regel · foot

What it means

regel (רֶגֶל) is a Hebrew word of the Bible that means “foot”.

The foot of an animal; also a step.

How to say it

Approximate pronunciation. Vowels sound as in Spanish (a as in father, e as in bed, i as in machine, o as in note, u as in rule); the syllable in bold is stressed. The voice is your device's.

Its senses in the Bible

1. The part of the body that supports and makes one walk.
2. Literally "the foot": where someone goes; walking behind them.
3. Each of the occasions when something happens.
4. A polite way of naming the private parts, or what comes from them.

From Brown-Driver-Briggs (1906)

Word study

Foot. BDB notes that from there it means a step and, by euphemism, the private parts. In some expressions, “time”.

• The feet: washing the feet, taking off sandals Genesis 18:4Exodus 3:5
• Sandals on the feet, ready to set out Exodus 12:11
• “Three times” a year (literally “three feet”) Exodus 23:14
• “At my coming” (literally “at my foot”) Genesis 30:30
• A guide for the way: “A lamp to my feet” Psalms 119:105

Historical and cultural background

Exodus 3:5 and Joshua 5:15 ask that sandals be taken off the feet because the place is holy.

How we translate it

“Feet” 151 times, “foot” 74, “legs” 4, “times” 4. It is translated “foot” or “feet”; in שָׁלֹשׁ רְגָלִים, “Three times” (Exodus 23:14), and in Genesis 30:30, “at my coming”. In 2 Kings 18:27 it is part of the euphemism translated “their urine”.

How it is translated

The words this translation uses for it, most frequent first.

• feet ×151
• foot ×74
• legs ×4
• times ×4
• after him ×3
• follow me ×2
• pace ×2
• urine ×2
• coming ×1
• follow you ×1
• others ×3

Related words

Words of the same family, by Strong’s numbering.

Where it appears

• Genesis×13
• Exodus×14
• Leviticus×11
• Numbers×5
• Deuteronomy×17
• Joshua×11
• Judges×11
• 1 Samuel×9
• 2 Samuel×16
• 1 Kings×6
• 2 Kings×8
• 1 Chronicles×2
• 2 Chronicles×3
• Nehemiah×1
• Esther×1
• Job×13
• Psalms×31
• Proverbs×15
• Ecclesiastes×1
• Song of Songs×1
• Isaiah×20
• Jeremiah×5
• Lamentations×3
• Ezekiel×22
• Amos×1
• Nahum×2
• Habakkuk×2
• Zechariah×2
• Malachi×1

• Genesis 8:9

  But the dove did not find a resting place for the sole of her foot, and she returned to him to the ark, for the waters were on the face of all the earth. And he reached out his hand and took her and brought her to himself into the ark.

• Genesis 18:4

  Let a little water be brought, please, and wash your feet, and rest under the tree.

• Genesis 19:2

  He said, “Look now, my lords, please turn aside to the house of your servant, spend the night, and wash your feet; then you can rise early and go on your way.” They said, “No, we will spend the night in the square.”

• Genesis 24:32

  The man came into the house, and he unloaded the camels and gave straw and fodder to the camels and water to wash his feet and the feet of the men who were with him.

• Genesis 29:1

  Jacob lifted up his feet and went to the land of the sons of the east.

• Genesis 30:30

  For you had little before me, and it has increased abundantly, and YHWH has blessed you at my coming. But now, when will I too do something for my own house?”

• Genesis 33:14

  Please let my lord pass on ahead of his servant, and I will lead on slowly, at the pace of the livestock that is ahead of me and at the pace of the children, until I come to my lord in Seir.”

• Genesis 41:44

  Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I am Pharaoh, and without you no one will lift his hand or his foot in all the land of Egypt.”

• Genesis 43:24

  The man brought the men into the house of Joseph and gave them water, and they washed their feet, and he gave fodder to their donkeys.

• Genesis 49:10

  The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until Shiloh comes, and to him will be the obedience of the peoples.

• Genesis 49:33

  When Jacob finished commanding his sons, he drew his feet into the bed, breathed his last, and was gathered to his people.

• Exodus 3:5

  He said, “Do not come near here. Take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.”

• Exodus 4:25

  Then Zipporah took a flint and cut off the foreskin of her son and touched it to his feet and said, “Surely a bridegroom of blood you are to me!”

• Exodus 11:8

  Then all these servants of yours will come down to me and bow down to me, saying, ‘Go out, you and all the people who follow you!’ And after that I will go out.” And he went out from Pharaoh in hot anger.

• Exodus 12:11

  This is how you shall eat it: your waists belted, your sandals on your feet, and your walking stick in your hand; and you shall eat it in haste. It is the Passover of YHWH.

• Exodus 21:24

  eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot,

• Exodus 23:14

  Three times in the year you shall hold a feast for me.

• Exodus 24:10

  and they saw the Elohim of Israel. Under his feet there was something like a work of pavement of sapphire, and like the very heavens for clearness.

• Exodus 25:26

  You shall make for it four rings of gold and put the rings on the four corners that are at its four feet.

• Exodus 29:20

  You shall slaughter the ram and take some of its blood and put it on the lobe of the right ear of Aaron and on the lobe of the ear of his sons, and on the thumb of their right hand and on the big toe of their right foot, and splash the blood on the altar all around.

• Exodus 30:19

  Aaron and his sons shall wash from it their hands and their feet.

• Exodus 30:21

  they shall wash their hands and their feet so that they will not die; and it shall be for them a statute forever, for him and for his offspring throughout their generations.”

• Exodus 37:13

  And he cast for it four rings of gold and put the rings on the four corners that were at its four legs.

• Exodus 40:31

  And Moses and Aaron and his sons would wash from it their hands and their feet.

• Leviticus 8:23

  He slaughtered it, and Moses took some of its blood and put it on the lobe of Aaron’s right ear, and on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot.

• Leviticus 8:24

  He brought near the sons of Aaron, and Moses put some of the blood on the lobe of their right ear, and on the thumb of their right hand, and on the big toe of their right foot; and Moses splashed the blood against the altar all around.

• Leviticus 11:21

  But these you may eat of all the winged insects that walk on all fours: those that have jointed legs above their feet with which to leap on the earth.

• Leviticus 11:23

  But every other winged insect that has four feet, it shall be a detestable thing for you.

• Leviticus 11:42

  Whatever goes on its belly, and whatever goes on all fours, or even whatever has many feet, among all the swarming things that swarm on the earth, you shall not eat them, for they are a detestable thing.

• Leviticus 13:12

  And if the leprosy breaks out widely in the skin, and the leprosy covers all the skin of the one with the sore from his head to his feet, as far as the priest’s eyes can see,

• Leviticus 14:14

  The priest shall take some of the blood of the guilt offering, and the priest shall put it on the lobe of the right ear of the one being purified, and on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot.

• Leviticus 14:17

  And some of the rest of the oil that is in his palm the priest shall put on the lobe of the right ear of the one being purified, and on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot, on top of the blood of the guilt offering.

• Leviticus 14:25

  He shall slaughter the lamb of the guilt offering, and the priest shall take some of the blood of the guilt offering and put it on the lobe of the right ear of the one being purified, and on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot.

• Leviticus 14:28

  The priest shall put some of the oil that is in his palm on the lobe of the right ear of the one being purified, and on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot, on the place of the blood of the guilt offering.

• Leviticus 21:19

  or a man who has a broken foot or a broken hand,

• Numbers 20:19

  And the sons of Israel said to him, “We will go up by the highway, and if we drink your water, I and my livestock, then I will pay its price. Only it is nothing: let me pass through on foot.”

• Numbers 22:25

  And the donkey saw the angel of YHWH and pressed herself against the wall and pressed Balaam’s foot against the wall; and he struck her again.

• Numbers 22:28

  Then YHWH opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Balaam, “What have I done to you, that you have struck me these three times?”

• Numbers 22:32

  And the angel of YHWH said to him, “Why have you struck your donkey these three times? Look, I have come out as an opponent, because your way is reckless before me.

• Numbers 22:33

  And the donkey saw me and turned aside before me these three times. If she had not turned aside from me, surely by now I would have killed even you and let her live.”

And 207 more times.