Original Word: חָרַךְ
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: charak
Pronunciation: khaw-rak'
Phonetic Spelling: (khaw-rak')
KJV: roast
NASB: roast
Word Origin: [a primitive root]

1. to braid (i.e. to entangle or snare) or catch (game) in a net

roast

A primitive root; to braid (i.e. To entangle or snare) or catch (game) in a net -- roast.

Word Origin
a prim. root
Definition
perhaps to scorch, parch
NASB Translation
roast (1).

I. [חָרַךְ] verb set in motion, start (compare Arabic move, be agitated, II. set in motion) — only

Qal Imperfect3masculine singular לֹאיַֿחֲרֹךְ רְמִיָּה צֵידוֺ Proverbs 12:27 slackness (i.e. a slack or slothful man) doth not start its game De RVm, compare Now (> Be Ew after Jewish tradition, doth not roast, Aramaic חֲרַךְ, scorch, parch).

II. חרך (√ of following; meaning unknown).

Lexical Nuance and Semantic Field

The verb denotes the final, heat-intensive stage that completes the preparation of food—specifically, roasting over an open flame. It implies patient attention until the task is fully finished. By extension it illustrates any work that demands follow-through rather than abandonment at the halfway mark.

Biblical Occurrence and Context

Proverbs 12:27: “A lazy man does not roast his game, but the diligent man prizes his possessions.” (Berean Standard Bible)

The single appearance occurs in a classic antithetical proverb contrasting sloth with diligence. The figure is a hunter who has exerted the effort to capture game but fails to complete the process that would convert the raw carcass into nourishing food. The Hebrew verb underscores wasted potential: the prey lies unroasted, spoiling; the labor that began well ends in futility. In parallel, the diligent man values his “precious possession,” guarding and improving what he has received.

Historical and Cultural Background

Roasting was the simplest and most common method of cooking meat in ancient Israel, whether on family hearths (Genesis 18:7–8) or in communal feasts (Exodus 12:8-9). The imagery would have been immediately recognizable to an agrarian society accustomed to hunting small game such as gazelle, partridge, or young goats. Failure to roast meat not only squandered food but also insulted divine provision, since God is repeatedly portrayed as the Giver of sustenance (Deuteronomy 8:10).

Connection with Wisdom Literature

Proverbs often uses food preparation to depict moral virtue (Proverbs 6:6-8; 24:30-34). Here the unroasted game serves the same didactic function as the sluggard’s overgrown field or empty pantry—the visible fruit of inertia. The diligent man’s contrasting behavior recalls the wise woman of Proverbs 31: “She looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness” (Proverbs 31:27). Wisdom is thus expressed not merely in beginning tasks but in finishing them.

Theological and Practical Implications

1. Stewardship: All resources—time, talents, material goods—are divine trusts (Psalm 24:1). Neglecting to “roast the game” equates to burying the talent (Matthew 25:24-30).
2. Perseverance: Biblical faithfulness requires completion (Hebrews 10:36). The verb’s focus on the last stage of labor resonates with the call to “run with endurance the race set before us” (Hebrews 12:1).
3. Gratitude and Worship: Preparing God-given food properly honors the Giver. Sloth, by contrast, despises the gift and mirrors Israel’s grumbling over manna (Numbers 11:6).

Echoes in the New Testament

John 4:34 portrays Jesus Himself as the perfect model of finishing: “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to finish His work.” Likewise Paul declares, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race” (2 Timothy 4:7). Such passages deepen the proverb’s lesson: spiritual maturity is evidenced by diligent completion of assigned ministry.

Application in Ministry

• Personal discipleship: Encourage believers to identify unfinished “roasting projects”—spiritual disciplines, reconciliations, or service commitments—and bring them to completion.
• Leadership: Train volunteers to value process as much as vision, reflecting “whatever you do, work at it with all your heart” (Colossians 3:23).
• Preaching: Use the vivid picture of unroasted game to expose hidden forms of sloth—unfinished tasks, squandered gifts, abandoned callings—while offering grace-empowered diligence through the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23).

Summary

חָרַךְ portrays a decisive, finishing action that transforms provision into sustenance. In its lone appearance it magnifies a central biblical motif: God honors those who diligently complete the work entrusted to them, turning potential into blessing, while negligent delay yields loss.

יַחֲרֹ֣ךְ יחרך ya·ḥă·rōḵ yachaRoch yaḥărōḵInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts