H8626 H8626
to make straight, arrange in order, set right what is crooked or disordered
This verb denotes the action of straightening, arranging, or putting in proper order. Qoheleth uses it to explore life's fundamental questions: what is crooked cannot be made straight (1:15), and who can straighten what God has made crooked (7:13)? Yet in 12:9, the Preacher himself 'arranged' proverbs in order, bringing wisdom into structured form. The word thus carries both cosmic and practical dimensions—acknowledging limits to human power to fix creation's distortions while affirming our capacity to order wisdom and knowledge. It's about alignment, correctness, proper arrangement.
Senses
1. sense 1 — Cross-linguistic glosses consistently emphasize straightening and arranging—Spanish 'enderezar,' French 'redresser,' German 'gerade machen.' All three Ecclesiastes passages explore the tension between divine sovereignty over what is crooked or straight and human responsibility to order wisdom. The verb appears in infinitive forms discussing ability or inability to straighten (1:15, 7:13) and in a perfect form describing the completed action of arranging proverbs (12:9). The evidence points to both physical straightening and intellectual/moral ordering. 3×
AR["أَتَ", "أَنْ-يُقَوَّمَ", "تِقِّين"]·ben["সাজিয়েছিলেন", "সোজা-করতে", "সোজা-করা"]·DE["gerade-machen"]·EN["he-arranged", "to-be-straightened", "to-straighten"]·FR["redresser", "à-redresser"]·heb["ל-תקון", "ל-תקן", "תיקן"]·HI["रचे", "सीधा-करना", "सीधा-होना"]·ID["dia-menyusun", "diluruskan", "meluruskan"]·IT["egli-arranged", "per-a-essere-straightened", "per-a-straighten"]·jav["dipunlempengaken", "nata", "ndandosi"]·KO["곧게-되기를", "곧게-하기를", "정돈하였다"]·PT["compôs", "endireitar", "ser-endireitado"]·RU["выпрямить", "выпрямиться", "составил"]·ES["compuso", "enderezar", "enderezarse"]·SW["akatunga", "kunyoosha", "kunyooshwa"]·TR["duzeltemez", "duzeltilemez", "duzenledi"]·urd["ترتیب-دیے", "سیدھا", "سیدھا-کرنا"]
Related Senses
H2896a 1. good (quality or moral) (305×)H7563 1. wicked person (259×)H7451c 1. moral evil or wickedness (234×)H5771 1. iniquity, sin, wrongdoing (222×)H6662 1. righteous person (substantive) (195×)G0266 1. sin, failure, transgression (173×)H2403b 1. sin, transgression (170×)H2617a 1. Covenant faithfulness, steadfast love (167×)H2398 1. Qal: to sin, commit sin (165×)H6666 1. righteousness, moral uprightness (145×)G5485 1. grace, divine favor (141×)H7451a 1. morally evil, wicked (129×)H2403b 2. sin-offering, sacrifice for sin (120×)G2570 1. good, right, excellent (98×)H6588 1. transgression, offense against God (88×)G0018 1. good (moral quality) (85×)H2896b 1. good, what is good (85×)H7451b 1. evil, wickedness (moral) (83×)H7451a 2. evil, harm, calamity (80×)G1342 1. righteous, upright (of persons) (70×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† [תָּקַן] vb. become straight (NH תִּקֵּן arrange, put right; Ecclus 47:9 תיקן set in order; Assyrian taḳânu, be well ordered, especially Pi. as NH; Aramaic ܬܩܶܢ be established, firm, Pa. ܬܰܩܶܢ, תַּקֵּין fix, arrange, prepare, etc.; Palm. Pa. erect);— Qal Inf. cstr. לִתְקֹן Ec 1:15 (opp. מְעֻוָּת bent). Pi. Inf. cstr. לְתַקֵּן 7:13 make straight (opp. עִוָּה); Pf. 3 ms. תִּקֵּן 12:9 put straight, arrange in order (proverbs).