H6117 H6117
to follow at the heel, supplant, deceive — to grasp the heel or overreach craftily
A verb derived from 'aqev' (heel), spanning meanings from the literal grasping of a heel to figurative cunning and deceit. Its most famous use is Esau's bitter wordplay in Gen 27:36: 'Is he not rightly named Jacob? For he has supplanted me twice.' Hosea 12:3 recalls this same heel-grasping from the womb. In Jeremiah 9:4, the verb warns that every brother 'acts the Jacob' — deceives thoroughly. Job 37:4 uses a related sense of restraining or holding back, showing the root's range from physical gripping to moral treachery.
Senses
1. sense 1 — To grasp at the heel, supplant, or overreach with cunning — encompassing both the literal birth-narrative act (Hos 12:3, recalling Gen 25:26) and the figurative sense of deceitful undermining (Gen 27:36; Jer 9:4). Spanish 'engaña' (deceives) and 'engañando' (deceiving) foreground the treachery dimension, while French 'Jacob' and German 'Jakob' preserve the etymological pun linking the verb to the patriarch's name. Job 37:4's usage ('he restrains them') shows extension from heel-grasping to holding back. 5×
AR["عَقَبَ", "مَكْرًا", "وَ-خَدَعَني", "يَمْكُرُ", "يُؤَخِّرُهُمْ"]·ben["আর-আমাকে-ঠকিয়েছে", "করে", "তিনি-তাদের-আটকান", "ধরেছিল", "প্রতারণা"]·DE["Jakob", "[יעקבם]", "[עקב]", "[עקוב]", "und-er-hat-mich-überlistet"]·EN["and-he-supplanted-me", "he-restrains-them", "he-supplanted", "supplanting", "will-supplant"]·FR["Jacob", "[עקוב]", "et-il-supplanted-moi", "supplanter", "יעקבם-eux"]·heb["ו-יעקבני-י", "יעקבם", "יעקוב", "עקב", "עקוב"]·HI["उसने-एड़ी-पकड़ी", "और-ठगा-मुझे-उसने", "धोखा", "धोखा-देता-है", "रोकता-है-उन्हें"]·ID["Ia menahan mereka", "akan-menipu", "dan-dia-menipu-aku", "menipu"]·IT["Giacobbe", "[עקב]", "e-egli-supplanted-me", "egli-restrains-loro-loro", "soppiantare"]·jav["Panjenengan-ipun-nahan", "apus-apusan", "lan-piyambakipun-ngapusi-kula", "ngapusi", "piyambakipun-nyepeng"]·KO["그가-막으신다-그것들을", "그리고-속였다-나를", "속이고", "속이는-자로", "잡았는니라"]·PT["e-suplantou-me", "engana", "enganando", "enganou", "os-retém"]·RU["задерживает-их", "и-обманул-меня", "обманывает", "обманывая", "хватал-за-пяту"]·ES["engaña", "engañando", "los-detiene", "suplantó", "y-me-suplantó"]·SW["alimshika-kisigino", "anadanganya", "anawazuia", "kwa-udanganyifu", "na-amenidanganya"]·TR["aldatan", "aldatır", "tutmaz-onları", "tuttu", "ve-aldattı-beni"]·urd["اور-دھوکہ-دیا-مجھے", "اُس-نے-ایڑی-پکڑی", "فریب-دے-گا", "فریبی", "وہ روکتا انہیں"]
Related Senses
G3588 1. definite article (18298×)H0853 1. definite direct object marker (10915×)G2532 1. (8312×)H3068 1. YHWH (the divine name) (6522×)H0834a 1. relative pronoun (who/which/that) (4839×)H3588a 1. causal: because, for (3498×)G1161 1. and (2806×)H3478 1. Israel (proper name and nation) (2507×)G4771 1. you (plural address) (1853×)H1931 1. personal pronoun he/she/it (1431×)G3739 1. relative pronoun who/which/that (1149×)H1732 1. David (proper name) (1075×)H2088 1. this, this one (demonstrative) (1059×)G1063 1. (1047×)G3778 1. this thing, these things (1003×)H???? 2. (1002×)G2424 1. (924×)G3754 1. that (content clause) (881×)H2009 1. presentative particle: behold, look (881×)H0589 1. I (first person singular pronoun) (874×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† עָקַב vb. follow at the heel, fig. assail insidiously, circumvent, overreach (denom. from עָקֵ; cf. Arabic عَقَبَ follow (at the heel), succeed, iii. bring consequence on, i.e. punish, Qor 22:59, iv. make to follow, i.e. reward or punish, عَاقِبَةٌ end, final lot 6:11, reward 6:136; ܥܩܰܒ hold back (rare), follow, Pa. investigate, search out: Ethiopic ዐቀበ is keep, guard);— Qal Pf. 3 ms. Ho 12:4…