Râchaq (רָחַק, Strong's #7368), “far.” A common Semitic term, this word was known in ancient Akkadian and Ugaritic long before the Hebrew of the Old Testament. Râchaq is a common word in modern Hebrew as well. The word is used about 55 times in the Hebrew Old Testament and it occurs for the first time in Gen. 21:16.
Râchaq is used to express “distance” of various types. It may be “distance” from a place (Deut. 12:21), as when Job felt that his friends kept themselves “aloof” from him (Job 30:10). Sometimes the word expresses “absence” altogether: “… The comforter that should relieve my soul is far from me …” (Lam. 1:16). “To be distant” was also “to abstain”: “Keep thee far from a false matter” (Exod. 23:7).
Sometimes râchaq implies the idea of “exile”: “… The Lord [removes] men far away” (Isa. 6:12). “To make the ends of the land distant” is “to extend the boundaries”: “… thou hast increased the [borders of the land]” (Isa. 26:15).
With over 400 entries, this timeless classic is THE reference guide to Old Testament Greek words for English readers. It explains the meaning of the original Hebrew with the added dimension of the context of the word.Wikipedia
Read More