יָרָק (ya.raq)
ya.raq
herb
H:N-MQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 5 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:N-M
Word Overview
The Hebrew noun yāraq refers to green vegetation, specifically herbs, leafy greens, or garden produce. It describes the fresh, edible plants that provide sustenance and color to the landscape. In the biblical text, this word grounds spiritual metaphors in the tangible reality of daily agriculture and diet.
Its usage often highlights vitality or provision. For instance, Psalm 104:14 speaks of God causing grass to grow for cattle and vegetation (yāraq) for man’s labor, emphasizing its role as a gift for human strength. Similarly, in Proverbs 15:17, a simple meal of herbs with love is preferred over a fattened ox with hatred, using the word to symbolize humble contentment.
The term appears in contexts ranging from royal gardens in II Kings 25:4 to prophetic imagery in Isaiah 37:30. By focusing on the green, living aspect of plant life, yāraq distinguishes fresh produce from dried fodder or grain, capturing the immediate freshness of God’s provision for creation.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word ya.raq points to fresh, leafy greens—those humble plants that bring color to the soil and sustenance to the table. Unlike grain or dried fodder, this term captures the immediate vitality of living vegetation. It reminds us that God’s provision often comes in simple, everyday forms rather than grand displays.
In Proverbs 15:17, a meal of herbs shared with love is valued more highly than a lavish feast eaten in anger. This contrast invites you to consider what truly nourishes your soul. Is it the quantity of your resources, or the quality of your relationships? Often, the smallest blessings carry the deepest peace.
When life feels overwhelming, remember that God cares for the details of creation, from the grass on the housetops to the food on your plate. You are invited to find contentment in these simple gifts, trusting that the One who feeds the birds also provides for your daily needs.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 5 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- vegetables2×
- and/ greenery of1×
- and/ [the] greenery of1×
- <the>/ vegetable[s]1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- וִ֣/ירַק2×
- יָרָ֗ק1×
- יָ֭רָק1×
- הַ/יָּרָֽק\׃1×
Key Verses
-
Proverbs 15:17
Better is a dinner of herbs, where love is, than a fattened calf with hatred.
This verse uses the word to symbolize humble contentment, contrasting a simple meal of herbs with love against a fattened calf eaten in hatred.
-
Deuteronomy 11:10
For the land, where you go in to possess isn’t like the land of Egypt that you came out of, where you sowed your seed and watered it with your foot, as a garden of herbs;
Here the term describes a garden requiring careful human watering, highlighting the difference between Egypt's irrigation and the land of Israel's reliance on rain.
-
II Kings 19:26
Therefore their inhabitants had little power. They were dismayed and confounded. They were like the grass of the field and like the green herb, like the grass on the housetops and like grain blasted before it has grown up.
The word illustrates the fragility of human power by comparing enemy inhabitants to green herbs that wither quickly before they can fully grow.