Lexicon
דָּרַךְ
da.rakh
H1869
H:V Hebrew

to tread

63
Occurrences
18
Books
Hebrew
Language

da.rakh describes stepping or moving over a place, pressing produce, drawing a bow, and, in Hiphil forms, leading along a way.

The attested uses most often concern moving by foot over land, paths, high places, or other terrain; they also describe pressing grapes or olives, handling a bow in battle, and, in Hiphil forms, leading someone along a way or path.

Senses in use

  1. Stepping or moving over a place · dominant

    Qal forms occur where a foot is placed on land or where someone moves across terrain. In Deuteronomy 11:24 the APB renders the clause, “Every place on which the sole of your foot treads shall be yours,” while Amos 4:13 and Micah 1:3 describe treading on high places; Habakkuk 3:15 places the action in the sea with horses.

  2. Pressing grapes or olives · common

    Qal forms occur in agricultural processing. In Amos 9:13 the APB refers to “the treader of grapes,” and in Isaiah 63:3 it renders the speaker’s action, “I have trodden the winepress alone”; Micah 6:15 similarly joins the action to olives and oil.

  3. Drawing or preparing a bow · common

    Several Qal forms stand in battle contexts alongside a bow. In Psalm 11:2 the APB renders, “the wicked tread the bow,” followed by preparing an arrow on the cord; Jeremiah 46:9 and Jeremiah 50:14 likewise place the forms in clauses about those who handle or bend the bow.

  4. Leading along a way or path · occasional

    Hiphil forms describe causing people to proceed along a route or path. In Isaiah 42:16 the APB renders, “I will lead the blind in a way they have not known,” and Psalm 119:35 petitions, “Lead me in the path of your commandments”; Proverbs 4:11 joins the form with instruction in tracks of uprightness.

In the Anselm Project Bible: The APB commonly uses “treads,” “trodden,” or “tread” in land, path, and winepress clauses, while Hiphil clauses are rendered “lead” or “guide.” In bow contexts it variously presents “tread the bow,” “drawing the bow,” or “bend the bow”; These are presentations of the clauses rather than fixed translations of the lemma.

Passages featuring this word

Across Scripture