H7390 H7390
Tender, delicate, soft: young or frail in body; gentle or mild in speech; fainthearted, timid in courage.
The Hebrew adjective rakh spans a spectrum from physical tenderness to emotional gentleness to psychological timidity — three dimensions of softness that Hebrew unites under a single root. In its most frequent use, it describes the tender vulnerability of youth and delicacy: Jacob's children are 'tender' and cannot be driven hard (Gen 33:13), Abraham selects a 'tender and good' calf for his angelic visitors (Gen 18:7), and Leah's eyes are described as rakkot — 'tender' or 'soft' in contrast to Rachel's beauty (Gen 29:17). Arabic rakhsan and Korean yeonhan confirm the physical-delicacy reading across language families. Proverbs deploys the word for the power of gentle speech: 'a soft answer turns away wrath' (Prov 15:1) and 'a soft tongue breaks bone' (Prov 25:15), where Spanish suave and Arabic layyinun shift toward communicative gentleness. The single military occurrence in Deuteronomy 20:8 — dismissing the 'fainthearted' soldier from battle — reveals how tenderness becomes a liability when courage is required.
Senses
1. tender, young, delicate — Tender, young, or delicate in body or constitution — describing persons, animals, or plants that are soft, frail, or immature. Twelve occurrences cover Abraham's tender calf (Gen 18:7), Leah's gentle eyes (Gen 29:17), Jacob's fragile children (Gen 33:13), the young and inexperienced Solomon (1 Chr 22:5; 29:1), the pampered man and woman of Deuteronomy's curse (Deut 28:54, 56), David's self-description as 'weak though anointed king' (2 Sam 3:39), Ezekiel's tender twig (Ezek 17:22), and a child described as 'tender and only-beloved' (Prov 4:3). Arabic rakhsan, Korean yeonhan, and Spanish tierno all cluster around physical softness and youth. The Babylonian lady told to descend from her throne (Isa 47:1) extends the image — she is 'tender and delicate,' unaccustomed to hardship. 12×
AR["الرَّقِيقَةُ", "الرَّقِيقُ", "رَخْصًا", "رَقِيقًا", "رَقِيقٌ", "رَقِيقَتَانِ", "رَقِيقُونَ", "طَرِيًّا", "نَاعِمَةً", "وَ-غَضٌّ", "وَرَخوَ", "وَغَضٌّ"]·ben["আর-কোমল", "ও-কোমল", "কোমল"]·DE["[ורך]", "[רך]", "[רכה]", "der-zart", "tender", "waren-sanft", "zart-sind", "zartes"]·EN["and-tender", "and-tender-", "tender", "the-tender"]·FR["[ורך]", "[רכה]", "le-tender", "tender", "tendre"]·heb["ה-רך", "ה-רכה", "ו-רך", "רך", "רכה"]·HI["और-कोमल", "और-कोमल-", "कोमल", "कोमल-हैं"]·ID["Perempuan-yang-lembut", "dan-lemah", "dan-lembut", "empuk", "lemah", "lemah-lembut", "lembut", "muda", "yang-lembut"]·IT["[ורך]", "[רך]", "[רכה]", "il-tender", "tender", "tenero"]·jav["Ingkang-alus", "alus", "empuk", "ingkang-alus", "lan-alus", "lan-alus-", "lan-lemes", "ringkih", "taksih-timur"]·KO["그-부드러운-여인이", "그리고-연약한", "부드러운", "부드러웠다", "연약하고", "연한"]·PT["a-delicada", "delicados", "e-mole-de-", "e-tenro", "fraco", "o-delicado", "tenras", "tenro", "terna"]·RU["Нежная", "и-мягким-", "и-нежен", "нежная", "нежного", "нежный", "нежным", "слаб", "слабые"]·ES["La-tierna", "tierna", "tierno", "tiernos", "y-tierno", "y-tierno-de-"]·SW["dhaifu", "laini", "mpole", "mwanamke-laini", "mwororo", "na-kondoo", "na-laini-", "na-mwororo"]·TR["hassas", "narin", "ve-kırılgan", "ve-narin", "ve-yumuşak-", "yumusak", "yumuşak", "yumuşaktı", "zayıfım"]·urd["اور-نرم", "نازک", "نازک-ہیں", "نرم", "کمزور-تھیں", "کومل"]
2. soft, gentle (of speech or manner) — Soft or gentle in speech, manner, or approach — describing the quality of words or persuasion rather than physical constitution. Three occurrences in wisdom literature celebrate the paradoxical strength of softness: 'a soft answer turns away wrath' (Prov 15:1), 'a soft tongue breaks bone' (Prov 25:15), and Leviathan's mock question about whether it will 'speak soft words' to its captor (Job 41:3). Spanish suave, Arabic layyinun, and Korean budeureon all shift from physical tenderness to communicative gentleness, confirming this as a distinct metaphorical extension. The Proverbs passages are especially memorable for their ironic reversals — what is soft defeats what is hard. 3×
AR["بِلِينٍ؟", "لَيِّنٌ"]·ben["কোমল", "নরম", "নরম-কথা"]·DE["[רך]", "[רכה]", "[רכות]"]·EN["gentle", "soft", "soft-words"]·FR["tendre"]·heb["רך", "רכה", "רכות"]·HI["कोमल", "कोमल-बातें"]·ID["lembut", "yang-lembut"]·IT["gentle", "soft", "soft-words"]·jav["alus", "kang-alus", "tembung-tembung-alus?"]·KO["부드러운", "부드러운-것들을"]·PT["branda", "branduras?", "suave"]·RU["кроткий", "мягкий", "мягкое"]·ES["suave", "suavemente"]·SW["laini", "maneno-laini"]·TR["yumuşak", "yumuşaklar"]·urd["نرم", "نرم-باتیں"]
3. fainthearted, timid — Fainthearted, timid, or lacking courage — the emotional dimension of softness applied to a warrior's resolve. A single occurrence in Deuteronomy 20:8 instructs Israel's officers to dismiss any soldier who is 'fearful and fainthearted' (rakh ha-levav, literally 'soft of heart') before battle, lest his cowardice spread. Spanish blando, German schwach, and Arabic al-layyinu all render this with vocabulary of weakness rather than gentleness. The compound construction with levav ('heart') makes the metaphor transparent: a 'soft heart' in the context of warfare is not compassion but debilitating fear. 1×
AR["وَاللَّيِّنُ"]·ben["এবং-দুর্বল"]·DE["und-schwach"]·EN["and-faint"]·FR["et-faint"]·heb["ו-רך"]·HI["और-कोमल"]·ID["dan-lemah"]·IT["e-debole"]·jav["lan-lemes"]·KO["그리고-부드러운"]·PT["e-fraco-de"]·RU["и-слабый"]·ES["y-blando"]·SW["na-mwenye-moyo-laini"]·TR["ve-yumuşak"]·urd["اور-نرم"]
Related Senses
G2309 1. want, desire (166×)G0025 1. to love actively (133×)H0157 1. love (verb, active Qal) (129×)H8055 1. Qal: rejoice, be glad (123×)H7453 1. neighbor, fellow man (120×)G0026 1. of love (115×)H1058 1. Qal: to weep, cry (112×)H0954 1. to be ashamed, feel shame (Qal) (95×)H8057 1. joy, gladness, delight (90×)H2781 1. disgrace, shame, dishonor (68×)G2307 1. will, desire, purpose (63×)G5463 1. rejoice, be glad (63×)G0027 1. beloved (61×)H8130 1. Qal: to hate, detest (60×)G5479 1. (59×)G1680 1. (53×)H8130 2. Qal ptcp: hater, enemy (53×)H0014 1. be willing, want (51×)H0157 2. lover, friend (Qal participle substantive) (51×)H1945 1. woe (50×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† רַךְ adj. tender, delicate, soft;—ר׳ abs. Gn 18:7 +, cstr. Dt 20:8; 2 Ch 13:7; fs. רַכָּה Dt 28:56 +; mpl. רַכִּים Gn 33:13; fpl. abs. רַכּוֹת 29:17 Jb 40:27;— 1. tender of flesh Gn 18:7 (J; בֶּן־בָּקָר); tender, delicate, especially in body, of children 33:13 (J), cf. (implying weakness of undeveloped character) 2 S 3:39, נַעַר וָרָ֑ךְ 1 Ch 22:5; 29:1, (וְיָחִיד) רַךְ Pr 4:3 (‘of tender age,’…