עֲקַר (a.qar)
a.qar
be uprooted
A:VQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 1 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- A:V
Word Overview
The Hebrew verb aqar means to pull something out by its roots, resulting in total removal. In the Old Testament, it appears only once, in Daniel 7:8, where it describes the fate of a small horn that rises among ten others. The text states that this horn uproots three of the previous horns, using the Hithpael stem to emphasize the action being done to the subject.
This single occurrence highlights a stark image of political upheaval. Rather than a gradual decline, the change is violent and immediate, as if a tree is ripped from the ground. The word conveys not just displacement but complete eradication, leaving no trace of the former position. Translators typically render this as "uprooted" to preserve the agricultural metaphor of sudden removal.
Its rarity in Scripture gives it a specific focus on this one prophetic vision. It does not describe general gardening or agriculture but serves as a vivid symbol for the instability of earthly powers. The image reminds readers that political structures can be dismantled with forceful finality, leaving the observer to witness the swift change in authority.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The verb aqar paints a stark picture of sudden removal. In Daniel’s vision, a small horn uproots three others with violent force. This image reminds us that earthly powers are fragile. What seems solid can be dismantled in an instant, leaving no trace of the former authority.
Yet this instability points to a deeper truth. Human kingdoms rise and fall, but God’s rule remains secure. When we see chaos or change in our world, we can remember that no political structure is permanent. Our hope does not rest on the stability of governments, but on the unchanging nature of the One who holds all history.
This word invites us to trust beyond the visible. While systems crumble, faith offers a foundation that cannot be uprooted. We are called to look past the temporary shifts of power and fix our eyes on eternal realities.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 1 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- they were uprooted1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- אֶתְעֲקַ֖רָה1×
Key Verses
-
Daniel 7:8
“I considered the horns, and behold, there came up among them another horn, a little one, before which three of the first horns were plucked up by the roots; and behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking arrogantly.
The word describes how the little horn violently removes three previous horns, showing that political change can be sudden and total rather than gradual.