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).
62 verses where H3947 appears in the Qal stem in the Book of 2 Kings. 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.
2 Kings
- 2 Kings 2:3 לֹקֵ֥חַ Qal ptcp.act ms The sons of the prophets who were at Bethel came forth to Elisha, and said to him, "Do you know that Yahweh will take away your master from your head today?" He said, "Yes, I know it; hold your peace."
- 2 Kings 2:5 לֹקֵ֥חַ Qal ptcp.act ms The sons of the prophets who were at Jericho came near to Elisha, and said to him, "Do you know that Yahweh will take away your master from your head today?" He answered, "Yes, I know it. Hold your peace."
- 2 Kings 2:8 וַ/יִּקַּח֩ conj + Qal wimpf 3ms Elijah took his mantle, and wrapped it together, and struck the waters, and they were divided here and there, so that they two went over on dry ground.
- 2 Kings 2:14 וַ/יִּקַּח֩ conj + Qal wimpf 3ms He took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and struck the waters, and said, Where is Yahweh, the God of Elijah? and when he also had struck the waters, they were divided here and there; and Elisha went over.
- 2 Kings 2:20 קְחוּ וַ/יִּקְח֖וּ Qal impv 2mp conj + Qal wimpf 3mp He said, Bring me a new jar, and put salt therein. They brought it to him.
- 2 Kings 3:15 קְחוּ Qal impv 2mp But now bring me a minstrel. It happened, when the minstrel played, that the hand of Yahweh came on him.
- 2 Kings 3:26 וַ/יִּקַּ֣ח conj + Qal wimpf 3ms When the king of Moab saw that the battle was too severe for him, he took with him seven hundred men who drew sword, to break through to the king of Edom; but they could not.
- 2 Kings 3:27 וַ/יִּקַּח֩ conj + Qal wimpf 3ms Then he took his eldest son who would have reigned in his place, and offered him for a burnt offering on the wall. There was great wrath against Israel: and they departed from him, and returned to their own land.
- 2 Kings 4:1 לָ/קַ֜חַת prep + Qal inf.cs Now there cried a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets to Elisha, saying, Your servant my husband is dead; and you know that your servant did fear Yahweh: and the creditor is come to take to him my two children to be bondservants.
- 2 Kings 4:29 וְ/קַ֨ח conj + Qal impv 2ms Then he said to Gehazi, Gird up your loins, and take my staff in your hand, and go your way: if you meet any man, Don't greet him; and if anyone greets you, don't answer him again: and lay my staff on the face of the child.
- 2 Kings 4:41 וּ/קְחוּ conj + Qal impv 2mp But he said, Then bring meal. He cast it into the pot; and he said, Pour out for the people, that they may eat. There was no harm in the pot.
- 2 Kings 5:5 וַ/יִּקַּ֨ח conj + Qal wimpf 3ms The king of Syria said, Go now, and I will send a letter to the king of Israel. He departed, and took with him ten talents of silver, and six thousand [pieces] of gold, and ten changes of clothing.
- 2 Kings 5:15 קַח Qal impv 2ms He returned to the man of God, he and all his company, and came, and stood before him; and he said, See now, I know that there is no God in all the earth, but in Israel: now therefore, please take a present from your servant.
- 2 Kings 5:16 אֶקָּ֑ח לָ/קַ֖חַת Qal impf 1cs prep + Qal inf.cs But he said, As Yahweh lives, before whom I stand, I will receive none. He urged him to take it; but he refused.
- 2 Kings 5:20 מִ/קַּ֥חַת וְ/לָקַחְתִּ֥י prep + Qal inf.cs conj + Qal wpf 1cs But Gehazi the servant of Elisha the man of God, said, Behold, my master has spared this Naaman the Syrian, in not receiving at his hands that which he brought: as Yahweh lives, I will run after him, and take somewhat of him.
- 2 Kings 5:23 קַ֣ח Qal impv 2ms Naaman said, Be pleased to take two talents. He urged him, and bound two talents of silver in two bags, with two changes of clothing, and laid them on two of his servants; and they bore them before him.
- 2 Kings 5:24 וַ/יִּקַּ֥ח conj + Qal wimpf 3ms When he came to the hill, he took them from their hand, and bestowed them in the house; and he let the men go, and they departed.
- 2 Kings 5:26 לָ/קַ֤חַת וְ/לָ/קַ֣חַת prep + Qal inf.cs conj + prep + Qal inf.cs He said to him, Didn't my heart go with you, when the man turned from his chariot to meet you? Is it a time to receive money, and to receive garments, and olive groves and vineyards, and sheep and oxen, and men-servants and maid-servants?
- 2 Kings 6:2 וְ/נִקְחָ֤ה conj + Qal coh 1cp Let us go, we pray you, to the Jordan, and take there every man a beam, and let us make us a place there, where we may dwell. He answered, Go you.
- 2 Kings 6:7 וַ/יִּקָּחֵֽ/הוּ conj + Qal wimpf 3ms + sfx pers 3ms He said, Take it up to you. So he put out his hand, and took it.
- 2 Kings 6:13 וְ/אֶקָּחֵ֑/הוּ conj + Qal impf 1cs + sfx pers 3ms He said, Go and see where he is, that I may send and get him. It was told him, saying, Behold, he is in Dothan.
- 2 Kings 7:13 וְ/יִקְחוּ conj + Qal juss 3mp One of his servants answered, Please let some take five of the horses that remain, which are left in the city (behold, they are as all the multitude of Israel who are left in it; behold, they are as all the multitude of Israel who are consumed); and let us send and see.
- 2 Kings 7:14 וַ/יִּקְח֕וּ conj + Qal wimpf 3mp They took therefore two chariots with horses; and the king sent after the host of the Syrians, saying, Go and see.
- 2 Kings 8:8 קַ֤ח Qal impv 2ms The king said to Hazael, Take a present in your hand, and go, meet the man of God, and inquire of Yahweh by him, saying, Shall I recover of this sickness?
- 2 Kings 8:9 וַ/יִּקַּ֨ח conj + Qal wimpf 3ms So Hazael went to meet him, and took a present with him, even of every good thing of Damascus, forty camels' burden, and came and stood before him, and said, Your son Benhadad king of Syria has sent me to you, saying, Shall I recover of this sickness?
- 2 Kings 8:15 וַ/יִּקַּ֤ח conj + Qal wimpf 3ms It happened on the next day, that he took the coverlet, and dipped it in water, and spread it on his face, so that he died: and Hazael reigned in his place.
- 2 Kings 9:1 וְ֠/קַח conj + Qal impv 2ms Elisha the prophet called one of the sons of the prophets, and said to him, Gird up your loins, and take this vial of oil in your hand, and go to Ramoth-gilead.
- 2 Kings 9:3 וְ/לָקַחְתָּ֤ conj + Qal pf 2ms Then take the vial of oil, and pour it on his head, and say, Thus says Yahweh, I have anointed you king over Israel. Then open the door, and flee, and don't wait.
- 2 Kings 9:13 וַ/יִּקְחוּ֙ conj + Qal wimpf 3mp Then they hurried, and took every man his garment, and put it under him on the top of the stairs, and blew the trumpet, saying, Jehu is king.
- 2 Kings 9:17 קַ֥ח Qal impv 2ms Now the watchman was standing on the tower in Jezreel, and he spied the company of Jehu as he came, and said, I see a company. Joram said, Take a horseman, and send to meet them, and let him say, Is it peace?
- 2 Kings 10:6 קְחוּ֙ Qal impv 2mp Then he wrote a letter the second time to them, saying, If you be on my side, and if you will listen to my voice, take the heads of the men your master's sons, and come to me to Jezreel by tomorrow this time. Now the king's sons, being seventy persons, were with the great men of the city, who brought them up.
- 2 Kings 10:7 וַ/יִּקְחוּ֙ conj + Qal wimpf 3mp It happened, when the letter came to them, that they took the king's sons, and killed them, even seventy persons, and put their heads in baskets, and sent them to him to Jezreel.
- 2 Kings 11:2 וַ/תִּקַּ֣ח conj + Qal wimpf 3fs But Jehosheba, the daughter of king Joram, sister of Ahaziah, took Joash the son of Ahaziah, and stole him away from among the king's sons who were slain, even him and his nurse, [and put them] in the bedchamber; and they hid him from Athaliah, so that he was not slain;
- 2 Kings 11:4 וַ/יִּקַּ֣ח conj + Qal wimpf 3ms In the seventh year Jehoiada sent and fetched the captains over hundreds of the Carites and of the guard, and brought them to him into the house of Yahweh; and he made a covenant with them, and took an oath of them in the house of Yahweh, and shown them the king's son.
- 2 Kings 11:9 וַ/יִּקְחוּ֙ conj + Qal wimpf 3mp The captains over hundreds did according to all that Jehoiada the priest commanded; and they took every man his men, those who were to come in on the Sabbath, with those who were to go out on the Sabbath, and came to Jehoiada the priest.
- 2 Kings 11:19 וַ/יִּקַּ֣ח conj + Qal wimpf 3ms He took the captains over hundreds, and the Carites, and the guard, and all the people of the land; and they brought down the king from the house of Yahweh, and came by the way of the gate of the guard to the king's house. He sat on the throne of the kings.
- 2 Kings 12:5 יִקְח֤וּ Qal juss 3mp let the priests take it to them, every man from his acquaintance; and they shall repair the breaches of the house, wherever any breach shall be found.
- 2 Kings 12:7 תִּקְחוּ Qal juss 2mp Then king Jehoash called for Jehoiada the priest, and for the [other] priests, and said to them, Why don't you repair the breaches of the house? now therefore take no [more] money from your acquaintance, but deliver it for the breaches of the house.
- 2 Kings 12:8 קְחַת Qal inf.cs The priests consented that they should take no [more] money from the people, neither repair the breaches of the house.
- 2 Kings 12:9 וַ/יִּקַּ֞ח conj + Qal wimpf 3ms But Jehoiada the priest took a chest, and bored a hole in the lid of it, and set it beside the altar, on the right side as one comes into the house of Yahweh: and the priests who kept the threshold put therein all the money that was brought into the house of Yahweh.
- 2 Kings 12:18 וַ/יִּקַּ֞ח conj + Qal wimpf 3ms Jehoash king of Judah took all the holy things that Jehoshaphat and Jehoram and Ahaziah, his fathers, kings of Judah, had dedicated, and his own holy things, and all the gold that was found in the treasures of the house of Yahweh, and of the king's house, and sent it to Hazael king of Syria: and he went away from Jerusalem.
- 2 Kings 13:15 קַ֖ח וַ/יִּקַּ֥ח Qal impv 2ms conj + Qal wimpf 3ms Elisha said to him, Take bow and arrows; and he took to him bow and arrows.
- 2 Kings 13:18 קַ֥ח וַ/יִּקָּ֑ח Qal impv 2ms conj + Qal wimpf 3ms He said, Take the arrows; and he took them. He said to the king of Israel, Smite on the ground; and he struck thrice, and stayed.
- 2 Kings 13:25 וַ/יִּקַּ֤ח לָקַ֗ח conj + Qal wimpf 3ms Qal pf 3ms Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz took again out of the hand of Benhadad the son of Hazael the cities which he had taken out of the hand of Jehoahaz his father by war. Three times did Joash strike him, and recovered the cities of Israel.
- 2 Kings 14:14 וְ/לָקַ֣ח conj + Qal pf 3ms He took all the gold and silver, and all the vessels that were found in the house of Yahweh, and in the treasures of the king's house, the hostages also, and returned to Samaria.
- 2 Kings 14:21 וַ/יִּקְח֞וּ conj + Qal wimpf 3mp All the people of Judah took Azariah, who was sixteen years old, and made him king in the room of his father Amaziah.
- 2 Kings 15:29 וַ/יִּקַּ֣ח conj + Qal wimpf 3ms In the days of Pekah king of Israel came Tiglath Pileser king of Assyria, and took Ijon, and Abel Beth Maacah, and Janoah, and Kedesh, and Hazor, and Gilead, and Galilee, all the land of Naphtali; and he carried them captive to Assyria.
- 2 Kings 16:8 וַ/יִּקַּ֨ח conj + Qal wimpf 3ms Ahaz took the silver and gold that was found in the house of Yahweh, and in the treasures of the king's house, and sent it for a present to the king of Assyria.
- 2 Kings 18:32 וְ/לָקַחְתִּ֨י conj + Qal wpf 1cs Until I come and take you away to a land like your own land, a land of grain and new wine, a land of bread and vineyards, a land of olive trees and of honey, that you may live, and not die: and don't listen to Hezekiah, when he persuades you, saying, Yahweh will deliver us.
- 2 Kings 19:14 וַ/יִּקַּ֨ח conj + Qal wimpf 3ms Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers, and read it; and Hezekiah went up to the house of Yahweh, and spread it before Yahweh.
- 2 Kings 20:7 קְח֖וּ וַ/יִּקְח֛וּ Qal impv 2mp conj + Qal wimpf 3mp Isaiah said, Take a cake of figs. They took and laid it on the boil, and he recovered.
- 2 Kings 20:18 יקח יִקָּ֑חוּ Qal impf 3ms Qal impf 3mp Of your sons who shall issue from you, whom you shall father, shall they take away; and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.
- 2 Kings 23:16 וַ/יִּקַּ֤ח conj + Qal wimpf 3ms As Josiah turned himself, he spied the tombs that were there in the mountain; and he sent, and took the bones out of the tombs, and burned them on the altar, and defiled it, according to the word of Yahweh which the man of God proclaimed, who proclaimed these things.
- 2 Kings 23:30 וַ/יִּקַּ֣ח conj + Qal wimpf 3ms His servants carried him in a chariot dead from Megiddo, and brought him to Jerusalem, and buried him in his own tomb. The people of the land took Jehoahaz the son of Josiah, and anointed him, and made him king in his father's place.
- 2 Kings 23:34 לָקָ֔ח Qal pf 3ms Pharaoh Necoh made Eliakim the son of Josiah king in the room of Josiah his father, and changed his name to Jehoiakim: but he took Jehoahaz away; and he came to Egypt, and died there.
- 2 Kings 24:7 לָקַ֞ח Qal pf 3ms The king of Egypt didn't come again out of his land any more; for the king of Babylon had taken, from the brook of Egypt to the river Euphrates, all that pertained to the king of Egypt.
- 2 Kings 24:12 וַ/יִּקַּ֤ח conj + Qal wimpf 3ms and Jehoiachin the king of Judah went out to the king of Babylon, he, and his mother, and his servants, and his princes, and his officers: and the king of Babylon took him in the eighth year of his reign.
- 2 Kings 25:14 לָקָֽחוּ Qal pf 3cp The pots, and the shovels, and the snuffers, and the spoons, and all the vessels of brass with which they ministered, took they away.
- 2 Kings 25:15 לָקַ֖ח Qal pf 3ms The fire pans, and the basins, that which was of gold, in gold, and that which was of silver, in silver, the captain of the guard took away.
- 2 Kings 25:18 וַ/יִּקַּ֣ח conj + Qal wimpf 3ms The captain of the guard took Seraiah the chief priest, and Zephaniah the second priest, and the three keepers of the threshold:
- 2 Kings 25:19 לָקַח֩ Qal pf 3ms and out of the city he took an officer who was set over the men of war; and five men of those who saw the king's face, who were found in the city; and the scribe, the captain of the host, who mustered the people of the land; and sixty men of the people of the land, who were found in the city.
- 2 Kings 25:20 וַ/יִּקַּ֣ח conj + Qal wimpf 3ms Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard took them, and brought them to the king of Babylon to Riblah.
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.