Lexical Summary erek: Value, estimation, order Original Word: עֵרֶךְ Strong's Exhaustive Concordance equal, estimation, things that are set in order, price, proportion, set at, suit, taxation, From arak; a pile, equipment, estimate -- equal, estimation, (things that are set in) order, price, proportion, X set at, suit, taxation, X valuest. see HEBREW arak NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom arak Definition an order, row, estimate NASB Translation arrangement (1), assessment (1), equal (1), frame (1), suit (1), valuation (25), value (2), what belongs (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs עֵ֫רֶךְ33 noun masculineLeviticus 27:25 order, row, estimate — construct ׳ע Judges 17:10; Exodus 40:23; suffix עֶרְכִּי Psalm 55:14, עֶרְכְּךָ Leviticus 5:15 +, etc.; — 1 order, row, בְּגָדִים ׳ע Judges 17:10 a (complete) suit of clothes (laid out in order), ᵐ5B στολὴν ἱματίων; לֶחֶם ׳ע Exodus 40:23 i.e. loaves arranged in a row, so ׳ע alone Exodus 40:4 (P); עֶרְכּוֺ Job 41:4 his symmetry (see חִין below חנן). 2 estimate, valuation, made by ordering, classifying: אִישׁ כְּעֶרְכּוֺ 2 Kings 23:35; in 2 Kings 12:5 read עֵרֶךְ (for ᵑ0 עוֺנֵּר) money of a man's valuation ᵐ5 Benz Kit, and probably strike out כֶּסֶף נַפְשׁוֺת עֶרְכּוֺ (?׳עֶרֶח נ ׳כ Kit) as gloss (StaZAW v (1885), 288 f.); כְּעֶרְכִּי Psalm 55:14 a man according to my valuation, figurative for my equal; elsewhere P, of priest's valuation of trespass-offering Leviticus 5:15,18; Leviticus 5:25, vows, and redemption-money Leviticus 27:2,3(twice in verse); Leviticus 27:4 17t. 27 (כֶּסֶף עֶרְכְּךָ see 15; Leviticus 27:19, מִכְסַת הָעֶרְכְּךָ Leviticus 27:23 [strike out ךְָ], compare Leviticus 27:23b [strike out id.]), Numbers 18:16. — Job 28:13 read דַּרְכָּהּ ᵐ5 Di and others Topical Lexicon Overview of Usage The term occurs roughly thirty-three times across the Old Testament, orbiting two chief spheres: (1) the orderly arrangement of holy items, especially the Bread of the Presence, and (2) the official valuation of people, animals, or property dedicated to the LORD. A smaller cluster in Wisdom literature employs the word figuratively for “worth” or “price.” Cultic and Liturgical Order 1 Chronicles 9:32 notes Levites “in charge of preparing the rows of the bread every Sabbath,” while 1 Chronicles 23:29 assigns priests to “the arrangement of the bread”. 2 Chronicles 13:11 adds that Judah’s priests “set out the rows of bread on the ceremonially clean table” morning and evening. These texts show that the sanctuary’s fellowship bread was never placed haphazardly; careful arrangement embodied reverence for God’s presence and mirrored His orderly character (compare Exodus 25:30; Leviticus 24:5–8, where the cognate verb is used). Valuation in Vows and Offerings Leviticus devotes a full section to the principle. In a guilt offering case, the offender must bring a ram “according to your valuation in silver” (Leviticus 5:15). The climax appears in Leviticus 27, where Moses gives a graduated scale for persons (verses 2–7), animals (verse 9), houses (verse 14), and fields (verses 16–25). Verse 8 guards equity: “If the one making the vow is too poor to pay the valuation, he shall appear before the priest, who will set the value according to what the one making the vow can afford.” Thus the concept served covenant justice—high enough to uphold God’s holiness, yet flexible to protect the vulnerable. Expressions of Worth in Wisdom Literature Job 28 treasures wisdom above every earthly commodity: “It cannot be valued in the land of the living” (Job 28:13). Later Job protests his innocence: “If I have consumed its produce without payment…” (Job 31:39), underscoring fair appraisal in economic dealings. Proverbs 3:15 (textual variant) and 10:20 echo the motif that true value transcends mere metal. Historical-Social Background In Israel’s agrarian society, fixed valuations stabilized the economics of worship. By attaching objective worth to persons or property, the priesthood prevented exploitative bargaining and ensured that sanctuary finances remained transparent. The identical term for the orderly “rows” of bread and the “valuation” of a vow suggests a worldview in which worship and everyday commerce were not separate silos but interlocking arenas governed by the same God of order. Spiritual and Ministry Implications 1. Stewardship: Just as priests safeguarded both the bread’s arrangement and the treasuries, modern ministry must couple reverent worship with fiscal integrity. Christological Foreshadowing The Bread of the Presence set in ordered rows anticipated the incarnate “bread that came down from heaven” (John 6:41). Likewise, the redemption-price logic of Leviticus 27 prefigures the ultimate valuation placed on humanity—“You were bought at a price” (1 Corinthians 6:20). Where Levitical tables calculated silver, Calvary set infinite worth on each soul. Practical Application for Contemporary Believers • Arrange worship with intentionality; beauty and order testify to God’s nature (1 Corinthians 14:40). Forms and Transliterations בְּעֶ֨רְכְּךָ֔ בְּעֶרְכְּךָ֛ בְּעֶרְכְּךָ֥ בְּעֶרְכֶּֽךָ׃ בְעֶרְכֶּ֔ךָ בערכך בערכך׃ הָֽעֶרְכְּךָ֔ הָעֶרְכְּךָ֙ הערכך וְעֵ֥רֶךְ וערך כְּעֶרְכְּךָ֖ כְּעֶרְכְּךָ֥ כְּעֶרְכִּ֑י כְּעֶרְכּ֗וֹ כערכו כערכי כערכך מֵֽעֶרְכֶּ֔ךָ מֵֽעֶרְכֶּֽךָ׃ מערכך מערכך׃ עֵ֥רֶךְ עֶרְכְּךָ֔ עֶרְכְּךָ֖ עֶרְכְּךָ֗ עֶרְכְּךָ֙ עֶרְכְּךָ֛ עֶרְכֶּֽךָ׃ עֶרְכָּ֑הּ עֶרְכּ֑וֹ עֶרְכּֽוֹ׃ ערך ערכה ערכו ערכו׃ ערכך ערכך׃ ‘ê·reḵ ‘er·kāh ‘er·ke·ḵā ‘er·kə·ḵā ‘er·kōw ‘êreḵ ‘erkāh ‘erkeḵā ‘erkəḵā ‘erkōw bə‘erkeḵā bə‘erkəḵā ḇə‘erkeḵā bə·‘er·ke·ḵā bə·‘er·kə·ḵā ḇə·‘er·ke·ḵā beerkeCha Erech erKah erkeCha erKo hā‘erkəḵā hā·‘er·kə·ḵā haerkeCha kə‘erkəḵā kə‘erkî kə‘erkōw kə·‘er·kə·ḵā kə·‘er·kî kə·‘er·kōw keerkeCha keerKi keerKo mê‘erkeḵā mê·‘er·ke·ḵā meerKecha veErech veerKecha wə‘êreḵ wə·‘ê·reḵLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Exodus 40:4 HEB: וְעָרַכְתָּ֖ אֶת־ עֶרְכּ֑וֹ וְהֵבֵאתָ֙ אֶת־ NAS: and arrange what belongs on it; and you shall bring KJV: and set in order the things that are to be set in order upon it; and thou shalt bring INT: the table and arrange what shall bring the lampstand Exodus 40:23 Leviticus 5:15 Leviticus 5:18 Leviticus 6:6 Leviticus 27:2 Leviticus 27:3 Leviticus 27:3 Leviticus 27:4 Leviticus 27:5 Leviticus 27:6 Leviticus 27:6 Leviticus 27:7 Leviticus 27:8 Leviticus 27:12 Leviticus 27:13 Leviticus 27:15 Leviticus 27:16 Leviticus 27:17 Leviticus 27:18 Leviticus 27:19 Leviticus 27:23 Leviticus 27:23 Leviticus 27:25 Leviticus 27:27 33 Occurrences |