H6123 H6123
to bind, tie fast (especially of binding limbs together)
This verb appears only in Genesis 22:9, the harrowing scene where Abraham 'bound Isaac' on the altar, preparing to sacrifice him. Cognate languages (Hebrew, Aramaic, Arabic, Syriac, Ethiopic) all share meanings related to tying, fastening, or bending limbs together. The Aramaic Targum uses the same root for binding and also for kneeling, perhaps reflecting the posture of a bound victim. The scene is one of the most emotionally intense in Scripture: a father binding his beloved son in obedience to God's command, moments before the angel intervenes.
Senses
1. sense 1 — Genesis 22:9 records the terrible moment when Abraham 'bound' Isaac and laid him on the altar. The verb means to tie or fasten, especially limbs together—perhaps with arms behind the back or legs bent and secured. Related Semitic languages confirm this sense of tying fast. Targums also associate the root with kneeling, perhaps picturing a victim made to kneel before being bound. The single biblical occurrence is unforgettable: the father's obedience pushed to the brink, the son's vulnerability, and the binding that never culminates in sacrifice because God provides a substitute. 1×
AR["وَ-رَبَطَ"]·ben["ও-বাঁধলেন"]·DE["und-band"]·EN["and-bound"]·FR["et-lia"]·heb["ו-יעקד"]·HI["और-बाँधा"]·ID["dan-mengikat"]·IT["e-legò"]·jav["Lan-naleni"]·KO["그리고-묶었다"]·PT["E-amarrou"]·RU["и-связал"]·ES["y-ató"]·SW["na-akamfunga"]·TR["ve-bağladı"]·urd["اور-باندھا"]
Related Senses
G2962 1. Lord (divine title) (661×)H0136 1. Lord (divine title) (440×)H0113 1. lord, human superior (249×)G1849 1. authority, power (91×)H6485a 2. Qal: punish, bring judgment (63×)H8198 1. maidservant, female slave (63×)G2962 2. master, lord (human authority) (61×)H0034 1. needy, poor, destitute (61×)H0519 1. female servant, maidservant (56×)H6041 1. poor, needy person (55×)H0113 2. master, owner of servants (49×)H4910 1. Qal: to have dominion, exercise power over (44×)H1800 1. poor, needy (socioeconomic) (38×)H3515 1. heavy, severe, grievous (36×)G4434 1. (34×)G5092 1. honor, esteem, respect (33×)H6485a 4. Qal: visit, attend to, care for (32×)H3513 1. honor / show respect (Piel) (30×)H4910 2. Qal: to rule, govern (administrative authority) (27×)H4513 1. withhold, restrain, hold back (25×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† I. [עָקַד] vb. bind (NH id., bind bent limbs together; Arabic عَقَدَ tie, tie fast; Ethiopic ዐቀደ: Syriac ܥܩܰܕ and especially ܥܰܘܩܶܕ bend, twist; 𝔗 עֲקַד as NH, also kneel, cf. Chr. Pal., SchwallyIdiot. 71);— Qal Impf. וַיַּעֲקֹד אֶת־יִצְחָק Gn 22:9.