שָׂרַךְ (sa.rakh)
sa.rakh
to twist
H:VQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 1 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:V
Word Overview
The Hebrew verb sa.rakh means to twist or intertwine threads into a complex pattern. In the entire Bible, it appears only once, in Jeremiah 2:23, where God uses the image to describe Israel’s spiritual condition. The text asks how one can claim innocence when they have twisted themselves into such a mess of idolatry and rebellion.
Its specific nuance involves criss-crossing or entangling, suggesting a deliberate weaving together of conflicting loyalties. Rather than a simple error, the word implies a tangled state where truth and falsehood are knotted together. Translators often render this as "twist" or "entangle," capturing the physical act of braiding that becomes a metaphor for moral confusion.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The verb sa.rakh describes the physical act of twisting threads into a complex, tangled pattern. In Jeremiah 2:23, God uses this image to describe Israel’s spiritual condition. It is not merely about making a mistake, but about deliberately weaving together conflicting loyalties. Truth and falsehood become knotted in a way that makes it hard to see which thread is which.
When we face moral confusion or mixed motives, this word reminds us that clarity comes from honesty. We do not need to hide our tangled state. God sees the threads clearly and invites us to lay them down. This invitation allows for a fresh start, free from the weight of self-deception.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 1 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- entwining1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- מְשָׂרֶ֥כֶת1×
Key Verses
-
Jeremiah 2:23
“How can you say, ‘I am not defiled. I have not gone after the Baals’? See your way in the valley. Know what you have done. You are a swift dromedary traversing her ways,
This is the only occurrence of the word, where God uses the image of twisting to expose Israel's deliberate mixing of idolatry with claims of innocence.