Original Word: קָרַץ
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: qarats
Pronunciation: kah-RAHTS
Phonetic Spelling: (kaw-rats')
KJV: form, move, wink
NASB: winks, compresses, formed, wink
Word Origin: [a primitive root]

1. to pinch, i.e. (partially) to bite the lips, blink the eyes (as a gesture of malice), or (fully) to squeeze off (a piece of clay in order to mould a vessel from it)

form, move, wink

A primitive root; to pinch, i.e. (partially) to bite the lips, blink the eyes (as a gesture of malice), or (fully) to squeeze off (a piece of clay in order to mould a vessel from it) -- form, move, wink.

Word Origin
a prim. root
Definition
to nip, pinch
NASB Translation
compresses (1), formed (1), maliciously* (1), wink (1), winks (2).

[קָרַץ] verb nip, pinch (Late Hebrew קָרַץ cut dough, compress lips, קֶרֶץ piece of bread; Assyrian Karâƒu, nip off, gnaw, Arabic pinch; Ethiopic incise; Syriac nail [see also Biblical Aramaic]; compare Frä^35f.); —

Qal Imperfect3masculine plural יִקְרְצועַֿיִן Psalm 35:19 let them not pinch the eye, i.e. wink maliciously, so Participle active ׳קֹרֵץ צ Proverbs 10:10, בְּעֵינוֺ ׳ק Proverbs 6:13; also שְׂפָתָיו ׳ק Proverbs 16:30 pinching his lips (i.e. compressing, as in Late Hebrew, or biting, gnawing, compare Assyrian).

Pu`al Perfect1singular מֵחֹמֶר קֹרַצְתִּי Job 33:6 from clay I was nipped off (compare Assyrian ‰i‰a i‡tariƒ, he nipped off clay, to form Eabani).

Root Idea and Semantic Range

קָרַץ (qarats) conveys the physical action of compressing or pinching and, by extension, the subtle facial gesture of “winking” or pressing the lips together. In Scripture this fleeting motion becomes a moral symbol: either the Creator “pinches” clay to form a life, or the sinner “pinches” an eyelid to conceal deceit. The same hand that shapes can also scheme, and the Hebrew verb captures both realities.

Occurrences and Literary Context

Job 33:6 – Elihu reminds Job, “I also have been formed out of clay,” underscoring shared creatureliness before God.

Psalm 35:19 – David pleads, “Let not those who hate me without cause wink their eyes,” associating the wink with covert hostility.

Proverbs 6:13; 10:10; 16:30 – Wisdom literature repeatedly portrays the eye-wink as the hallmark of the schemer whose furtive signals set evil in motion.

Moral and Theological Themes

1. Human Frailty and Equality (Job 33:6). The image of clay formed by a divine pinch roots every person in dependence upon the Potter. Pride is disallowed; all stand on level ground before God.
2. Hidden Malice (Psalm 35:19; Proverbs 6:13). The wink turns the face into a mask, communicating complicity in wrongdoing while outwardly feigning innocence.
3. Consequences of Cunning (Proverbs 10:10; 16:30). Scripture links qarats-behaviour to community breakdown and personal ruin: “He who winks the eye causes grief” (Proverbs 10:10). Divine wisdom exposes that what begins as a subtle facial tic ends in tangible damage.

Historical and Cultural Background

In the Ancient Near East non-verbal cues served as coded communication. A wink signaled secret alliance in a society where speech was often public and overheard. Thus qarats became a shorthand for conspiracy. Conversely, shaping clay was an everyday craft; Job’s usage draws on a potter’s ordinary pinch to depict God’s extraordinary creative act.

Ministry and Practical Application

• Integrity in leadership – Counsel from Proverbs warns pastors and elders that covert manipulation, however small, erodes trust and invites divine censure.
• Pastoral empathy – Elihu’s confession of shared clayhood models a shepherd’s posture of humility when correcting others.
• Discernment – Believers are urged to notice the “wink” of doctrinal compromise or moral double-speak and confront it with light (Ephesians 5:11).

Continuity in the Canon

The New Testament expands the same ethic: Jesus denounces hypocritical signaling (Matthew 6:1-18), and Paul urges transparent speech “before God, in Christ” (2 Corinthians 2:17). The clay imagery resurfaces when the apostle calls believers “jars of clay” (2 Corinthians 4:7), echoing Job’s reminder that the Potter’s hand, not human craftiness, defines worth.

Summary

קָרַץ draws a vivid biblical line between the humble pinch that fashions life and the furtive wink that foments evil. The former calls God’s people to creaturely dependence; the latter warns against covert sin. Recognizing both dimensions equips the church to walk in authenticity, expose deceit, and magnify the Potter who still shapes vessels for honorable use.

יִקְרְצוּ־ יקרצו־ קֹ֣רֵֽץ קֹרֵ֣ץ קֹרֵ֥ץ קֹרַ֥צְתִּי קרץ קרצתי koRatzti koRetz qō·raṣ·tî qō·rêṣ qōraṣtî qōrêṣ yikretzu yiq·rə·ṣū- yiqrəṣū-Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts