H4634 H4634
A battle line or military formation; also a row or orderly arrangement of objects.
Derived from עָרַךְ (to arrange, set in order), this noun denotes something arranged in a line — most often a battle formation. In the David and Goliath narrative (1 Samuel 17), it appears repeatedly as the 'battle line' that Goliath defies and David runs toward. The plural מַעַרְכוֹת describes the massed ranks of Israel or the Philistines as a fighting force. Beyond the battlefield, the word also describes any orderly arrangement — the lamps set in a row (Exodus 39:37) or the wood arranged on an altar (Judges 6:26). Spanish 'formación' and French 'bataille-ligne' reinforce the military core of this term.
Senses
1. battle line, military formation — A battle line or military formation — the arranged rank of soldiers drawn up for combat. This is the dominant sense, covering all the 1 Samuel occurrences. In 1 Samuel 17:21, Israel and the Philistines each set 'battle line against battle line' (מַעֲרָכָה לִקְרַאת מַעֲרָכָה). The plural construct 'ranks of Israel' (מַעַרְכוֹת יִשְׂרָאֵל, 1 Sam 17:10, 45) and 'ranks of the living God' (17:26, 36) show the word scaling from a physical formation to a theologically charged army. Spanish 'formación' and German 'Schlachtlinie' both preserve this martial sense. 17×
AR["(مِنْ-صُفُوفِ)","الصَّفَّ","الصَّفِّ","الـ-مَعْرَكَةِ","صَفًّا","صَفٍّ","صَفّ","صُفُوفَ","صُفُوفِ","فِي-الـ-مَعْرَكَةِ","مِنَ-الـ-مَعْرَكَةِ"]·ben["ব্যূহের","যুদ্ধক্ষেত্র","রণভূমিতে","সারি","সারিগুলি","সারিগুলি-থেকে","সারিগুলির","সেই-যুদ্ধক্ষেত্র-থেকে","সেই-যুদ্ধক্ষেত্রে","সৈন্যদল"]·DE["Schlacht-line","Schlacht-lines-von","[מערכה]","der-Schlacht-line","in-der-Schlacht-line","ranks-von","von-der-Schlacht-line","zu-der-Schlacht-line"]·EN["(from-ranks-of)","battle-line","battle-lines-of","from-the-battle-line","in-the-battle-line","ranks-of","the-battle-line","to-the-battle-line"]·FR["(from-rangs-of)","[מערכה]","bataille-ligne","bataille-lines-de","dans-le-bataille-ligne","de-le-bataille-ligne","le-bataille-ligne","rangs-de","à-le-bataille-ligne"]·heb["(מ-מערכות)","ב-מערכה","ה-מערכה","מ-ה-מערכה","מערכה","מערכות"]·HI["(सजअवतोम-से)","पंक्ति-के","में-सैना","सजअवत-कि","सजअवतोम","सजअवतोम-क","सजवत","सजवत-कि","सजवत-मेइन","से-सैना","सैना-के","सैनिक-पंक्तियों"]·ID["(dari-barisan)","barisan","barisan-pertempuran","dari-barisan-pertempuran","di-barisan-pertempuran","ke-barisan"]·IT["(from-ranghi-of)","[מערכה]","a-il-battaglia-linea","battaglia-linea","battaglia-linee-di","da-il-battaglia-linea","il-battaglia-linea","in-il-battaglia-linea","ranghi-di"]·jav["-barisan","barisan","barisan-barisan","barisan-ipun","saking-barisan","saking-barisan-ipun","wonten-ing-barisan"]·KO["(전열에서-)","그-전열","그-전열-에서","그-전열에","그-전열에서","전열","전열들","전열들을","전열들의","전열을","진영들에"]·PT["(das-fileiras-de)","a-batalha","batalha","da-batalha","fileiras-de","formação","na-batalha"]·RU["(из-рядов)","боевой-порядок","в-сражении","в-строй","из-сражения","к-строю","рядам","рядов","ряды","сражения","строй","строю"]·ES["a-la-formación","de-filas-de","de-la-formación","en-la-formación","filas-de","formaciones-de","formación","la-formación"]·SW["katika-uwanja","kutoka-safu-za","kutoka-uwanja","mapigano","mstari-wa-vita","safu","safu-za"]·TR["(saflarından)","-savaş-alanında","-savaş-alanından","ordularına","saf","safa","saflarına","saflarını","saflarının","sırayı"]·urd["(صفوں-سے)","صف","صف-بندی-کے","صف-سے۔","صف-کی-طرف","صفوں","صفوں-کو","صفوں-کے","میدان","میدان-سے","میدان-میں"]
1 Sam 4:2, 1 Sam 4:12, 1 Sam 4:16, 1 Sam 4:16, 1 Sam 17:8, 1 Sam 17:10, 1 Sam 17:20, 1 Sam 17:21, 1 Sam 17:21, 1 Sam 17:22, 1 Sam 17:23, 1 Sam 17:26 (+5 more)
2. row, orderly arrangement — A row or orderly arrangement of objects, extending the root meaning of עָרַךְ beyond the military context. In Exodus 39:37 the 'lamps of the row' (נֵרוֹת הַמַּעֲרָכָה) describes the lampstand's lights arranged systematically. Judges 6:26 uses the word for wood arranged on an altar in proper order. This sense reminds us that the underlying concept is not violence but orderly arrangement — the battlefield usage is a specialized application of a broader spatial idea. 3×
AR["التَّرْتِيبِ","بِ-التَّرْتيبِ","صُفُوفًا"]·ben["সারিতে","সারির"]·DE["der-arrangement","in-der-arrangement","rows"]·EN["in-the-arrangement","rows","the-arrangement"]·FR["dans-le-arrangement","le-arrangement","rows"]·heb["ב-מערכה","ה-מערכה","מערכות"]·HI["कतार-के","पंक्तियों-में","व्यवस्था-से"]·ID["dengan-teratur","susunan"]·IT["il-arrangement","in-il-arrangement","rows"]·jav["dhèrèkan","mawi-tumpukan","tatanan-punika"]·KO["그-줄-세운-것의","정렬된-방식으로","줄들"]·PT["a-disposição","em-ordem","fileiras"]·RU["в-порядке","ряда","рядами"]·ES["en-orden","hileras","la-disposición"]·SW["katika-mpangilio","safu","za-kupanga"]·TR["-düzenlemenin","boğayı","sıra"]·urd["ترتیب-سے","قطار-کے","قطاروں-میں"]
Related Senses
H5921a 1. upon, on, over (spatial) (5443×)H0413 1. directional: to, toward (5366×)H1121a 1. son, male offspring, descendant (4914×)H3808 1. simple negation (not) (4839×)H4428 1. king, human ruler (2518×)G1722 1. locative: in, within (2442×)H1004b 1. house, dwelling, building (2015×)H6440 1. before, in front of (spatial) (1870×)G3756 1. not (negation particle) (1635×)H3027 1. physical hand (body part) (1596×)H1697 1. word, speech, utterance (1235×)H4480a 1. source or separation (1198×)H5892b 1. city, town (1093×)G1519 1. direction: into, to, toward (1061×)H3427 1. Qal: to dwell, inhabit (937×)G1537 1. from, out of (source/origin) (886×)H8034 1. Name (designation / identifier) (856×)G3361 1. subjective negation (not) (834×)G1909 1. on, upon (spatial surface) (757×)H0369 1. existential negation: there is not (738×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† מַעֲרָכָה n.f. row, rank, battle-line;— 1. a. מ׳ battle-line 1 S 4:2, 12, 16(×2); וַיָּ֫רָץ הַמּ׳ 17:22 and he ran to the battle-line, so v 28 (on ref. here to Isr.’s line cf. HPS), מ׳ לִקְרַאת מ׳ v 21; עֹדְרֵי מ׳ 1 Ch 12:39 (van d. H. v 38); nearly = battle הַחַיִל הַיֹּצֵא אֶל־הַמּ׳ 1 S 17:20. b. pl. ranks = army; cstr. מַעַרְכוֹת יִשׂ׳ 1 S 17:10, 45, מַעַרְכֹת יִשׂ׳ v 8; מ׳ אֱלֹהִים חַיִּים…