H1461 H1461
to dig, plough; farmers, ploughmen
The Ketiv (written text) of 2 Kings 25:12 contains a participial form meaning 'diggers' or 'ploughmen,' referring to agricultural workers left in the land after the Babylonian deportation. However, the Qere (reading tradition) and the parallel passage in Jeremiah 52:16 have a different form. The Arabic cognate (جَابَ 'pierce, bore, hollow out') supports the digging/plowing sense. This textual variation illustrates how the Masoretes preserved both written and oral traditions even when they diverged, leaving final decisions to readers and translators.
Senses
1. sense 1 — Agricultural workers, diggers or ploughmen, in 2 Kings 25:12's account of the poor left in Judah. The multilingual glosses 'farmers' (English, Spanish, French, German) reflect the occupational sense rather than translating the verbal root directly. The context contrasts these agricultural laborers with the skilled workers and elites deported to Babylon, emphasizing that Nebuchadnezzar left only the poorest to work the land. 1×
AR["وَلِفَلَّاحِينَ"]·ben["এবং-চাষী-হতে।"]·DE["und-fuer-farmers"]·EN["and-for-farmers"]·FR["et-pour-farmers"]·heb["ו-ל-יוגבים"]·HI["और-ल-किसान"]·ID["dan-sebagai-petani"]·IT["e-per-farmers"]·jav["lan-juru-olah-siti"]·KO["그리고-에게-농부들"]·PT["e-para-lavradores"]·RU["и-для-пахарей"]·ES["y-para-labradores"]·SW["na-wakulima"]·TR["ve-çiftçiler-olarak"]·urd["اور-کے-لیے-کسانوں"]
Related Senses
G0846 1. third-person pronoun reference (5552×)H???? 1. (4670×)H6213a 1. do, perform, act (2383×)G4160 1. do, act, perform (473×)H5221 1. Hifil: to strike in battle, smite enemies (362×)H0899b 1. garment, article of clothing (216×)H6213a 2. make, construct, fabricate (148×)H3772 1. cut a covenant / make a pact (97×)H5060 1. touch physically (Qal) (96×)H3615 1. complete a task (Piel) (85×)H3772 2. cut off / destroy (Hifil causative) (81×)H3920 1. capture, seize (Qal) (76×)H???? 12. (76×)H3772 3. be cut off / be eliminated (Niphal) (74×)H6213a 3. be done, be made (Niphal) (73×)G4160 2. make, construct, create (62×)H3847 1. Qal: put on, wear (60×)H8210 1. pour out (liquid/libation) (59×)G2440 1. garment or clothing (general) (54×)H4191 4. kill / put to death (Hifil causative) (50×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† [גּוּב] vb. dig (cf. Arabic جَابَ pierce, bore, hollow out)— Qal Pt. גָּבִים diggers or ploughmen 2 K 25:12 Kt; but cf. Qr יֹגְבִים as Je 52:16 (v. יגב) and v. גֵּב³" dir="rtl" >גֵּב infr.