especially a son, c. לְ, וְלָקַחְתָּ֫ אִשָּׁה לִבְנִי Gn 24:4 and thou shalt take a wife for my son, so v 7, 38, 40, 48 (all J), 21:21 (E), Je 29:6b; (2) more often for oneself, usually c. לְ reflex. (sometimes + לְאִשָּׁה), Gn 4:19; 6:2; 11:29; 12:19 (all J), + often; without לְ Gn 20:2, 3 (E), etc. e.g. Genesis 24:4
- f. = receive, accept, especially a bribe, gift, ransom, etc., 1 S 8:3; 12:3c, 4 (both sq. מִן), Am 5:12; 2 K 5:15, 16, 20, 23, 26(×2) ψ 15:5; interest-money Ez 18:13, 17; 22:12; inheritance Jos 13:8; 18:7 (both D), Nu 34:14(×2), 15 (P); of earth, receiving Abel’s blood Gn 4:11 (J); chastisement Is 40:2; of perceiving a sound, Jb 4:11 mine ear received a whisper of it; receive mentally: וְלָקַח בְּעָלָיו Ex 22:10 (E) i.e. shall accept the oath as satisfactory; בָּרֵךְ לָקַחְתִּי Nu 23:20 (JE), i.e. I have received (commandment by revelation) to bless; receive instruction Pr 24:32 Je 2:30 +; entanglements of temptation Pr 22:25. e.g. 1 Samuel 8:3
- g. take, as preliminary to further action: Gn 31:34 (E), she took them and put them; Ju 3:25 take key and open; Jos 2:4 she took the two men and hid them; 1 K 18:4 Obadiah took 100 prophets and hid them; 19:21 Elisha took the yoke of oxen and slew them, cf. 2 S 17:19; 18:18; sometimes wholly redundant, קְחוּ וַעֲשׂוּ עֲגָלָה חֲדָשָׁה 1 S 6:7 take and prepare a new cart, etc.; sq. ל pers. Je 40:2; differently הַלֹּקְחִים לְשׁוֹנָם וַיִּנְאֲמוּ נְאֻם Je 23:31, they take (= use) their own tongues, and talk oracles. e.g. Genesis 31:34
- 5. take up, upon = put upon, sq. עַל: וַתִּקַּח תָּמָר אֵפֶר עַל־רֹאשָׁהּ 2 S 13:19 and Tamar put ashes upon her head; וַיִּקָּחֶהָ עַל־הַחֲמוֹר Ju 19:28 cf. יִפְרשֹׁ כְּנָפָיו יִקָּחֵהוּ Dt 32:11 he spreadeth his wings, he taketh him up. e.g. 2 Samuel 13:19
- 6. = fetch: קְחִי־נָא לִי מְעַט־מַיִם 1 K 17:10 fetch me, pray, a little water, cf. v 11(×2), 2 K 2:20; 4:41; וְקַח־לִי מִשָּׁם שְׁנֵי גְּדָיֵי עִזִּים Gn 27:9 and fetch me thence two kids, cf. v 13 (J); + בְּיָדִי 1 S 21:9; an offering Lv 12:8 (P; ‖ הֵבִיא v 6); c. human obj. often nearly = summon, לָקֹב אֹיְבַי לְקַחְתִּיךָ Nu 33:11 (JE) to curse mine enemies did I summon thee, Ju 11:5; 1 S 16:11; שְׁלַח וְקַח אֹתוֹ אֵלַי 1 S 20:31 send and bring him unto me; 2 K 3:15; 6:13 +; of י׳, summoning his people from exile, מִשָּׁם יְקָּהֶ֑ךָ Dt 30:4. e.g. 1 Kings 17:10
- 7. take = lead, conduct (with or without contact): וַיִּקַּח אֶת־שְׁנֵי בָנָיו עִמּוֹ Gn 48:1; גַּם בְּקַרְכֶם קְחוּ Ex 12:32 (both E); וְאֶת־עַמּוֹ לָקַח עִמּוֹ Ex 14:6 (J) and his people he took with him; cf. v 7 (J), Jos 8:1 (JE), Ju 4:6; אֶקָּֽחֲךָ אֶל־מָקוֹם אַחֵר Nu 23:27 I will take the unto another place, cf. v 14, 28 (all JE); י׳ subj., וָאֶקַּח אֶת־אֲבִיכֶם Jos 24:3 (E) and I took your father Abraham from beyond the river; הַצֵּל לְקֻחִים לַמָּוֶת Pr 24:11 rescue those led to death. e.g. Genesis 48:1
- 8. take = capture, seize: לָקַחְתִּי בְחָזְקָה 1 S 2:16 I will take by force, sc. flesh; of spoils, בֶּצַע כֶּסֶף לֹא ל׳ Ju 5:19 gain of silver they took not; of capture of ark 1 S 5:1; bronze 2 S 8:8, etc.; territory Gn 48:22 (E), Dt 3:14; cities Nu 21:25 (JE), Dt 3:14 Jos 11:19 (D), 1 S 7:14 2 S 8:1; of capture of hippopotamus Jb 40:24; of seductions of woman, וְאַל־תִּקָּֽחֲךָ בְּעַפְעַפֶּיהָ Pr 6:25 and let her not capture thee with her eyelids. e.g. 1 Samuel 2:16
- 9. take = carry off:
- a. as booty Gn 14:11; 1 S 27:9; 30:16, 18, 19, 20; 1 K 14:26(×2). e.g. Genesis 14:11
- b. as prisoners Gn 14:12; 2 K 18:32 = Is 36:17, 2 K 23:34 = 2 Ch 36:4. e.g. Genesis 14:12
- 10. in phr. take vengeance: וְנִקְחָה נִקְמָתֵנוּ מִמֶּנּוּ Je 20:10 and we will take our vengeance upon him; abs. נָקָם אֶקַּה Is 47:3 vengeance will I take. e.g. Jeremiah 20:10
Niphal
- Pf. נִלְקַח 1 S 4:22; נִלֳקָ֑ח 4:11 Ez 33:6; 3 fs. נִלֳק֑חָה 1 S 4:17; Impf. 3 fs. וַתִּלָּקַח Est 2:8, 16; 1 s. אֶלָּקַח 2 K 2:9; Inf. cstr. הִלָּקַח 1 S 4:19, 21, sf. הִלָּֽקְחוֹ 1 S 21:7;— e.g. 1 Samuel 4:22
- 1. be captured, of ark 1 S 4:11, 17, 19, 21, 22. e.g. 1 Samuel 4:11
- 2. be taken away, removed, of shewbread 1 S 21:7; of removal by death Ez 33:6; of translation of Elijah 2 K 2:9 (c. מֵעִם pers.) e.g. 1 Samuel 21:7
- 3. be taken, brought unto (אֶל־), only Est 2:8, 16. e.g. Esther 2:8
Pual
- Pf. לֻקַּח Gn 3:23 +, 3 fs. לֻקָֿחָה־ 2:23, 2 ms. לֻקָּ֑חְתָּ 3:19 (Ges§ 53 e, s);— e.g. Genesis 3:23
- 1. be taken from, out of (מִן of source) Gn 2:23; 3:19, 23 (all J); cf. וְלֻקַּח מֵהֶם קְלָלָה Je 29:22 and there shall be taken from them (derived from their case) a curse-formula. e.g. Genesis 2:23
- 2. = be stolen from, Ju 17:2 (ל pers.) e.g. Judges 17:2
- 3. be taken captive, Je 48:46, cf. Is 52:5. e.g. Jeremiah 48:46
- 4. be taken away, removed (= Niph. 2), of Elijah’s translation 2 K 2:10 (c. מֵאֵת pers.), of death Is 53:8 (c. מִן, prob. instr.) e.g. 2 Kings 2:10
Hophal
- Impf. יֻקַּח Gn 18:4 + (Ges§ 53 u);— e.g. Genesis 18:4
- 1. be taken, brought unto Gn 12:15 (J; sq. בֵּית to the house of), 18:4 (abs.). e.g. Genesis 12:15
- 2. be taken out of Jb 28:2 (מִן of source), from, of Ez 15:3 (מִן partit.) e.g. Job 28:2
- 3. be taken away from Is 49:24 (מִן pers.); abs. v 25. e.g. Isaiah 49:24
Hithpael
- Pt. fs. אֵשׁ מִתְלַקַּ֫חַת lit. fire taking hold of itself, of lightning Ex 9:24 (JE), Ez 1:4, exact signif. dub.; in close succession, incessant Di Sm, infolding itself, i.e. a mass of fire, Thes RobGes AV VB SS, > of quivering flashes Buhl, of forked or zigzag lightning Da. e.g. Exodus 9:24
Senses from the full Brown-Driver-Briggs lexicon (Brown, Driver, Briggs; Oxford 1906 — public domain), digitized via Sefaria, supplemented by the OpenScriptures HebrewLexicon (CC BY 4.0). Full attribution on Sources.
Word origin
לָקַח965 vb. take (NH id., especially buy, and (Niph.) be taken in marriage; MI17, 20 Impf. ואקח; Ph. לקח; Assyrian liḳû, laḳû DlHWB 384; Arabic لَقِحَ conceive (of female), iv. impregnate; Ethiopic ለቅሐ receive; Zinj. לקח DHMSendsch. 59; Aramaic also Inscr. of Carpentr.3 (Imv. קחי); cf. CookGloss. Aramaic Inscr.);—
— Brown-Driver-Briggs (Oxford 1906, public domain), digitized via Sefaria, supplemented by the OpenScriptures HebrewLexicon (CC BY 4.0). See Sources.
Origin: a primitive root
Jastrow Dictionary
A second Hebrew/Aramaic lexicon for comparison, covering Aramaic and post-biblical (Talmudic, Targumic, Midrashic) usage that the biblical-Hebrew BDB does not. Matched by lemma rather than by Strong’s number, so a lemma may carry more than one Jastrow headword (shown separately below), and the entries cover usage well beyond the Bible.
לָקַח
- (b. h.)
- 1. to take, receive. B. Kam. 119ᵃ גבאי צדקה לוֹקְחִין וכ׳ collectors of charity may receive from them small contributions. Ex. R. s. 3 ל׳ את שלו he received his due (punishment). Tanḥ. Korah 3 ל׳ טליתו he took up his cloak; a. fr.
- 2. to carry away; to persuade. Ib. 1 (ref. to Num. XVI, 1) אין ויקח אלא משיכת וכ׳ vayikkaḥ means attraction by soft words; ib. 2 אין ויקח אלא לשון פליגה שלבו לְקָחוֹ vayikkaḥ has the meaning of separation, for his heart (pride) carried him away; Num. R. s. 18. e.g. Numbers 16:1
- 3. to buy, acquire. Dem. IV, 5 קַח לי וכ׳ buy (provision) for me of one who is reliable &c. Ib. הלך לִיקַּח … ולָקַחְתִּי לך וכ׳ if he went to buy of him (of the designated person), and … not finding him I bought of &c. Ib. V, 1 הלוֹקֵחַ מן וכ׳ he who buys of a baker. B. Mets. 16ᵇ לכשאֶקָּחֶנָּה when I shall have bought it; a. v. fr.—לוֹקֵחַ buyer. Ib. 15ᵇ bot. דמית ל׳ when the buyer is dead. Ber. 5ᵃ ול׳ שמח and the purchaser is glad; a. v. fr.—Part. pass. לָקוּחַ, f. לְקוּחָה; pl. לְקוּחִים, לְקוּחִון; לְקוּחוֹת. Y. Pes. II, 29ᵇ הל׳ בכסף מעשר that which has been bought with tithe-money. B. Mets. 110ᵃ ל׳ היא בידי I have it as a purchased property. Y. Snh. IX, beg. 26ᵈ [read:] עד שתהא הראשונה ל׳ לו until the first wife has been legally acquired (betrothed) by him; (Y. Yeb. XI, 11ᵈ top זקוקה), v. לְקִיחָה; a. fr.—V. לְקוּחוֹת.
- , נִקַּח to be taken, bought, acquired. Maas. Sh. I, 3 אינו נל׳ בכסף מעשר must not be bought with tithe-money; Ḥull. I, 7 אינו ניקח. Men. 42ᵇ נִקְּחֵית; נִקְּחִין; a. fr.—Kidd. 2ᵇ (ref. to Deut. XXII, 13) it is not written כי תִלָּקֵחַ אשה לאיש if a woman is married (marries herself) to a man (Var. תִקַּח). e.g. Deuteronomy 22:13
- to be enclosed, squeezed in. Num. R. s. 12; Cant. R. to III, 11; Pesik. Vayhi, p. 4ᵃ (expl. מִתְלַקַּחַת, Ex. IX, 24), v. עֲשָׁשִׁיתָא. e.g. Exodus 9:24
*לְקַח
- Ithpe. אִלְּקַח to be taken, married. Keth. IV, 11 (52ᵇ) עד דתִלַּקְחוּן לגוברין Bab. ed. (Mish. a. Y. ed. דתינסבן) until they shall be married; ib. 53ᵇ דתִילַּקְחָן.
לֶקַח
- preced.) purchase; (acceptable) gift; lesson. Taan. 7a (ref. to לקחי, Deut. XXXII, 2) אין ל׳ אלא תורה lekaḥ means the Law (with ref. to Prov. IV, 2); Tanḥ. Haăz. 3; a. fr.—אבן הל׳ auction-stone. Yalk. Lev. 667, v. מֶקַח. e.g. Deuteronomy 32:2
A Dictionary of the Targumim, the Talmud Babli and Yerushalmi, and the Midrashic Literature (Marcus Jastrow; London, Luzac, 1903) — Public Domain. Digitized via Sefaria. Digitized via Sefaria. Full attribution on Sources.
Forms in the corpus
The 415 distinct written forms H3947 takes in the Hebrew Bible, most frequent first — each parse links to that stem’s occurrences in the concordance. Hebrew forms include their vowel points and cantillation, so a single lemma takes many written forms.
The 60 most common forms are shown; 355 rarer forms follow in the full concordance.
Same root — word family
Other BDB entries built from the same root as H3947, grouped by Strong’s listed origin. These share a root / origin per the lexicon — not necessarily a shared meaning. Each links to that word’s own entry.
Derived from this word
- לקח leqach H3948 instruction
- מלקוח malqôwach H4455 prey
- מלקח melqâch H4457 snuffers
- מקח miqqâch H4727 receiving
- מקחה maqqâchâh H4728 ware
Proper names from this root
People and places named from this root — a name, not an additional meaning of the word.
Compare all same-root words → Showing 4 of 7 — not the complete family. 1 of the same-root words is a proper name (a person or place). They share a root, not necessarily a meaning.
Septuagint verse parallels
This word appears in 873 verses that also exist in the Greek Old Testament (Septuagint), out of the 909 Hebrew verses it occurs in. You can read those verses in Greek by switching the Old Testament edition to the Septuagint.
Read these verses in the Septuagint
- Genesis 2:15
- Exodus 2:1
- Leviticus 4:5
- Numbers 1:17
- Deuteronomy 1:15
- Joshua 2:4
- Judges 3:6
- Ruth 4:2
- 1 Samuel 2:14
- 2 Samuel 1:10
- 1 Kings 1:33
- 2 Kings 2:3
This is a verse-level parallel only — the same verses exist in both the Hebrew and Greek Old Testaments. No word-level Hebrew↔Greek correspondence is claimed: the data carries no such alignment, so no Greek word is shown as this Hebrew word’s translation. Coverage is not total — the Septuagint omits the deuterocanon and renumbers the Psalms, so some Hebrew verses have no direct Greek parallel.
