Original Word: כָּרָה
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: karah
Pronunciation: kah-RAH
Phonetic Spelling: (kaw-raw')
KJV: dig, X make (a banquet), open
Word Origin: [a primitive root]

1. (properly) to dig
2. (figuratively) to plot
3. (generally) to bore or open

dig, make a banquet, open

A primitive root; properly, to dig; figuratively, to plot; generally, to bore or open -- dig, X make (a banquet), open.

[כאר] see II. כור.

II. [כוּר] verb meaning dubious, perhaps bore, or dig, or hew (Dl^{Prol. 121} compare Assyrian kâru, fell trees (Dl^{HWB 324})) — only

Qal Perfect3plural כארו = כָּארוּ for כָּרוּ Psalm 22:17 (ᵑ0 כָּאֲרִי, see אֲרִי) they have bored (digged, hewn) my hands and my feet (si vera lectio; compare Vrss De Pe Che Bae and others; some, however, deriving from כרה in this sense); hence perhaps following.

I. כָּרָה verb dig (Late Hebrew id.; Aramaic כְּרָא, Ethiopic Arabic (with and especially Dozy^{ii. 461}); Syriac is be short, cut off (i.e. rounded off ?), Arabic ball; ᵑ7. כְּרֵי heap Dalm^{Gr. 109}; Syriac Mishna כרי id.; Assyrian karê large vessels for holding corn, etc., Dl^{HWB 353}, compare kirû (dubious) Wkl^{Tel Am. Vocab}.; Ba^{ZMG 1887, 615} conjectures be round as orig √ meaning, and compare Arabic the leg is round); —

Qal Perfect3masculine singular כָּרָה2Chronicles 16:14; Psalm 7:16; 2masculine singular כָּרִיתָ Psalm 40:7; 1singular בָּרִיתִי Genesis 50:5; 3plural כָּרוּ Jeremiah 18:20 3t.; sf כָּרוּהָ Numbers 21:18; Imperfect3masculine singular יִכְרֶה Exodus 21:33; 3masculine plural וַיִּכְרוּ Genesis 26:25; Participle כֹּרֶה Proverbs 16:27; Proverbs 26:27; — dig a grave, קֶבֶר Genesis 50:5 (J), compare 2 Chronicles 16:14; a well, בְּאֵר Genesis 26:25 (J), Numbers 21:18 (song in J E); a pit, בּוֺר Exodus 21:33; figurative of plotting against others Psalm 7:16; so followed by שׁוּחָה Jeremiah 18:20,22, followed by שִׁיחָה Jer 57:7; Jer 119:85; followed by שַׁחַת Proverbs 26:27; hence כֹּרֶה רָעָה Proverbs 16:27 one digging a calamity; לִי ׳אָזְנַיִם כ Psalm 40:7 ears hast thou dug (with allusion to the cavity of the ear) for me, thou hast given me the means of hearing and obeying thy will. — On Psalm 22:17 verse. II.כּוּר.

Niph`al Imperfect3masculine singular עַד יִכָּרֶה שַׁהַּת Psalm 94:13 until the pit be digged for the wicked, figurative of judgment.

Physical excavation: wells, pits, and tombs

• Genesis 26:25 records Isaac’s servants who “dug a well.” This act of digging secured life-sustaining water and became a sign of the LORD’s continued covenant faithfulness to Abraham’s line.
• Jacob’s request concerning the grave he had “dug for myself in the land of Canaan” (Genesis 50:5) shows personal responsibility for burial and affirms hope in the promised land even in death.
• In Exodus 21:33 civil law addresses the liability of one who “digs a pit and does not cover it,” illustrating Israel’s concern for public safety and restitution.
• Numbers 21:18 celebrates leaders who “dug the well… with their scepters,” portraying cooperative leadership under divine blessing during the wilderness journey.
• The royal tomb “he had cut out for himself” (2 Chronicles 16:14) reflects Near-Eastern custom: monarchs prepared elaborate resting places, testifying to Israel’s belief that death does not erase covenant standing.

Commercial nuance: bargaining and trade

Job 6:27 (“You would even cast lots for the fatherless and barter away your friend”) and Job 41:6 show כָּרָה in a mercantile sense. The word pictures ruthless traders ready to profit at any cost—an ethical warning against treating people or even creation (the Leviathan) as mere commodities.

Legal and moral responsibility

Exodus 21:33 establishes that negligence in digging brings legal guilt. Scripture thereby links physical כָּרָה with moral digging: the careless creator of a literal pit mirrors the schemer who opens traps for others. This prepares readers for later wisdom literature, where the verb becomes a figure for conspiracy.

Figurative conspiracy and self-entrapment

• “He digs a hole… but he falls into the pit he has made” (Psalm 7:15).
• “They dug a pit before me, but they themselves have fallen into it” (Psalm 57:6).
• Proverbs 26:27 generalizes the principle: evil stratagems recoil on their architects.

In Jeremiah 18:20-22 enemies who “dug a pit” for the prophet incur covenant curses. By turning literal digging into metaphor, Scripture teaches divine retribution on hidden plots.

Messianic depth: Psalm 22:16

“Dogs surround me… they have pierced my hands and feet.” The verb rendered “pierced” (BSB margin, lit. “dug”) links the crucifixion to deliberate human hostility: Christ’s foes excavated their own judgment while unwittingly fulfilling salvific prophecy (John 19:37).

Obedience formed by God: Psalm 40:6

“My ears You have opened” (literally, “dug”). The image is of God hollowing out the servant’s ear so it can receive His word. Hebrews 10:5-10 applies this to Jesus, whose perfectly “dug” ear led to the once-for-all offering of His body.

Pastoral application

1. Water from dug wells encourages believers to remain diligent in seeking refreshment from Scripture and prayer.
2. The civil statute on pits challenges churches to practice responsible care for neighbor and environment.
3. The repeated warning against digging snares calls leaders to transparent ministry; hidden agendas will eventually collapse on their makers.
4. Psalm 40:6 invites personal surrender—allow the Lord to “excavate” the ear, removing worldly obstruction so that obedience flows freely.
5. Psalm 22:16 assures congregations that even the most malicious plots serve God’s redemptive plan; the crucified Messiah turns the pit into the path of victory.

Summary

כָּרָה weaves through Scripture from patriarchal wells to prophetic laments, uniting themes of provision, preparation for death, justice, commerce, moral causality, and ultimately Christ’s atonement. Every occurrence reminds readers that the One who hears the clink of every shovel also repays or redeems every effort according to His righteous purposes.

וְ֝תִכְר֗וּ וַיִּכְרוּ־ ויכרו־ ותכרו יִכְר֣וּ יִכְרֶ֥ה יִכָּרֶ֖ה יכרה יכרו כָּ֝אֲרִ֗י כָּ֭רָֽה כָּֽרָה־ כָּֽרוּ־ כָּר֙וּהָ֙ כָּר֣וּ כָּרִ֣יתָ כָּרִ֤יתִי כָר֤וּ כָר֥וּ כֹּֽרֶה־ כֹּרֶ֣ה כארי כרה כרה־ כרהש־ כרו כרו־ כרוה כרית כריתי chaRu kā’ărî kā·’ă·rî kā·rāh kā·rāh- kā·rî·ṯā kā·rî·ṯî kā·rū ḵā·rū kā·rū- kā·rū·hā kaaRi karah kārāh kārāh- kaRita kārîṯā kaRiti kārîṯî kaRu kārū ḵārū kārū- kaRuha kārūhā kō·re·hō·ša- kō·reh koReh kōreh kōrehōša- korehoSha vaiyichru vetichRu way·yiḵ·rū- wayyiḵrū- wə·ṯiḵ·rū wəṯiḵrū yichReh yichRu yik·kā·reh yiḵ·reh yiḵ·rū yikkaReh yikkāreh yiḵreh yiḵrūInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts