to skip about
ra.qad describes animated movement, rendered in its verses as skipping, leaping, or dancing.
The dominant usage depicts vigorous skipping or leaping: youths, a battle-like advance, a chariot, and even mountains are presented in motion. A smaller cluster places the movement in scenes rendered as dancing, including David, a stated time for dancing, and wild goats.
Senses in use
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Vigorous skipping or leaping · dominant
In Job 21:11, the Piel imperfect describes youths as they move like a flock; the APB renders the clause “their youths skip about.” Joel 2:5 similarly depicts a force advancing over mountain tops, while Nahum 3:2 places the feminine participle with a rushing horse and chariot; the APB renders these scenes “they skip about” and “a chariot skipping about.” Psalm 114:4, Psalm 114:6, and Psalm 29:6 extend this motion to mountains and hills, with Psalm 29:6 using a Hiphil sequential imperfect in the clause the APB renders “He made them skip like a calf.”
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Dance-like movement · common
In 1 Chronicles 15:29, the masculine singular active participle occurs as Michal sees David in motion before the ark; the APB renders the scene “King David leaping and dancing.” Ecclesiastes 3:4 places the Qal infinitive construct in the paired statement of “a time to mourn and a time to dance,” while Isaiah 13:21 uses a Piel imperfect for wild goats, rendered “wild goats will dance.”
In the Anselm Project Bible: The APB varies between “skip about,” “skipping about,” “skipped,” and “skip” in the movement scenes, while it uses “dancing” or “dance” in 1 Chronicles 15:29, Ecclesiastes 3:4, and Isaiah 13:21. These renderings show the verses' presentation rather than fixed English equivalents.