Lexical Summary rekes: Steed, chariot, team of horses Original Word: רֶכֶס Strong's Exhaustive Concordance rough place From rakac; a mountain ridge (as of tied summits) -- rough place. see HEBREW rakac NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom rakas Definition perhaps roughness NASB Translation rugged terrain (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs [רֶ֫כֶס] noun [masculine] dubious; perhaps roughness (of ground; ? literally binding, knot); or bound up, impeded, i.e. the impassable; or mountain-chain (see Thes); — plural הָֽרְכָסִים Isaiah 40:4 ("" הֶעָקֹכ; opposed to בִּקְעָה). Topical Lexicon Definition and Occurrence רֶכֶס denotes a rugged mountain ridge or rough elevated terrain. It is found once in the Hebrew Bible, Isaiah 40:4, where it stands as one of four landscape obstacles scheduled for dramatic transformation at the advent of the Lord’s glory. Cultural and Geographic Setting In the Levant, long, rocky spines divide valleys and shape travel routes. Such ridges can be seen in the central highlands, the Carmel range, and the serrated Judean hill country. They were natural defenses for cities (for example, Jerusalem on its series of ridges in 2 Samuel 5:6-7) but also impediments to the straight roads required for royal processions. Prophetic Background (Isaiah 40:1-5) Isaiah’s comfort oracle addresses a disheartened Judah anticipating exile. The command, “Clear the way for the LORD in the wilderness” (Isaiah 40:3), summons a royal road-building project. Valleys rise, mountains sink, crooked turns straighten, and the רֶכֶס (rugged ridges) become “a plain” (Isaiah 40:4). The imagery declares God’s sovereign resolve to remove every natural and political impediment to His redemptive arrival. Theological Emphasis 1. Divine Sovereignty: Only the Creator can level topography at will (Psalm 97:5). Christological Fulfillment The Synoptic Gospels cite Isaiah 40:3-5 regarding John the Baptist (Matthew 3:3; Mark 1:2-3; Luke 3:4-6; John 1:23). Rֶכֶס thus foreshadows the spiritual obstacles smoothed by the Messiah’s forerunner. Luke alone extends the quotation to, “and the rough places a plain,” highlighting the term’s significance in the Gospel narrative (Luke 3:5). The physical imagery of grading ridges finds final expression in the spiritual leveling accomplished by Christ, who dismantles the dividing wall of hostility (Ephesians 2:14). Practical Ministry Significance • Evangelism: Faithful heralds imitate Isaiah’s call, removing intellectual and moral ridges that obscure the gospel (2 Corinthians 10:4-5). Related Biblical Motifs Highway imagery—Isaiah 11:16; 35:8; 62:10. Mountains and valleys—Zechariah 4:7; Luke 1:52. Preparation language—Malachi 3:1; 1 Peter 1:13. Summary רֶכֶס, though appearing only once, embodies a sweeping biblical theme: the Lord removes formidable barriers to bring His people home and to manifest His glory fully in Jesus Christ. Forms and Transliterations וְהָרְכָסִ֖ים והרכסים veharechaSim wə·hā·rə·ḵā·sîm wəhārəḵāsîmLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Isaiah 40:4 HEB: הֶֽעָקֹב֙ לְמִישׁ֔וֹר וְהָרְכָסִ֖ים לְבִקְעָֽה׃ NAS: a plain, And the rugged terrain a broad valley; KJV: shall be made straight, and the rough places plain: INT: the rough A plain and the rugged A broad 1 Occurrence |