עָרָה (a.rah)
a.rah
to uncover
H:VQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 14 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:V
Word Overview
The Hebrew verb ‘arah means to uncover or lay bare, often carrying a physical sense of stripping away coverings. In its most common usage, it describes removing clothing to expose nakedness, a theme that appears in legal texts like Leviticus regarding sexual purity. However, the word extends beyond the physical body to describe pouring out liquids, such as blood or water, as seen when prophets speak of God’s wrath being poured out upon nations.
This dual meaning connects the idea of exposure with release. When a vessel is emptied, its contents are laid bare; similarly, when a person is stripped, their vulnerability is revealed. In Isaiah, this imagery often depicts national shame or divine judgment, where the "covering" of protection is removed to expose the people to danger. The verb captures both the act of revealing what was hidden and the resulting state of being exposed.
Translators typically render ‘arah as "uncover," "expose," or "pour out," depending on context. The word’s force lies in its suddenness and inevitability—what is covered cannot remain so forever. Whether describing a literal act of stripping or a metaphorical pouring out of judgment, ‘arah emphasizes the transition from hiddenness to visibility, leaving nothing concealed.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The Hebrew word arah describes the act of uncovering or laying bare. In the ancient world, this often meant removing a covering to reveal what was hidden. This can be physical, like stripping away clothing, but it also applies to pouring out liquids, such as blood or water. The core idea is the transition from being concealed to being exposed.
For your faith, this word reminds us that nothing remains hidden forever. In legal texts, uncovering nakedness signaled a breach of trust and purity. Yet in prophetic poetry, it describes God’s wrath being poured out or His Spirit being released. Both uses show that reality eventually comes to light. What is covered by shame or sin will be revealed.
This transparency can feel daunting, but it also points to hope. When God pours out His Spirit, He uncovers new life and fruitfulness. You do not need to hide your struggles from Him. He sees the heart fully and offers grace that covers our failures with His own righteousness. Trust in this complete visibility.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 14 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- lay bare2×
- he will lay bare2×
- he has made naked2×
- you lay bare1×
- you have laid bare1×
- so/ they may pour out1×
- it will be poured out1×
- it uncovered1×
- he poured out1×
- and/ you may strip yourself naked1×
- and/ spreading himself1×
- and/ she emptied1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- תְּעַ֥ר1×
- עָר֛וֹת1×
- עָ֤רוּ\׀1×
- עָ֑רוּ1×
- עֵרָֽה\׃1×
- עֵרָ֖ה1×
- יֵ֨עָרֶ֥ה1×
- יְעָרֶֽה\׃\ \ס1×
- וּ֝/מִתְעָרֶ֗ה1×
- וַ/תְּעַ֤ר1×
- וִ/יעָ֙רוּ֙1×
- וְ/תִתְעָרִֽי\׃\ \ס1×
Key Verses
-
Leviticus 20:18
“‘If a man lies with a woman having her monthly period, and uncovers her nakedness, he has made her fountain naked, and she has uncovered the fountain of her blood. Both of them shall be cut off from among their people.
This verse uses the word to describe a serious violation of sexual purity, where the act of uncovering nakedness leads to being cut off from the community.
-
Isaiah 32:15
until the Spirit is poured on us from on high, and the wilderness becomes a fruitful field, and the fruitful field is considered a forest.
Here the verb shifts to pouring out, describing how God’s Spirit will be released to transform a barren wilderness into a fruitful field.
-
Isaiah 53:12
Therefore I will give him a portion with the great. He will divide the plunder with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was counted with the transgressors; yet he bore the sins of many and made intercession for the transgressors.
The text says the servant poured out his soul to death, linking the physical act of exposure with the spiritual reality of sacrificial atonement.
-
Lamentations 4:21
Rejoice and be glad, daughter of Edom, who dwells in the land of Uz. The cup will pass through to you also. You will be drunken, and will make yourself naked.
Edom is told it will be drunken and make itself naked, illustrating how divine judgment strips away protection and leaves one vulnerable.