Original Word: יַךְ
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: yak
Pronunciation: yahk
Phonetic Spelling: (yak)
KJV: (way-)side
Word Origin: [by erroneous transcription for H3027 (יָד - hand)]

1. a hand or side

wayside

By erroneous transcription for yad; a hand or side -- (way-)side.

see HEBREW yad

Word Origin
scribal error for yad, q.v. Yekoneyah
Definition
see NH3204.

Root Association and Semantic Field

Strong’s Hebrew 3197, יַךְ (yakh), is a verbal form related to the well-attested root נכה, “to strike,” “to smite,” “to wound,” or “to beat.” Although this exact form is unattested in the Hebrew canon, it belongs to the same semantic family that supplies some of the Old Testament’s most vivid descriptions of both divine and human action—acts of judgment, discipline, warfare, and sometimes even deliverance.

Canonical Context of the Root נכה

1. Divine judgment: “The LORD will strike Egypt with a plague; He will strike them and heal them” (Isaiah 19:22).
2. Covenant discipline: “The LORD will strike you with wasting disease, with fever and inflammation” (Deuteronomy 28:22).
3. Warfare and deliverance: “Then the men of Judah arose and shouted, and God struck Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah” (2 Chronicles 13:15).
4. Judicial restraint: “If he strikes him with his hand and he dies, he shall surely be put to death” (Exodus 21:12).

These texts confirm that the wider root family conveys both punitive and protective dimensions—Yahweh smites His enemies yet also smites in order to heal or to preserve covenant holiness.

Historical Background

In the Ancient Near East, “striking” language permeated legal documents, royal inscriptions, and battlefield records. Kings boasted that their deity enabled them to “strike” foes, and treaties threatened divine smiting upon violators. Israel’s Scriptures adopt that common tongue yet redirect the focus: only Yahweh ultimately “strikes,” and He does so in perfect righteousness (Psalm 94:1–2).

Theological Themes

1. Divine Sovereignty: The root underscores that judgment is in God’s hand alone (Psalm 135:10).
2. Covenant Faithfulness: God’s smiting is often remedial, calling His people back to obedience (Hosea 6:1—“He has struck us down, but He will bind us up”).
3. Moral Accountability: Human acts of striking are regulated (Exodus 21; Numbers 35) to mirror God’s justice.
4. Substitutionary Atonement: Isaiah 53:4 anticipates the Servant who is “stricken by God” on behalf of sinners, preparing for the New Testament revelation of Christ crucified.

Christological Fulfillment

The Gospels portray Jesus as the Suffering Servant who endures the ultimate “striking.” Matthew 26:67 records, “Then they spat in His face and struck Him.” Peter interprets this in 1 Peter 2:24, declaring that Christ “bore our sins in His body on the tree,” so that the blows of judgment fell on Him instead of upon those who believe.

Ministry Implications

1. Preaching and Teaching: Highlight the tension between God’s righteous smiting and His restorative purpose. The same hand that disciplines also heals.
2. Pastoral Care: Believers facing hardship may see their trials as fatherly discipline rather than random misfortune (Hebrews 12:5–6, quoting Proverbs 3:11–12).
3. Intercession: Moses, David, and the prophets interceded when divine smiting threatened the community (Numbers 14:13–19). Their example encourages earnest prayer for mercy amid judgment.
4. Spiritual Warfare: Paul evokes the imagery when he says, “The weapons of our warfare are not the weapons of the world” (2 Corinthians 10:4). Victory belongs to God, who alone “strikes” down strongholds.

Practical Reflection

• Personal Holiness: Just as God smote Egypt’s firstborn yet spared Israel under the blood, believers today live under Christ’s atoning protection, motivating holiness rather than presumption.
• Evangelism: The reality of divine judgment sharpens the call to repentance. Acts 17:31 affirms that God “has set a day when He will judge the world,” echoing the Old Testament pattern of smiting evil.
• Hope in Suffering: Hosea’s assurance—“After two days He will revive us”—frames suffering within a larger hope of resurrection, fulfilled in Christ and promised to the Church.

Conclusion

Although the specific form יַךְ does not appear in the biblical text, its root family permeates Scripture, weaving a consistent message: the God who smites is also the God who saves. Properly understood, the theme urges reverence, repentance, and resilient hope anchored in the finished work of the One who was “stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted” for our redemption.

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