Râkab (רָכַב, Strong's #7392), “to ride, cause to ride.” Already found in ancient Akkadian and Ugaritic, this word is also common to both ancient and modern Hebrew. It occurs approximately 70 times in the text of the Hebrew Bible and is found for the first time in Gen. 24:61: “And Rebekah arose, and her damsels, and they rode upon the camels.…” In addition to camels, the biblical account records the riding of mules (2 Sam. 13:29), asses (1 Sam. 25:42), horses (Zech. 1:8), and chariots (2 Kings 9:16). “To ride” upon horses is symbolic of an alliance with Assyria (Hos. 14:3).
Isaiah’s statement that “the Lord rideth upon a swift cloud” (Isa. 19:1) is an interesting parallel to the Ugaritic text’s reference to the god Baal as “a rider on the clouds.” This is not to equate Baal with God, but simply to note the similar imagery which is used, and the apparent influence of one literature on another.