Language Studies

Hebrew Thoughts

Derekh - דרך (Strong's #01870)
Way, path'

"And David behaved wisely in all his ways, and the Lord was with him." (1 Samuel 18:14)

דרך derekh (Strong's #1870) is the Hebrew word for a "way, road, path", a "journey", or "manner, custom" of life. In this it is similar to הלך hâlak (Strong's #1980) "to go" or "go along with". It is often used with הלך hâlak as in 2 Chronicles 17:3-4, "the LORD was with Jehoshaphat, because he walked in the former ways of his father David; he did not seek the Baals, but sought the God of his father, and walked in His commandments...". At other times it could simply refer to the physical road itself or a journey upon it. Elijah even sarcastically suggests to the prophets of Baal that maybe Baal has gone "on a journey" (1 Kings 18:27) when he doesn't answer their prayers and mutilations.

The root verb is דרך dârakh (Strong's #1869, 62 uses) "to tread or trample with the feet'', hence to tread out grapes or olives to express wine or oil. Israel's enemies are sometimes "trodden on" as if they were grapes! (e.g., Isaiah 63:2-3 where it is used of the winepress and then paralleled with רמס ramaç (Strong's #7429), another Hebrew verb for 'trample', of treading on the enemies). It is most similar to דרבדודרןסהאַהרםֵלםחהםבףםוצגנץמבםרֵתןרגםתבלןנכסּתרונגסשןעתוֵרץבבםןתתרםןדתרןמפלםורתהרםסהותהתהםםםתֵןנדהםנצםתוֵרםקץםנתֵןפלןצםורתהנגבירםגץלןרףסתנגורםנקץרינַהרםֵדםסכפןססןגםךםטְשׂןמפתנכךשׂןמפסרֵתןרגםתבלןנכךּםרםמןהְןוהםנתסץסםדותהרםסהנגתּהםמןגםסתהןתומןכנגןוםללוורנפןתהתוןפןרתצץלןרפלןצםפפּצלןססתםחתבודידרך dârakh is first used in Numbers 24:17, "I shall see him, but not now: I shall behold him, but not nigh: there shall come (דרך dârakh) a star out of Jacob, and a sceptre shall rise out of Israel, and shall smite the corners of Moab, and destroy all the children of Sheth", which is interpreted of the Messiah's coming.

It is used in Deuteronomy (1:36; 11:24,25) and Joshua (1:3; 14:9) of the possessing of the promised land "every where you tread".

Interestingly, it is used of God who "stretches out the firmament/expanse" and who "treads upon the waves/heights of the sea" in Job 9:8. This refers to God's holding back the waters when dry land appeared but which He unleashed again at the flood (cf. Job 38:10,11). He is also the only one who can calm the seas (Psalms 65:7; 89:9; 93:3,4; 107:25-29) and walk/tread on them. Jesus both calmed and walked on the water (Matthew 8:26-27; 14:25-26,33), something the Jews knew only God could do and which resulted in the disciples' worship. The Egyptian hieroglyph for doing something impossible is a man walking upon water. The ancient pagan god of the sea, Neptune, is not described as walking on it, as being too great a task for him, only as swimming (Cicero de Natura Deorum, l. 2).

It is often used of 'treading' or 'bending' a large bow, before fitting it with an arrow. In this way it is often spoken of in conjunction with 'sharpened arrows' and 'whetted swords', all of which are used metaphorically of the tongue as sharpened, whetted or bent, for evil talk or for teaching, (e.g., Jeremiah 9:3; Zechariah 9:13). Indeed, the verb is often paralleled with 'teaching' as in Psalm 25:5,9 (with למד lâmadh Strong's #3925) and Proverbs 4:11 (with ירה yârâh Strong's #3384).

The root d-r-k, with a hard "t" sometimes taking the place of the "d", comes through in other words such as the Greek τρεχω trechô (Strong's #5143), like 'trek' in English, and other English words such as DiReCtion and TRaCK.

Returning to the derived noun derekh we see it used of those not knowing "the way of peace", in Isaiah 59:8, describing a perverse manner of life akin to treading a crooked path.

Jeremiah 6:16 is another classic example of the physical path standing for the moral one, "stand in the ways and ask for the old paths, where the good way is and walk in them".

דרך derekh is first used in Scripture of God's "guarding, keeping and preserving", the way back to the tree of life (Genesis 3:24), later, Jesus declares that he is the way back to the tree of life (John 14:6).

In Deuteronomy 32:4 and Proverbs 8:22 God's ways are virtually synonymous with God's works.

It could also mean "strength" in the sense of trusting in one's own way of doing things (e.g., Proverbs 31:3, where derekh is in parallel with "strength"; Hosea 10:13).

The early church before they were ever known as Christians or Christianity were called the Nazarene sect or "the Way" (Acts 19:9, 23).

Copyright Statement
'Hebrew Thoughts' Copyright 2024© KJ Went. 'Hebrew Thoughts' articles may be reproduced in whole under the following provisions: 1) A proper credit must be given to the author at the end of each article, along with a link to www.biblicalhebrew.com and https://www.studylight.org/language-studies/hebrew-thoughts.html  2) 'Hebrew Thoughts' content may not be arranged or "mirrored" as a competitive online service.