B-Hebrew: The Biblical Hebrew Forum

Is the word ירך "thigh " or "your thigh" in Psalm 45:3 or 4,in Ezekiel 21:12, and in Numbers 5:21?

The fraction רך of יֶרֶךְ, 'thigh' (as well as of בֶּרֶךְ, 'knee') indicates reference to a "soft", or movable body part.
By analogy also any lower or further part, as in 1Sam. 24:3
וְשָׁם מְעָרָה וַיָּבֹא שָׁאוּל לְהָסֵךְ אֶת רַגְלָיו וְדָוִד וַאֲנָשָׁיו בְּיַרְכְּתֵי הַמְּעָרָה ישְׁבִים
and Isaiah 14:13-15
וְאַתָּה אָמַרְתָּ בִלְבָבְךָ הַשָּׁמַיִם אֶעֱלֶה מִמַּעַל לְכוֹכְבֵי אֵל אָרִים כִּסְאִי וְאֵשֵׁב בְּהַר מוֹעֵד בְּיַרְכְּתֵי צָפוֹן. אַךְ אֶל-שְׁאוֹל תּוּרָד אֶל יַרְכְּתֵי בוֹר
and Jonah 1:5
וְיוֹנָה יָרַד אֶל יַרְכְּתֵי הַסְּפִינָה וַיִּשְׁכַּב וַיֵּרָדַם

The root ירך is a member of good standing of the family of roots
דרך, ירך, סרך, צרך, שרך
ירח, ירק
Isaac Fried, Boston University

Isaac,
Do you think it says "thigh" or "your thigh"?

Kenneth,
Ps 45:3(4) and Ezek 21:12 say just "thigh".
Num 5:21 says "your thigh" because of the extra cof.

It is a good question in view of the fact that, indeed, a final ך may stand for a personal pronoun.
Ps. 45:4(3) says
חֲגוֹר חַרְבְּךָ עַל יָרֵךְ גִּבּוֹר הוֹדְךָ וַהֲדָרֶךָ
where
חַרְבְּךָ = חרב-אכה
הוֹדְךָ = הוֹד-אכה
הֲדָרֶךָ = הדר-אכה
In all these, אָכַה is a variant of אַתָּה, 'you', here, 'belonging to you'. We find also אכי, corresponding to אני, in the compounded אָנוֹכִי. An attached אתי is for אני as in כתבתי = כתב-אתי, 'I wrote'.
As for יָרֵךְ, I tend to agree with Steve that it is just "thigh".
The יְרֵכֵךְ = ירך-אך of Nu. 5:21 is, as Steve correctly says, "your thigh."
I repeat here what I have often said before about the tsere that it may be a compromise sign for a patax in a different reading tradition, namely, יְרֵכַךְ = יְרֵכֵךְ = ירך-אַךְ for ירך-אַת.
In Gen. 24:2 יְרֵכִי = ירך-אני.

Isaac Fried, Boston University

Steve and Isaac,

This is kind of embarrassing. Every book translated them all as "your thigh", even without the second kof, but I didn't notice Numbers 5:21 had a second kof. Wow. All I had to do was look more carefully. Thank you for pointing out the obvious detail that I missed.

Here it is once again
חֲגוֹר חַרְבְּךָ עַל יָרֵךְ גִּבּוֹר הוֹדְךָ וַהֲדָרֶךָ
KJV: "Gird thy sword upon thy thigh, O most mighty, with thy glory and thy majesty."
NIV: "Gird your sword on your side, you mighty one; clothe yourself with splendor and majesty."
But both are more than mere translation, it is also explication; putting poetic and sharp Hebrew into an exegetical prosaic and explicit English.
Word for word: "Gird your sword on thigh, hero, your splendor and your glory"
The poet curtly says "thigh" in place of the formal "your thigh", as it is clear what he means.

Isaac Fried, Boston University

Thanks Isaac.

Kenneth,
You may have been looking at Num 5:22 which just says thigh without the pronoun suffix.

Anyway, your post helped me. I had made my own translation and song out of Ps 45, and had "Your thigh" in v3. I just now corrected it to "the thigh".

Hello,

The reason for this English translation (as Your Thigh) is because the old translations translated it that way.
The Septuagint and the Aramaic translations write "your thigh", and the English version followed in this case the Greek version.

It is hard to determine whether the Greek and Aramaic, as Isaac said, translated this with explication, (since every translation must do it by default), or that there was a Haplography on the side of the MT's source.

I tend to agree with Isaac comment and see it as the translations added this word to clear the verse.

ברך and ירך translate "thigh", however the Lexicons makes no connection between these words, for ירך states "From an unused root meaning to be soft" and for "ברך" from the homonym meaning "Bless".

The Septuagint translates instances of ברך and ירך in Genesis 50:23/Psalm 45:3 into μηρός (mērós), the two consonants in this word interchange with the ר and ב in ברך, since the etymology of μηρός is unknown, i going to conclude the Greek word came from ברך via Phoenician influence.

ירך itself derives from ערך/ἀραρίσκω (ἄρσα) "join, fit together" that roots ἄρθρον "joint, of limbs" that derives arthritis and this also roots ἅρμα "chariot" that translates into רכב and ἄρσα also means "furnish' that translates ערך in Psalm 78:19.

Psalm 78:19
אל לערך שלחן "Can god furnish a table" > θεὸς ἄρσαι ξύλον

ערך
> ירך
> ברך
> רכב
> ארם