3735. kera
Lexical Summary
kera: Leg, thigh

Original Word: כָּרָא
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: Kara'
Pronunciation: keh-rah
Phonetic Spelling: (kaw-raw')
KJV: be grieved
NASB: distressed
Word Origin: [(Aramaic) probably corresponding to H3738 (כָּרָה - To dig) in the sense of piercing (figuratively)]

1. to grieve

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
be grieved

(Aramaic) probably corresponding to karah in the sense of piercing (figuratively); to grieve -- be grieved.

see HEBREW karah

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
(Aramaic) probably corresponding to karah
Definition
to be distressed
NASB Translation
distressed (1).

Brown-Driver-Briggs
[כְּרָא] verb Ithpe`el be distressed (compare כַּרְיָא III. adjective suffering, כְּ רִיוּחָא noun id. DWB 197; Syriac be short, abridged, it grieved me; pain, grief; compare Assyrian kûru, pain; also (derived species) be ill, Arabic dislike, shrink from); — Perfect3masculine singular אִתְכְּכְּ רִיַת רוּחִי (K§ 47. Beisp. 2) Dn15.

Topical Lexicon
Hebrew–Aramaic Setting

The lone occurrence of כָּרָא stands in the Aramaic section of Daniel, describing an inner piercing or wounding of spirit rather than a mere passing sadness. The verb’s rarity highlights the singular force of Daniel’s experience.

Context in Daniel 7:15

After witnessing the four beasts, the heavenly court, and the coronation of “One like a Son of Man,” Daniel testifies, “I, Daniel, was grieved in my spirit, and the visions in my mind alarmed me” (Daniel 7:15). Even a seasoned interpreter of dreams and visions now feels a distress that penetrates “within the body” (lit. “in the sheath”), portraying the spirit as a sword sheathed in flesh and suddenly struck.

Theological Significance

1. Weight of Revelation

Genuine prophetic encounter is costly. The same visions that inspire hope about God’s everlasting kingdom also lay bare the turmoil of history and the final judgment. The sharpness of כָּרָא guards against a casual handling of eschatology.

2. Prophetic Sensitivity

Daniel’s pierced spirit models a heart attuned to God. Rather than becoming desensitized by repeated visions (Daniel 2; 4; 5), he remains moved, showing that spiritual maturity deepens tenderness, not callousness.

3. Sober Eschatology

The verb mirrors the emotional gravity believers should feel when confronting the rise and fall of empires, the suffering of the saints, and the certainty of God’s dominion (Daniel 7:27).

Historical Perspective

Daniel served in pagan courts during the exile, navigating idolatrous environments while honoring the LORD. His inward wounding underscores the cost of faithful witness in any hostile culture and assures exiles of every age that God understands the heart pierced by visions of both judgment and hope.

Related Biblical Themes

• Grief of spirit: Genesis 6:6; Judges 10:16; Psalm 78:40
• Prophetic anguish: Jeremiah 4:19; Ezekiel 3:14–15
• Consolation after revelation: Daniel 10:18–19; 2 Corinthians 1:3–4

Though employing different vocabulary, these passages echo the same spiritual dynamic: revelation can wound before it heals.

Christological Reflection

Daniel’s pierced spirit anticipates the Messiah who would be “pierced for our transgressions” (Isaiah 53:5), and whose soul was “overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death” (Matthew 26:38). Both instances display the pattern of suffering preceding glory (Hebrews 2:10).

Ministry Applications

• Pastoral Care: Encourage believers troubled by world events or difficult passages to follow Daniel—seek understanding through prayer and godly counsel.
• Preaching: Handle apocalyptic texts with reverent sobriety, allowing their weight to pierce hearts toward repentance and hope.
• Spiritual Formation: Ask the Lord for a sensitive conscience; a pierced spirit is often the birthplace of deeper dependence on God (Isaiah 66:2).

Summary

With a single stroke כָּרָא conveys the profound inner wound produced by divine revelation. It teaches that the path to clearer vision of God’s kingdom may pass through seasons of distress, yet such piercing prepares the heart for the comfort and certainty found in the reign of the Son of Man.

Forms and Transliterations
אֶתְכְּרִיַּ֥ת אתכרית ’eṯ·kə·rî·yaṯ ’eṯkərîyaṯ etkeriYat
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Englishman's Concordance
Daniel 7:15
HEB: אֶתְכְּרִיַּ֥ת רוּחִ֛י אֲנָ֥ה
NAS: my spirit was distressed within
KJV: Daniel was grieved in my spirit
INT: was distressed my spirit I

1 Occurrence

Strong's Hebrew 3735
1 Occurrence


’eṯ·kə·rî·yaṯ — 1 Occ.

3734b
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