7538. raqab
Lexical Summary
raqab: To rot, decay, decompose

Original Word: רָקָב
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: raqab
Pronunciation: rah-KAB
Phonetic Spelling: (raw-kawb')
KJV: rottenness (thing)
NASB: rottenness, decay, rotten thing
Word Origin: [from H7537 (רָקַב - rot)]

1. decay (by caries)

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
rottenness thing

From raqab; decay (by caries) -- rottenness (thing).

see HEBREW raqab

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
from raqeb
Definition
rottenness, decay
NASB Translation
decay (1), rotten thing (1), rottenness (3).

Brown-Driver-Briggs
רָקָב noun [masculine] rottenness, decay (always figurative); — ׳ר absolute; apparently of ravages of worm, in בֵּית יְהוּדָה, in figure Hosea 5:12 ("" עָשׁ), compare Job 13:28 ("" id.); elsewhere of decay of bones, caries (in figurative), ׳בְּעַצְמ ׳ר Habakkuk 3:16; Proverbs 12:4, construct ׳רְקֵב עַצְמ Proverbs 14:30.

Topical Lexicon
Overview

The Hebrew noun רָקָב (raqab) speaks of rot, decay, or corrosion—whether of organic matter, skeletal structure, or a nation’s moral fabric. Scripture employs the term as a vivid reminder that whatever is separated from God’s sustaining presence inevitably deteriorates. Each use carries a moral or eschatological weight: temporal decay points to the deeper spiritual corruption produced by sin and to the certain judgment of a holy God.

Key Old Testament Occurrences

Job 13:28 – Job laments man’s frailty: “So man wastes away like a rotten thing, like a garment eaten by moths”. Decay illustrates human mortality under the curse.
Proverbs 12:4 – “A wife of noble character is her husband’s crown, but she who causes shame is like decay in his bones”. Domestic shame eats away at a family’s strength as rot consumes bone.
Proverbs 14:30 – “A tranquil heart is life to the body, but jealousy is rottenness to the bones”. Internal attitudes, not merely external acts, determine spiritual health or corruption.
Hosea 5:12 – “So I am like a moth to Ephraim, and like decay to the house of Judah”. The Lord Himself becomes the agent of slow, inevitable ruin when covenant people persist in rebellion.
Habakkuk 3:16 – As the prophet hears God’s coming judgment, “decay entered my bones”. The physical reaction embodies holy fear before divine wrath.

Themes and Symbolism

1. Mortality and the Fall – Raqab underscores that life apart from God returns to dust (compare Genesis 3:19).
2. Hiddenness – Rot often begins unseen; likewise jealousy, shame, and idolatry work inwardly before manifesting outward ruin.
3. Divine Judgment – In Hosea, decay is not random entropy but a purposeful visitation of covenant curses (Leviticus 26:14–16).
4. Fear and Awe – Habakkuk shows that encountering God’s holiness produces trembling awareness of creaturely weakness.

Historical Background

Ancient agrarian societies battled decay on multiple fronts—moths in textile stores, dry rot in beams, bone disease in human bodies. The prophets drew on these tangible images to communicate spiritual truths. In a world without modern preservatives, the slow, unstoppable spread of rot illustrated the certainty of judgment and the futility of self-reliance.

Theological Significance

• Anthropology – Humanity’s physical decay mirrors spiritual deadness apart from redemption (Ephesians 2:1).
• Hamartiology – Sin is not static; it corrodes (James 1:15). Raqab pictures sin’s progressive nature.
• Soteriology – Christ’s body “did not see decay” (Acts 2:31, citing Psalm 16:10), demonstrating His victory over corruption and guaranteeing believers’ future incorruptibility (1 Corinthians 15:42).
• Ecclesiology – Just as rot can permeate an entire structure, tolerating hidden sin endangers the whole community (1 Corinthians 5:6).

Pastoral and Ministry Applications

• Heart Diagnostics – Envy, unresolved shame, or secret sins must be addressed early, lest they become spiritual osteoporosis. Regular self-examination (2 Corinthians 13:5) and confession (1 John 1:9) arrest decay.
• Marital and Family Counseling – Proverbs 12:4 warns that dishonor within the home erodes relational “bones.” Cultivating virtue, honor, and mutual submission strengthens the household.
• Prophetic Warning – Hosea 5:12 legitimizes solemn exhortation: persistent rebellion invites God-ordained deterioration. Pastors must call for repentance before rot becomes irreversible.
• Comfort in Trembling – Habakkuk 3:16 shows that honest fear before God coexists with steadfast hope. Believers may tremble, yet they “wait quietly for the day of distress” knowing God will vindicate His people.

Related Concepts Across Scripture

• Old Testament parallels – “Moth and rust destroy” (Isaiah 50:9; 51:8).
• New Testament echoes – Jesus contrasts earthly treasures subject to “moth and rust” with heavenly treasure (Matthew 6:19–20). Paul contrasts corruption (phthora) with incorruption in resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:50–54).
• Eschatological reversal – The new creation is free of decay (Romans 8:21), fulfilling the hope hinted at whenever Scripture confronts present rot.

Conclusion

Raqab functions as both diagnosis and warning: apart from God, life decays; with Him, decay is ultimately conquered. The term invites believers to vigilance against internal corruption, earnest hope in the Redeemer whose body knew no decay, and confidence that He will one day banish every trace of rot from His renewed creation.

Forms and Transliterations
וְכָרָקָ֖ב וּכְרָקָ֖ב וּרְקַ֖ב וכרקב ורקב כְּרָקָ֣ב כרקב רָקָ֛ב רקב kə·rā·qāḇ keraKav kərāqāḇ rā·qāḇ raKav rāqāḇ ū·ḵə·rā·qāḇ ū·rə·qaḇ ucheraKav ūḵərāqāḇ ureKav ūrəqaḇ vecharaKav wə·ḵā·rā·qāḇ wəḵārāqāḇ
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Englishman's Concordance
Job 13:28
HEB: וְ֭הוּא כְּרָקָ֣ב יִבְלֶ֑ה כְּ֝בֶ֗גֶד
NAS: While I am decaying like a rotten thing, Like a garment
KJV: And he, as a rotten thing, consumeth,
INT: he A rotten I am decaying A garment

Proverbs 12:4
HEB: עֲטֶ֣רֶת בַּעְלָ֑הּ וּכְרָקָ֖ב בְּעַצְמוֹתָ֣יו מְבִישָֽׁה׃
NAS: But she who shames [him] is like rottenness in his bones.
KJV: but she that maketh ashamed [is] as rottenness in his bones.
INT: is the crown of her husband rottenness his bones shames

Proverbs 14:30
HEB: לֵ֣ב מַרְפֵּ֑א וּרְקַ֖ב עֲצָמ֣וֹת קִנְאָֽה׃
NAS: But passion is rottenness to the bones.
KJV: but envy the rottenness of the bones.
INT: heart A tranquil is rottenness to the bones passion

Hosea 5:12
HEB: כָעָ֖שׁ לְאֶפְרָ֑יִם וְכָרָקָ֖ב לְבֵ֥ית יְהוּדָֽה׃
NAS: to Ephraim And like rottenness to the house
KJV: of Judah as rottenness.
INT: A moth to Ephraim rottenness to the house of Judah

Habakkuk 3:16
HEB: שְׂפָתַ֔י יָב֥וֹא רָקָ֛ב בַּעֲצָמַ֖י וְתַחְתַּ֣י
NAS: quivered. Decay enters
KJV: at the voice: rottenness entered
INT: my lips enters Decay my bones my place

5 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 7538
5 Occurrences


kə·rā·qāḇ — 1 Occ.
rā·qāḇ — 1 Occ.
ū·ḵə·rā·qāḇ — 1 Occ.
ū·rə·qaḇ — 1 Occ.
wə·ḵā·rā·qāḇ — 1 Occ.

7537
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