Original Word: עָקֵב
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: `aqeb
Pronunciation: ah-keb'
Phonetic Spelling: (aw-kabe')
KJV: heel, (horse-)hoof, last, lier in wait (by mistake for H6120), (foot-)step
NASB: heel, heels, footprints, footsteps, hoofs, rear guard, steps
Word Origin: [from H6117 (עָקַב - deals craftily)]

1. a heel (as protuberant)
2. (hence) a track
3. (figuratively) the rear (of an army)

heel, horsehoof, last, lier in wait

Or (feminine) hiqqbah {ik-keb-aw'}; from aqab; a heel (as protuberant); hence, a track; figuratively, the rear (of an army) -- heel, (horse-)hoof, last, lier in wait (by mistake for aqeb), (foot-)step.

see HEBREW aqab

see HEBREW aqeb

Word Origin
from an unused word
Definition
heel, footprint, hind part
NASB Translation
footprints (1), footsteps (1), heel (4), heels (3), hoofs (1), rear guard (1), steps (1), trail (1).

I. עָקֵב noun masculine heel, footprint, hinderpart (Arabic heel, figurative end (of a month), mark, sign, trace; Aramaic עִקְבָּא, hell, footprint, figurative trace, mark (compare Wisdom 2:4 ᵑ6 Ecclus 13:26 HCT ᵑ6), also end, extremity); — ׳ע absolute Genesis 3:15 +, construct עֲקֵב Genesis 25:26, plural construct עִקָבֵי Songs 1:8, עִקְּבֵי Genesis 49:17; Judges 5:22, עִקְּבוֺת Psalm 77:20; Psalm 89:52, etc.; —

a. heel, of man, Genesis 25:26 וְיָדוֺ אֹחֶזֶת בַּעֲקֵב אָחִיו, as object of attack from behind, Genesis 3:15 וְאַתָּה תְּשׁוּפֶנּוּ עָקֵב, Job 18:9 מַּח ׳יאֹחֵז בְּע, Jeremiah 13:22 נֶחְמְסוּ עֲקֵבָ֑יִךְ are treated violently, i.e. are rudely exposed ("" נִגְלוּ שׁוּלַיִךְ); as instrument of attack, Psalm 41:10 ׳הִגְדִּיל עָלַי עָ hath made great the heel against me, i.e. given me insidiously a great fall (figurative for taken some cruel advantage of me; compare ὑποσκελίζω); of an animal, Genesis 49:17 הַנּשֵׁח עִקְּבֵי סוּם, Judges 5:22

b. mark of heel, footprint, Songs 1:8 צְאִילָֿח בְּעִקְבֵי הַצּאֹן, Psalm 56:7 יִשְׁמְרוּ עֲקֵבַי they mark my footprints, i.e. watch me insidiously wherever I go Psalm 89:52 אֲשֶׁר ֵ˜הרְפוּ עִקְּבוֺת מְשִׁיחֶ֑ךָ i.e. followed him mockingly, of ׳י (figurative) Psalm 77:20 עִקְּבוֺתֶיךָ לֹא נוֺדָ֑עוּ thy footprints were not known (the waters closing over them).

c hinder-part, rear (of a troop of men), Genesis 49:19 וְהוּא יָגוּב עָקֵב׃ (read עֲקֵבָם ׃ אָשֵׁר) he will troop on their rear, Joshua 8:13 עֲקֵבָם (compare Di).

Overview

Occurring thirteen times across the canon of the Old Testament, the term “āqēḇ” gathers a cluster of ideas related to the heel, a footprint, the rear or trailing part of a formation, and by extension the notions of pursuit, ambush, or supplanting. In narrative, poetry, prophecy, and military description, it consistently marks the point of vulnerability that is nevertheless destined for victory when God intervenes.

First Occurrence and Protoevangelium (Genesis 3:15)

The inaugural appearance is in Eden’s judgment scene. “He will crush your head, and you will strike his heel” (Genesis 3:15). What seems a minor wound to the heel becomes the prelude to the serpent’s destruction, launching Scripture’s first promise of a Redeemer. From this verse forward, the heel evokes both the cost of conflict and the certainty of triumph for the seed of the woman. New Testament writers echo the motif: “The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet” (Romans 16:20).

Patriarchal Narratives and the Theme of Supplanting (Genesis 25:26)

At Jacob’s birth “his hand was grasping Esau’s heel” (Genesis 25:26). The act foreshadows a lifetime of striving for the birthright and blessing. The heel here signals calculated determination, yet over the span of Genesis God shapes that striving into covenant purpose, transforming a grasping infant into the patriarch renamed Israel.

Prophecy in the Blessings of Jacob (Genesis 49:17, 49:19)

In Jacob’s final blessings, the heel becomes tactical imagery. Dan is compared to “a serpent by the path, a viper on the trail, that bites the horse’s heels so that its rider tumbles backward” (Genesis 49:17). Gad, on the other hand, will “raid at their heels” (Genesis 49:19). Both tribes are portrayed as striking from the rear—unexpected, decisive, and ultimately victorious, reflecting Israel’s wider calling to prevail through God’s strategy rather than numerical strength.

Military Strategy and Rear-Guard Action (Joshua 8:13)

When Joshua ambushes Ai, forces lie “at their rear” (literally “at their heels”), forming a pincer movement that prefigures later Israelite tactics. The placement underlines the strategic value of the heel: the point least defended yet critical to mobility.

Poetic and Wisdom Literature

• Job 18:9 warns that an unseen snare “grips him by the heel,” illustrating the certainty of retributive justice.
• Psalm 41:9 laments betrayal: “Even my close friend in whom I trusted, the one who ate my bread, has lifted up his heel against me.” Jesus cites this verse of Judas Iscariot in John 13:18, making the heel a symbol of treachery fulfilled.
• Psalm 77:19 marvels at the Red Sea deliverance: “Your path led through the sea… yet Your footprints were unseen,” teaching that God guides even when His heel-marks are invisible to human sight.
• Psalm 89:51 decries enemies who “mock every step of Your anointed,” recalling that opposition often snaps at the heel of God’s chosen yet never thwarts His covenant.
• Song of Songs 1:8 invites the beloved to “follow the tracks of the flock,” where the heel becomes the comforting imprint that leads seekers to communion.

Prophetic Warning (Jeremiah 13:22)

Jeremiah confronts Judah’s moral exposure: “Your skirts have been torn off and your heels are bare.” The uncovered heel depicts disgrace in exile, the consequence of unrepented sin. Still, the wider prophetic context anticipates restoration, showing that even chastened heels can walk again in Zion.

Messianic and Covenantal Trajectory

From Eden’s promise to Zion’s hope, the heel motif sketches a redemptive arc. Struck heels point to suffering; crushed serpent heads guarantee deliverance. Betrayal against the Anointed intensifies at Calvary, but resurrection answers with a heel placed on death itself. Thus the term subtly binds the Testaments together, affirming the unity of God’s saving plan.

Ministry Implications

1. Spiritual Warfare: Expect strikes at the “heels”—the places of service that carry the body of Christ forward—yet stand firm in the assurance of ultimate victory.
2. Leadership and Trust: Psalm 41:9 cautions leaders to steward relationships, knowing that betrayal from within is possible but foreseen by the Lord.
3. Discipleship: Like Jacob, believers are shaped from grasping heels to pilgrim footprints, leaving a trail for others to follow (Song of Songs 1:8; 1 Peter 2:21).
4. Pastoral Encouragement: God’s unseen footprints in crisis (Psalm 77:19) remind the flock that guidance is real even when imperceptible.

Intertextual Echoes in the New Testament

• John 13:18 anchors the Psalm 41 betrayal in the passion narrative.
• Romans 16:20 applies Genesis 3:15 to the imminent defeat of Satan under the church’s feet.
• Hebrews 2:14-15 celebrates the Messiah who renders the serpent powerless, fulfilling the earliest heel-head prophecy.

Summary

“Āqēḇ” gathers the Bible’s themes of vulnerability, perseverance, and conquest into a single anatomical image. From Genesis to Jeremiah, from psalms of lament to strategies of war, the heel marks both the target of the enemy’s assault and the imprint of God’s faithful leading. Ultimately, the scarred heel belongs to the victorious Christ, whose steps believers are called to trace until every foe lies beneath His feet.

בְּעִקְבֵ֣י בְּעָקֵ֣ב בַּעֲקֵ֣ב בעקב בעקבי וְ֝עִקְּבוֹתֶ֗יךָ ועקבותיך עֲקֵב֖וֹ עֲקֵבַ֣י עֲקֵבָֽיִךְ׃ עִקְּב֥וֹת עִקְּבֵי־ עָקֵֽב׃ עקב׃ עקבו עקבות עקבי עקבי־ עקביך׃ ‘ă·qê·ḇā·yiḵ ‘ă·qê·ḇay ‘ă·qê·ḇōw ‘ā·qêḇ ‘āqêḇ ‘ăqêḇay ‘ăqêḇāyiḵ ‘ăqêḇōw ‘iq·qə·ḇê- ‘iq·qə·ḇō·wṯ ‘iqqəḇê- ‘iqqəḇōwṯ aKev akeVai akeVayich akeVo ba‘ăqêḇ ba·‘ă·qêḇ baaKev bə‘āqêḇ bə‘iqḇê bə·‘ā·qêḇ bə·‘iq·ḇê beaKev beikVei ikkevei ikkeVot veikkevoTeicha wə‘iqqəḇōwṯeḵā wə·‘iq·qə·ḇō·w·ṯe·ḵāInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts