H6203 H6203
Back of the neck: stiffened in stubborn resistance; turned in flight from enemies; the literal nape.
The Hebrew noun oreph names the back of the neck — the part you see when someone turns away. Most famously, the compound qesheh-oreph ('stiff-necked') became Israel's defining self-description: a people who stiffen the nape and refuse to bow (Exod 32:9; Deut 9:6). Spanish cerviz and French nuque preserve the body-part specificity. Separately, oreph appears in military contexts where enemies 'turn the back of the neck' in flight (Gen 49:8; Ps 18:40), and in a handful of passages it simply names the physical nape in contexts of grasping or striking (Lev 5:8; Job 16:12).
Senses
1. neck (stiff-necked stubbornness) — The neck as the seat of stubbornness, concentrated in the idiom qesheh-oreph ('stiff of neck'), describing obstinate refusal to submit to God's will or accept correction. With 17 occurrences, this is the dominant sense, recurring as a divine accusation against Israel from Sinai onward: 'I have seen this people, and behold, it is a stiff-necked people' (Exod 32:9; 33:3, 5; 34:9; Deut 9:6, 13; 10:16). Spanish dura cerviz, French raide de cou, and Korean 목이 곧은 all attempt to render the physical metaphor of a neck that will not bend. Jeremiah and Chronicles extend this to later generations who 'stiffened their neck' against the prophets (2 Kgs 17:14; 2 Chr 30:8; 36:13; Neh 9:16-17, 29). 17×
AR["أَقْفَاءَهُمْ", "الرَّقَبَةِ", "رَقَبَتَكَ", "رَقَبَتُكَ", "رِقَابَكُمْ", "رِقَابَهُمْ", "رِقَابِهِمْ", "قَفَاهُمْ", "وَ-رِقَابَهُمْ", "وَرِقَابَكُمْ"]·ben["-তাদের-ঘাড়", "-তোমার-ঘাড়", "আর-তাদের-ঘাড়", "এবং-তোমাদের-ঘাড়", "ঘাড়ের", "তাদের-গর্দান", "তাদের-ঘাড়", "তোমাদের-ঘাড়", "তোমার-গর্দান"]·DE["Nacken", "[וערפם]", "[ערפכם]", "[ערפם]", "dein-neck", "ihr-neck", "neck", "und-dein-neck"]·EN["and-their-neck", "and-your-neck", "is-your-neck", "neck", "neck-their", "their-neck", "your-neck"]·FR["[וערפם]", "[ערפכם]", "[ערפם]", "cou", "et-ton-cou", "leur-cou", "nuque", "ton-cou"]·heb["ו-עורפכם", "ו-ערפם-ם", "עורף", "עורפך", "עורפם", "ערפכם-כם", "ערפם-ם"]·HI["अपनी-गर्दन", "और-अपनी-गर्दन", "और-गर्दन-अपनी", "गर्दन", "गर्दन-अपनी", "गर्दन-वाले", "तेरी-गर्दन"]·ID["dan-tengkuk-mereka", "dan-tengkuk-mu", "tengkuk", "tengkuk-kalian", "tengkuk-mereka", "tengkukmu"]·IT["[וערפם]", "[ערפכם]", "[ערפם]", "e-tuo-neck", "loro-collo", "neck", "nuca", "tuo-neck"]·jav["[mirengaken]", "gegermu", "gulu", "gulu-nipun", "gulu-panjenengan", "gulu;", "gulué", "lan-gulu-nipun", "lan-gulu-panjenengan", "mirengaken"]·KO["그들의-목", "그들의-목을", "그리고-그들의-목을", "그리고-너희의-목을", "네-목(접)", "네-목이고", "목", "목-그들의", "뻣뻣한"]·PT["cervis-deles", "cerviz", "cerviz-deles", "e-cervis-deles", "e-vossa-cerviz", "nuca-vossa", "pescoço", "sua-cerviz", "sua-cerviz,", "tua-cerviz"]·RU["[ОМ]", "выей", "выи-ваши", "выю-свою", "выю-твою", "затылок-свой", "и-шею-вашу", "и-шею-свою", "свою", "шею-свою", "шея-твоя"]·ES["cerviz", "cerviz-de-ellos", "cerviz-suya", "cerviz-vuestra", "su-cerviz", "tu-cerviz", "y-cerviz-de-ellos", "y-vuestra-cerviz"]·SW["arpּkem", "na-shingo-zao", "na-shingo-zenu", "ngumu", "shingo-yako", "shingo-zao"]·TR["boynunu", "boyunlarını", "boyunun", "ense", "enselerini", "enseli", "ensenızı", "ve-boyunlarını", "ve-ensenizi"]·urd["اور-اپنی-گردن", "اپنی-گردن", "تیری-گردن", "گردن", "گردن-اُن-کی", "گردن-اپنی", "گردن-والی"]
Exod 32:9, Exod 33:3, Exod 33:5, Exod 34:9, Deut 9:6, Deut 9:13, Deut 10:16, Deut 31:27, 2 Kgs 17:14, 2 Chr 30:8, Neh 9:16, Neh 9:17 (+5 more)
2. back of neck (turning away) — The back of the neck as shown when turning away — whether fleeing from enemies in battle or turning one's back on God in apostasy. With 10 occurrences, this sense appears in the promise that Judah's hand will be 'on the neck of your enemies' as they flee (Gen 49:8), in the military defeat at Ai where Israel 'turned their backs before their enemies' (Josh 7:8, 12), and in Jeremiah's portrait of apostasy: 'they turned their back to me, and not their face' (Jer 2:27; 32:33). Spanish espalda, French dos, and German Ruecken shift from 'neck' to 'back' vocabulary, reflecting that the translators sense the directional meaning — it is the posture of retreat and rejection, not mere anatomy. 10×
AR["الظَّهْرَ", "الـ-قَفَا", "قَفاهُ", "قَفاً", "قَفًا", "قَفَا", "قَفَاهُمْ"]·ben["গর্দান", "পিঠ", "পিঠ।", "পৃষ্ঠ"]·DE["Nacken", "[ערף]", "back-von-neck", "ihr-backs", "ihr-zurueck", "neck", "sein-zurueck"]·EN["back", "back-of-neck", "its-back", "neck", "the-back", "their-back", "their-backs"]·FR["[ערף]", "cou", "dos-de-cou", "leur-back", "nuque", "son-back"]·heb["עורף", "ערף"]·HI["पीठ", "पीठ।"]·ID["punggung", "tengkuk"]·IT["[ערף]", "back-di-neck", "collo", "loro-indietro", "nuca", "suo-indietro"]·jav["geger", "geger-nipun", "geger."]·KO["등", "등-을", "등을"]·PT["as-costas", "costas", "nuca", "nádega"]·RU["спину"]·ES["espalda", "nuca"]·SW["kisogo", "kisogo.", "mgongo", "shingo", "shingo-zao"]·TR["ense", "enselerini", "ensesini", "enseyi", "sırt", "sırtlarını", "sırtını"]·urd["پشت", "پیٹھ"]
3. nape of neck (physical body part) — The literal nape of the neck as a physical body part in non-idiomatic contexts involving grasping, striking, pinching off, or describing anatomical contact. With 6 occurrences, this straightforward sense appears in the sacrificial procedure of pinching off a bird's head at the neck (Lev 5:8), God seizing Job 'by the nape' and dashing him to pieces (Job 16:12), and Habakkuk's curse of pouring out wrath 'to lay bare the neck' (Hab 3:13). Spanish nuca, French nuque, and German Nacken render the plain anatomy. The distinction from senses 1 and 2 is that here the neck is a physical target rather than a metaphor for defiance or flight. 6×
AR["بِ-قَفَايَ", "عَلَى-قَفَا", "عُنُقَهُ", "قَفَاهُ", "كَقَفَا"]·ben["-আমার-ঘাড়", "ঘাড়", "ঘাড়ে", "তাঁর-ঘাড়", "তার-গর্দানের", "যেমন-ঘাড়"]·DE["[בערפי]", "[ערף]", "[ערפו]", "am-Nacken", "sein-neck", "wie-neck-von"]·EN["by-my-neck", "his-neck", "its-neck", "like-neck-of", "on-neck-of", "the-neck"]·FR["[ערפו]", "comme-cou-de", "dans-mon-בערפי-moi", "son-cou", "sur-cou-de", "ערף"]·heb["ב-עורפי", "ב-ערף", "כ-עורף", "עורף", "עורפו", "ערפו-ו"]·HI["उसकी-गर्दन", "गर्दन", "गर्दन-उसकी", "जैसे-गर्दन", "पर-गर्दन", "मेरी-गर्दन-से"]·ID["di-tengkuk", "lehernya", "seperti-tengkuk", "tengkuk", "tengkukku", "tengkuknya"]·IT["[ערפו]", "come-collo-di", "il-collo", "in-da-mio-collo-mio", "su-neck-di", "suo-neck"]·jav["gulu", "ing-gulu-kawula", "jangga-nipun", "kados-guluning", "wonten-gulu"]·KO["그-목-뒤를", "그의-목을", "나의-목덮미를", "목-같이", "목을", "에-목덤미"]·PT["como-cerviz-de", "pelo-meu-pescoço", "pescoço", "pescoço-dele", "sobre-nuca-de", "sua-nuca"]·RU["выю", "выю-свою", "за-шею-мою", "затылка-её", "как-затылок", "на-затылке"]·ES["cerviz", "como-cerviz-de", "en-nuca-de", "nuca-suya", "por-mi-cuello", "su-cerviz"]·SW["adui-yako", "arpּwo", "kama-shingo", "kwa-shingo-yangu", "shingo", "shingo-yake"]·TR["boynunu", "ensemin", "ensesi", "ensesi-gibi", "ensesin", "ensesinde"]·urd["اُس-کی-گردن", "اپنی-گردن", "جیسے-گردن", "میری-گردن-سے", "گردن-اپنی", "گردن-پر"]
Related Senses
H3808 1. simple negation (not) (4839×)G1722 1. locative: in, within (2442×)H1004b 1. house, dwelling, building (2015×)G3756 1. not (negation particle) (1635×)H7200 1. Qal: to see, perceive (1257×)H4480a 1. source or separation (1198×)H5892b 1. city, town (1093×)G4771 2. you (singular address) (1077×)G1519 1. direction: into, to, toward (1061×)H3427 1. Qal: to dwell, inhabit (937×)H8085 1. Qal: hear, perceive aurally (921×)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×)H0859a 1. you (2nd person masculine singular pronoun) (743×)H0369 1. existential negation: there is not (738×)H5869a 1. in the eyes/sight of (evaluative) (734×)H5650 1. Servant, attendant, subject (723×)H0408 1. prohibitive negation do-not (712×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† עֹ֫רֶף n.m. Dt 31:27 back of neck, neck;—ע׳ abs. Jos 7:12 +; cstr. Gn 49:8 +; sf. עָרְפִּי Jb 16:12, עָרְפְּךָ Dt 31:27, etc.;— 1. back of neck of fleeing foe יָֽדְךָ בְּע׳ אֹיְבֶיךָ Gn 49:8 (poem in J), cf. וְאָחַז בְּעָרְפִּי Jb 16:12 (fig.); Ex 23:27 (E), ψ 18:41 = 2 S 22:41; turn (הָפַךְ, פָּנָה) one’s back before (לִפְנֵי) a foe Jos 7:8, 12 (JE), abs. Je 48:39; fig. of apostasy פָּנָה…