H3409 H3409
Thigh, upper leg (body part, oath-gesture, procreative power); side or flank of a structure; base or shaft of the lampstand.
The Hebrew noun yarekh designates the fleshy upper leg — the thigh — but its semantic reach extends outward from the body into architecture and sacred furniture. In its most frequent use, it names the physical thigh where a sword is strapped (Judg 3:16; Ps 45:3) and the intimate zone involved in the patriarchal oath-gesture of placing one's hand under another's thigh (Gen 24:2; 47:29), a ritual widely understood to invoke procreative power as surety. Spanish muslo, French cuisse, and German Schenkel all converge on the anatomical sense, while the spatial extension to 'side' or 'flank' of the tabernacle (Exod 40:22, 24) and the technical application to the menorah's central shaft (Exod 25:31) require entirely different vocabulary in most target languages — Spanish lado, French cote, German Seite for flanks, and base/Fuss for the lampstand.
3. base, shaft (of lampstand) — The base or central shaft of the golden lampstand (menorah) from which the six branches extend, a technical cultic term appearing only three times in the tabernacle descriptions (Exod 25:31; 37:17; Num 8:4). The image likely derives from the thigh as the trunk of the body from which limbs emerge. Spanish base, French base, and German Fuss ('foot') all abandon thigh vocabulary for structural terminology, signaling a fully specialized artifact sense distinct from either anatomy or architecture. 3×
AR["ساقُها","سَاقِهَا","قاعِدَتُها"]·ben["উরু-তার","তার-ভিত্তি"]·DE["sein-Fuss","sein-base","seinen-Fuss"]·EN["its-base"]·FR["son-base"]·heb["ירך","ירכה"]·HI["आधार-उसका","उसका-आधार","उसकी-जाँघ"]·ID["batangnya","kakinya"]·IT["suo-base","suo-piedistallo"]·jav["cagakipun","sikil-ipun"]·KO["그-받침과","그것의-밑","그것의-밑받침"]·PT["base-dele","base-sua","sua-base"]·RU["бедра-её","бедро-его","основание-её"]·ES["su-base"]·SW["msingi-wake"]·TR["tabanı","tabanına","tabanını"]·urd["اُس-کا-قاعدہ","اُس-کی-جڑ"]
▼ 2 more senses below
Senses
1. thigh, upper leg — The physical thigh or upper leg, encompassing the outer thigh where a weapon is girded (Judg 3:16, 21; Ps 45:3; Song 3:8), the intimate zone touched in the solemn oath-taking ritual of Genesis 24:2 and 47:29, and the part of the body struck by an angel at Peniel (Gen 32:25). The dual form yerekayim appears for the thighs covered by priestly undergarments (Exod 28:42). Spanish muslo, French cuisse, and Arabic فَخِذ all render the straightforward anatomical meaning, while Korean 허벅지 and Hindi जांघ confirm cross-linguistic stability for this body-part term. 25×
AR["الْـفَخِذِ","صُلْبِهِ","فَخِذًا","فَخِذٍ","فَخِذَكِ","فَخِذَيْكِ","فَخِذُهَا","فَخِذِ","فَخِذِكَ","فَخِذِهِ","فَخِذِي","فَخْذِ","فَخْذِ-هِ","فَخْذِي"]·ben["-উরু","আমার-উরুতে","আমার-উরুর","উরু","উরুর","জংঘার","তার","তার-উরু","তার-উরু-থেকে","তার-উরুতে","তোমার-উরু","তোমার-উরুর"]·DE["-der-Schenkel-von","Schenkel","[ירך]","[ירכיך]","dein-Schenkel","dein-thigh","der-Hüfte","die-Hüfte","ihr-Schenkel","meine-Hüfte","meine-Lende","sein-Schenkel","sein-thigh","seiner-Hüfte"]·EN["-the-thigh-of","Your-thigh","her-thigh","his-thigh","my-thigh","the-thigh-of","thigh","thigh-my","thigh-of","your-thigh","your-thighs"]·FR["-le-thigh-de","[ירך]","cuisse","cuisse-de","cuisse-mon","de-tes-hanches","le-cuisse-de","mon-cuisse","sa-cuisse","son-cuisse","son-thigh","thigh","ton-cuisse"]·heb["ירך","ירך-ו","ירך-י","ירכו","ירכייך"]·HI["अपनी-जाँघ","उसकी-जाँघ-के","उसकी-जांघसे","जाँघ","जाँघ-उसकी","जाँघ-का","जाँघ-के","जाँघ-तेरी","जाँघ-पर","जाँघ-मेरी","जाँघ-से","जांघ","तेरी-जांघों-की","मेरी-जाँघ-के"]·ID["dari-pinggangnya","paha","paha-nya","pahaku","pahamu","pahanya","pinggangmu","pinggangnya"]·IT["-il-thigh-di","[ירך]","coscia","coscia-tua","il-thigh-di","lei-coscia","mio-thigh","suo-thigh","thigh","thigh-di","thigh-mio","tuo-coscia"]·jav["cethakipun,","cethik","cethik-kula","pupu","pupu-ipun","pupu-kula","pupu-panjenengan","pupu.","pupunipun","saking-bokongan-ipun"]·KO["그녀의-넘적다리","그의-넓적다리를","그의-넓적다리에","그의-허벽지","나의-허벥지","나의-허벽의","너의-넘적다리","넓적다리가","넓적다리의","넘적다리","넘적다리와","네-허벅지들-의","다리","당리를","허벵지를","허벽","허벽지-그의"]·PT["coxa","coxa-de","coxa-dela","coxa-minha","coxa-sua","coxa-tua","minha-coxa","tuas-coxas"]·RU["бедра","бедра-его","бедро","бедро-его","бедро-её","бедро-моё","бедро-своё","бедро-твоё","бедру","бёдер-твоих","из-чресл-его"]·ES["el-muslo","mi-muslo","muslo","muslo-de","muslo-de-ella","muslo-de-ti","muslo-suyo","su-muslo","tus-muslos"]·SW["Irk","Irkh","Irkk","kamba-yangu","kiuno","kiunoni-mwake","paja","paja-lake","paja-lake-la","paja-lako","paja-langu","ya-mapaja-yako"]·TR["budu","kalcanın-benim","kalça","uyluklarinin","uyluğa","uyluğu","uyluğumun","uyluğuna","uyluğundan","uyluğunu","uyluğunun"]·urd["اُس-کی-ران","اُس-کی-ران-کے","اپنی-ران","تیری-ران","تیری-رانوں-کے","ران","ران-اُس-کی-سے","ران-اپنی","ران-میری","ران-میری-کے"]
2. side, flank — The side or flank of a structure, camp, or geographic feature, used spatially to indicate a lateral position rather than any anatomical reference. Six occurrences cluster in the tabernacle layout instructions and Levitical camp arrangements: the table on the north side (Exod 40:22), the lampstand on the south side (Exod 40:24), the altar's north flank (Lev 1:11), and clan positions beside the tabernacle (Num 3:29, 35). Spanish lado, French cote, and German Seite replace the body-part vocabulary entirely, confirming that translators recognize a genuine spatial-architectural sense. 6×
AR["جَانِبِ"]·ben["পাশে"]·DE["Seite-von"]·EN["side-of"]·FR["côté-de"]·heb["ירך"]·HI["किनारे","जाँघ","पास","बाजू"]·ID["sisi"]·IT["lato-di"]·jav["sisih","sisihipun"]·KO["넓적다리","옆"]·PT["lado-de","o-lado-de"]·RU["стороне","сторону","стороны"]·ES["lado-de"]·SW["ubavu","upande","upande-wa"]·TR["yan","yanına","yanının"]·urd["طرف","پہلو"]
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† יָרֵךְ n.f. Nu 5:27 thigh, loin, side, base (NH id.; Aramaic יַרְכָּא; Zinj. ירך loin; Assyrian arku, arkâtu, back, rear, hereafter DlHWB 242; Arabic وَرِكٌ hip)—abs. יָרֵךְ Ju 15:8 + 6 times; cstr. יֶ֫רֶךְ Gn 24:9 + 11 times + 2 S 3:27 (v. infr.); sf. יְרֵכִי Gn 24:2; 47:29; יְרֵכֵךְ Nu 5:21; יְרֵכוֹ Gn 32:26 + 6 times; יְרֵכָהּ Ex 25:31 + 3 times; du. יְרֵכַיִם Ex 28:42; sf. יְרֵכַיִךְ Ct…