Original Word: קָרַח
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: qarach
Pronunciation: kah-rahkh
Phonetic Spelling: (kaw-rakh')
KJV: make (self) bald
NASB: make, made bald, make yourself bald, shave his head
Word Origin: [a primitive root]

1. to depilate

make self bald

A primitive root; to depilate -- make (self) bald.

Word Origin
a prim. root
Definition
to make bald
NASB Translation
bald* (1), baldness* (1), made bald (1), make (2), make yourself bald (1), shave his head (1).

I. [קָרַח] verb make bald, or a baldness, usually (by mourners) for the dead, compare Rs^{Semitic i. 306, 2nd ed. 324} (Arabic parallels) (Late Hebrew id. Hiph`il shew baldness; Arabic wound, make sores, whiteness in face of horse (but be bald, bald); Ethiopic make bald (rare); Aramaic קְרַח, , chiefly derivatives (and derived Meanings); compare Sinaitic proper name, masculine קרחה, קרחו; MI^3.21.24.25 proper name, of a location קרחה); —

Qal Imperfect3masculine plural יִקְרְחוּ קָרְחָה בְּראִשָׁם Leviticus 21:5 Qr (> Kt יקרחה; "" יְגַלֵּ֑חוּ compare Deuteronomy 14:1); Imperative feminine singular קָרְחִי וָגֹ֫זִּי עַל Micah 1:16 make a baldness... for.

Niph`al Imperfect3masculine singular יִקָּרֵחַ לָהֶם Jeremiah 16:6 men shall not make themselves bald for them.

Hiph`il Perfect3plural consecutive וְהִקְרִיחוּ אֵלַיִח קָרְחָה Ezekiel 27:31 and they shall make a baldness (compare

Qal>) for thee.

Hoph`al Participle כָּלרֿאִשׁ מֻקְרָח Ezekiel 29:18 every head made bald (by carrying load).

Root Meaning and Spectrum of Use

קָרַח (qarach) expresses the act of shaving or removing hair so as to leave a bald spot, whether self-inflicted or resulting from arduous labor. Although a purely physical act, Scripture treats the practice as a sign laden with theological, covenantal, and prophetic import.

Cultic Prohibition for Priests

Leviticus 21:5 forbids Aaronic priests from creating bald patches: “Priests must not shave their heads or shave off the edges of their beards or make cuts on their bodies”. The ban distinguishes Israel’s worship from pagan funerary rites, guarding both the holiness of the sanctuary and the identity of those who minister there. By disallowing קָרַח the Lord protects His priests from syncretistic gestures that blur the boundary between Yahweh and the false gods of surrounding nations.

Baldness as Mourning Custom

In the broader culture of the Ancient Near East, shaving the head signaled intense grief. Jeremiah 16:6 lists the gesture among practices that will be suspended during impending judgment: “No one will cut himself or shave his head for them”. The same motif recurs in Ezekiel 27:31, where professional mourners lament fallen Tyre, and in Micah 1:16, which calls Judah to public sorrow over coming exile: “Shave yourselves bald … make yourselves as bald as an eagle”. The verb’s use in such contexts underscores the depth of anguish occasioned by sin’s consequences.

Symbol of Judgment and Shame

When Ezekiel describes Nebuchadnezzar’s besieging army—“every head was made bald” (Ezekiel 29:18)—קָרַח depicts not ritual grief but exhaustive toil and humiliation. Baldness thus becomes a prophetic sign of divine recompense: the proud city of Tyre falls, and the conquering forces themselves receive no wages for their labor. Throughout the Prophets, the removal of hair functions as a visible token of disgrace that accompanies divine judgment.

Ethical and Theological Trajectory

Hair in Scripture often represents vitality and honor (e.g., Samson, Absalom, and the Nazirite vow). To strip the head bare is therefore to renounce human glory before the Holy God. Yet the priestly prohibition reveals that not every outward sign of sorrow pleases the Lord; mourning must be governed by His Word. The tension between permitted and prohibited baldness warns the covenant community against adopting cultural expressions unexamined.

Ministry Application

1. Authentic Grief: Believers are free to lament sin and loss, but they must do so in ways that align with biblical directives and gospel hope (1 Thessalonians 4:13).
2. Distinct Witness: The priestly ban models how leaders today guard the church’s testimony by resisting practices that compromise holiness.
3. Labor for the Kingdom: Ezekiel 29:18 reminds ministers that earthly toil may seem unrewarded, yet the Lord himself compensates faithful service (1 Corinthians 15:58).
4. Prophetic Warning: Baldness as shame urges preaching that unmasks the cost of rebellion and calls hearers to repentance before exile of a far greater kind.

Christological Reflection

Though no baldness is recorded of Christ, Isaiah 50:6 foretells His cheeks being plucked, anticipating humiliation deeper than any physical shaving. The One who bore shame outside the gate now transforms mourning into praise. Believers need not disfigure themselves; instead they present bodies as living sacrifices, marked not by shaved heads but by renewed minds (Romans 12:1-2).

Eschatological Outlook

The removal of hair will cease as a symbol of disgrace when God “wipes away every tear” (Revelation 21:4). Until then, קָרַח serves as a sober reminder of sin’s wages and of God’s call to distinct, consecrated living.

וְהִקְרִ֤יחוּ והקריחו יִקְרְח֤וּ יִקָּרֵ֖חַ יקרח יקרחו מֻקְרָ֔ח מקרח קָרְחִ֣י קרחי kareChi mukRach muq·rāḥ muqrāḥ qā·rə·ḥî qārəḥî vehikRichu wə·hiq·rî·ḥū wəhiqrîḥū yikkaReach yikreChu yiq·qā·rê·aḥ yiq·rə·ḥū yiqqārêaḥ yiqrəḥūInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts