H6148 H6148
To go surety or give a pledge; also to mingle, associate with; by extension, to barter or exchange; rarely, to be pleasing.
The root 'arab encompasses a fascinating cluster of meanings held together by the underlying notion of exchange and intermingling. At its core in the Qal stem, it describes the serious legal act of standing surety — pledging oneself as guarantor for another person's safety or debt, as Judah does for Benjamin before Joseph (Gen 43:9; 44:32). The Hitpael reflexive stem shifts the exchange inward: to 'mix oneself' among others, often with a warning edge, as when Israel mingles with the nations and adopts their practices (Ps 106:35). Proverbs repeatedly cautions against both unwise surety (Prov 6:1; 17:18) and unwise association (Prov 20:19; 24:21), suggesting the ancient sages saw a common thread of imprudent entanglement. The mercantile sense in Ezekiel 27 and the isolated stative sense 'be pleasing' (Hos 9:4) round out a root whose semantic breadth mirrors the complexity of human social and economic bonds.
1. be surety, give pledge — The primary Qal sense of acting as surety or guarantor for another person — pledging one's own person or property to secure someone else's obligation. Judah's surety for Benjamin (Gen 43:9; 44:32) is the paradigm case. Spanish fiador and the English 'surety' both capture the legal dimension, while the Nehemiah 5:3 context of pledging fields and vineyards extends the concept from personal guarantee to collateral. Proverbs warns sharply against reckless suretyship (Prov 6:1; 11:15; 17:18; 22:26), and the Psalmist asks God himself to 'be surety' for the righteous (Ps 119:122), transforming a commercial legal term into a prayer of trust. 13×
AR["أَضْمَنُهُ","اكْفُلْ","اكْفُلْنِي","اِضْمَنِّي","بِ-الْكافِلِينَ","راهِنونَ","ضامِنٌ","ضَمِنَ","ضَمِنْتَ","يَرْهَنُ"]·ben["জামানত-দাও-আমাকে","জামানত-দিয়েছে","জামিন-হও","জামিন-হও-আমার","জামিন-হব-তার-জন্য","জামিন-হয়েছে","জামিনদার-হয়","জামিনদার-হয়েছ","জামিনদারীদের-মধ্যে","বন্ধক-রাখছি","সে-জামিন-দিয়েছে"]·DE["[בערבים]","[ערב]","[ערבים]","[ערבני]","[ערבת]","hat-gebürgt","sein-surety-für","werde-für-ihn-bürgen"]·EN["among-those-who-are-surety","be-surety-for","be-surety-for-me","became-surety-for","becoming-surety","for-me","he-has-been-surety-for","pledges-for","pledging","puts-up-security","who-pledged","will-be-surety-for-him","you-have-put-up-security"]·FR["--être-caution-pour-lui","[ערב]","[ערבים]","[ערבני]","devint-caution-pour","se-mêler","se-mêler-moi","soir"]·heb["אערבנו","ב-עורבים","עורב","ערב","ערבים","ערבני","ערבת","ערוב"]·HI["गिरवी-रखे-हैं","गिरवी-रखेगा-जिसने","जमानत-देता-है","जमानत-देनेवालों-में","ज़मानत-दी","ज़मानत-दे","जामिन-हुआ","जामिन-होता","जामिनदार-हूँगा-उसका","मेरी-जमानत-दे"]·ID["Jaminlah","akan-menjaminnya","dia-menjamin","engkau-menjamin","ia-menjadi-penjamin","jadilah-penjaminku","jaminan-bagiku","menggadaikan","menjadi-penjamin","menjamin","yang-mempertaruhkan","yang-menjamin"]·IT["[ערב]","[ערבים]","[ערבני]","became-surety-per","farsi-garante","farsi-garante-mio","nel-farsi-garante","sera","will-essere-surety-per-lui"]·jav["Tanggungna","badhé-nanggung","dados-jaminan","ingkang-tanggel-jawab","jaminaken","nanggung","tanggungaken-kawula","tinindih-kawula","tiyang-kang-dados-jaminan"]·KO["그가-보증을-섰다","나의-보증인이-되소서","담보하였느냐","보증-서소서","보증서다","보증서다면","보증하는-자들-중에","보증하리라-그를","보증했기-때문이니라","보증했다","서느니라","저당-잡히고-있다"]·PT["Sê-fiador","dá-me-penhor","empenhou","entre-os-que-são-fiadores-de","fiaste","ficou-fiador-de","fiou","foi-fiador","hipotecando","sendo-fiador-de","serei-fiador-dele","sê-meu-fiador","é-fiador"]·RU["Поручись","закладывающие","залог-за-меня","поручается","поручающийся","поручился","поручился-за","поручился-ты","поручись-за-меня","поручусь-за-него","среди-поручителей"]·ES["Sé-fiador-de","de-los-que-salen-fiadores-de","empeñamos","fue-garante","has-salido-fiador","que-empeñó","sale-fiador-de","sale-fiador-por","salió-fiador-de","salió-fiador-por","seré-garante-de-él","sé-mi-fiador"]·SW["amedhamini","amekuwa-dhamana","anakuwa-mdhamini","anayeweka-rehani","kumpa","mdhamini","mdhamini-wangu","niwe-dhamana-yangu","tunaweka-rehani","umekuwa-mdhamini","wala-wadhamini"]·TR["kefalet-ver-bana","kefil-ol","kefil-ol-bana","kefil-olanlardan","kefil-oldu","kefil-olduysa","kefil-olduysan","kefil-olur","kefil-olurum-ona","rehin-koydu","rehin-veriyoruz"]·urd["جو-ضمانت-دے","ضامن-ہو","ضامن-ہو-میرا","ضامن-ہوا","ضامن-ہوا-ہے","ضامن-ہوتا-ہے","ضامنوں-میں","ضمانت-دوں-گا-اس-کی","ضمانت-دے-میری","ضمانت-لی","گروی-رکھ-رہے-ہیں"]
Gen 43:9, Gen 44:32, Neh 5:3, Job 17:3, Ps 119:122, Prov 6:1, Prov 11:15, Prov 17:18, Prov 20:16, Prov 22:26, Prov 27:13, Isa 38:14 (+1 more)
▼ 4 more senses below
Senses
2. mingle with, associate — Hitpael reflexive sense of mingling or associating with others, carrying overtones of improper or dangerous involvement. The verb appears with a distinctly negative valence in Ezra 9:2 where the holy seed has 'mingled itself' with the peoples of the land — Spanish mezclaron and French se-meler both highlight the reflexive mixing. In Proverbs, the same stem warns against associating with gossips (Prov 20:19) and political agitators (Prov 24:21). Psalm 106:35 uses it to summarize Israel's recurring failure: they 'mingled among the nations and learned their ways.' The shift from economic exchange to social intermingling is semantically natural — both involve crossing a boundary of separation. 5×
AR["تَختَلِطْ","تَخْتَلِطْ","وَ-اختَلَطوا","وَ-اخْتَلَطَ","يَتَدَخَّلُ"]·ben["আর-মিশ্রিত-হয়েছে","এবং-তারা-মিশ্রিত-হল","মিশবে","মিশো","যোগ-দিও"]·DE["[והתערבו]","[יתערב]","[תתערב]","und-sie-mingled"]·EN["and-have-mixed","and-they-mingled","associate","get-involved","shares"]·FR["[והתערבו]","et-garantir","se-mêler"]·heb["ו-התערבו","ו-יתערבו","יתערב","תתערב"]·HI["और-वे-मिल-गए","ताकि-मिला-है","भाग-लेगा","मिल"]·ID["bergaul","dan-bercampur","dan-mereka-berbaur","mencampuri"]·IT["[והתערבו]","e-si-fece-garante","farsi-garante"]·jav["Nanging-sami-campur","lan-sampun-nyampur","nyampur","sesrawungan"]·KO["그리고-섞였나이다","그리고-섞였다","끼어들지","사귀지"]·PT["Antes-se-misturaram","e-misturou-se","se-mistura","te-mistures"]·RU["И-смешались","вмешается","и-смешалось","связывайся","смешивайся"]·ES["Y-se-mezclaron","se-entremete","te-asocies","te-mezcles","y-se-mezcló"]·SW["hashiriki","jichanganye","na-wakachanganyika","na-wamechanganyika","naye"]·TR["karışma","karışır","ve-karisti","ve-karıştılar"]·urd["اور-ملایا-گیا","اور-وہ-مل-گئے","شریک-ہو-گا","مل-جُل"]
3. make a wager, stake pledge — Hitpael imperative in the specific context of making a wager or issuing a challenge between parties (2 Kgs 18:23; Isa 36:8). The Rabshakeh's taunt to Hezekiah — 'make a wager with my master the king of Assyria' — uses the same reflexive stem as the 'mingle' sense but in a confrontational, transactional frame. Spanish apuesta ('bet') and the English 'wager' both point to a competitive exchange of pledges rather than mere social mingling or financial surety. Only two occurrences, but the military-diplomatic context and cross-linguistic consistency confirm a distinct sub-sense. 2×
AR["رَاهِنْ"]·ben["বাজি-ধর","বাজি-রাখ"]·DE["[התערב]","mache-ein-wager"]·EN["make-a-wager"]·FR["[התערב]","fais-un-wager"]·heb["התערב"]·HI["बाज़ी-लगा","शर्त-लगाओ"]·ID["bertaruhlah","buatlah-taruhan"]·IT["[התערב]","fa-un-wager"]·jav["sumangga-pasang-taruhan","totohan-priksa"]·KO["걸라","내기하라"]·PT["aposta"]·RU["поспорь","спорь"]·ES["apuesta","haz-un-trato"]·SW["weka-dhamana","weka-rehani"]·TR["bahse-gir"]·urd["شرط-لگا","شرط-لگاؤ"]
4. exchange, barter, trade — Qal participle and infinitive used in commercial contexts of bartering, trading, or exchanging goods. Both occurrences appear in Ezekiel 27's grand catalogue of Tyre's maritime commerce (Ezek 27:9, 27), where the 'barterers' and 'bartering' describe the exchange activities of merchant partners. Spanish comerciar ('to trade') and English 'barter' select specifically mercantile vocabulary, linking this sense to the root's underlying exchange semantics but in a purely commercial register rather than the legal guarantee of sense 1. 2×
AR["لِتُبَادِلُوا","وَمُبَادِلُو"]·ben["আর-বিনিময়কারীরা","বিনিময়-করতে"]·DE["[וערבי]","[לערב]"]·EN["and-barterers-of-","to-barter"]·FR["[וערבי]","[לערב]"]·heb["ו-עורבי","ל-ערוב"]·HI["और-लेन-देनेवाले-","लेन-देन-के-लिए"]·ID["dan-yang-memperdagangkan-","untuk-memperdagangkan"]·IT["[וערבי]","[לערב]"]·jav["lan-ingkang-nyampur","supados-campuran"]·KO["교역하려고-","그리고-교역하는-자들이-"]·PT["e-negociantes-de","para-negociar"]·RU["для-ведения","и-ведущие"]·ES["para-comerciar","y-los-que-comercian"]·SW["kufanya-biashara","na-wafanyabiashara-wa"]·TR["takas-etmek-için","ve-takas-edenler"]·urd["اور-تبادلہ-کرنے-والے-","تبادلہ-کرنے-کو"]
5. be pleasing, be sweet — A lone stative occurrence in Hosea 9:4 where sacrifices 'will not be pleasing' to Yahweh. The sense of being agreeable or sweet stands at the semantic periphery of the root, and some lexicographers assign it to a separate homonymous root ('arab III). Spanish agradable and English 'pleasing' both select hedonic vocabulary entirely different from the surety/exchange senses. The connection, if any, may lie in the notion of something being 'acceptable' — an offering that successfully completes an exchange with the divine. 1×
AR["تَسُرُّ-"]·ben["মধুর-হবে-"]·DE["[יערבו]"]·EN["shall-be-pleasing-"]·FR["[יערבו]"]·heb["יערבו-"]·HI["मधुर-होंगे-"]·ID["akan-menyenangkan"]·IT["[יערבו]"]·jav["sami-eca"]·KO["기믭하게-하리라-"]·PT["serão-doces"]·RU["будут-приятны-"]·ES["les-serán-agradables-"]·SW["za-kupendeza-"]·TR["hoş-olacak-"]·urd["پسند-ہوں-گی-"]
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† II. עָרַב vb. take on pledge, give in pledge, exchange (NH go surety for (rare); Ph. ערב surety; Old Aramaic ערבא pledge; 𝔗 עֲרַב, Syriac ܥܪܰܒ, go surety for; usually identified with I. ערב—mix, exchange, pledge—but quite uncertain; cf. BuhlLex LagBN 203);— Qal Pf. 3 ms. ע׳ Gn 44:32 + 4 times; 2 ms. עָרַבְתָּ Pr 6:1; Impf. 1 s. sf. אֶעֶרְבֶנּוּ Gn 43:9; Imv. עֲרֹב ψ 119:122, sf. עָרְבֵנִי Is…