rachach · be soft, be faint

What it means

rachach (רָכַךְ) is a Hebrew word of the Bible that means “be soft, be faint”.

Be soft: lose courage, the heart becoming weak; also to soften.

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. To be soft-hearted: be moved or lose nerve.
2. To become smooth like oil.

From Brown-Driver-Briggs (1906)

How it is translated

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

• grow faint ×2
• softened ×2
• was tender ×2
• grow soft ×1
• softer ×1

Related words

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

Where it appears

• Deuteronomy×1
• 2 Kings×1
• 2 Chronicles×1
• Job×1
• Psalms×1
• Isaiah×2
• Jeremiah×1

• Deuteronomy 20:3

  and say to them, “Hear, Israel: you are drawing near today to war against your enemies. Do not let your heart grow soft; do not be afraid, and do not panic, and do not be terrified before them,

• 2 Kings 22:19

  because your heart was tender and you humbled yourself before YHWH when you heard what I spoke against this place and against its inhabitants, that they would become a desolation and a curse, and you tore your clothes and wept before me, I also have heard, declares YHWH.

• 2 Chronicles 34:27

  because your heart was tender and you humbled yourself before Elohim when you heard his words against this place and against its inhabitants, and you humbled yourself before me, and tore your clothes and wept before me, I also have heard, declares YHWH.

• Job 23:16

  El has softened my heart, and Shaddai has troubled me.

• Psalms 55:21

  Smoother than butter is his mouth, but battle is in his heart; softer than oil are his words, but they are drawn swords.

• Isaiah 1:6

  From the sole of the foot even to the head there is no soundness in it: wound and bruise and fresh blow; they have not been pressed out or bound up or softened with oil.

• Isaiah 7:4

  and say to him, ‘Be careful and keep calm; do not fear, and do not let your heart grow faint because of these two tails of smoking firebrands, at the burning of the anger of Rezin and Aram and of the son of Remaliah.

• Jeremiah 51:46

  And lest your heart grow faint and you be afraid at the report that is heard in the land: the report comes in one year, and after it in another year the report, and violence in the land, and ruler against ruler.