Raca

Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament

RACA. —The word occurs only in  Matthew 5:22, and offers one of the little riddles of the Gospels which have not found as yet a sufficient explanation. It had been spelt ‘Racha’ in the Authorized Version of 1611; so in Tindale and other earlier versions. It was replaced by ‘Raca’ in 1638, and explained ‘that is, Vain fellow ,  2 Samuel 6:20,’ by one of the marginal notes added to the Authorized Version at various times, chiefly in 1762 (see the Introduction to Scrivener’s Paragraph Bible , p. xxx). The Revised Version NT 1881, OT 1885 confines itself to the marginal note, ‘an expression of contempt.’ The spelling of the Greek Manuscripts is ῥαχα in א*D, adopted by Tischendorf; ῥακα in אcBE, etc., with -ᾶ in B, -ά in other Manuscripts, as 13, 124, 556 (see Scrivener, Adversaria ); ῥακκα, ῥακκαν, ῥακαν in Apost. Const , ii. 32; racha in most Manuscripts of the Latin Versions; raccha in d  ; only f k Z c and the official Vulgate have raca  ; רקא in all Syriac Versions, vocalized רָקָא, רַקָא, רָקֵא, רַקָא (see the edition of the Tetraeuangelium by Pusey-Gwilliam, and the Thesaurus Syriacus  ; it is explained as = שׁיטא, i.e. ‘despised,’ by Bar-hebraeus).

The puzzle in the word is the a of the first syllable, which is not found in the corresponding Hebrew word. It is true, J. Lightfoot ( Hor. Heb ., new ed. by Rob. Gandell, Oxford, 1859, ii. 108) writes:

‘ Raca  : A word used by one that despiseth another in the highest scorn: very usual in the Hebrew writers , and very common in the mouth of the nation.’ Then he gives examples from Tanchum , fol. 5, Colossians 2; fol. 18, Colossians 4; fol. 38, Colossians 4; Midrash Tillin upon Psalms 138; Bab. [Note: Babylonian.] Berak . fol. 32, 2, of which the following are worth quoting: ‘A heathen said to an Israelite, “Very suitable food is made ready for you at my house.” “What is it?” saith the other. To whom he replied, “Swine’s flesh.” “Raca,” saith the Jew, “I must not eat of clean beasts with you.” ’ A king’s daughter was married to a certain dirty fellow. He commanded her to stand by him as a mean servant, and to be his butler. To whom she said, “ Raca , I am a king’s daughter.” ’ ‘One of the scholars of R. Jochanan made sport with the teaching of his master; but returning at last to a sober mind: “Teach thou, O master,” saith he, “for thou art worthy to teach, for I have found and seen that which thou hast taught.” To whom he replied, “דיקה Raca , thou hadst not believed unless thou hadst seen.” ‘A certain captain saluted a religious man praying in the way, but he saluted him not again: he waited till he had done his prayer, and saith to him, “ריקה Raca , it is written in your law,” ’ etc.

But in all these cases the Semitic word is spelt ריקה (with yod ), which must be vocalized רֵיקְא, i.e. Reca  ; see Dalman, Aram. Aramaic -Neuheb. Wörterbuch , p. 384; Jastrow, Dictionary , ii. 1476. In the first edition of his Gram. d. Jüd.-Pal. [Note: Palestine, Palestinian.] Aram. Aramaic (1896) Dalman assumed that in the form of the NT ai had been contracted to a , and that the spelling with χ in the Manuscripts אD was due to an aspirated pronunciation of the Hebrew qoph , by which it approached to the aspirated kaph . In the second (1905, p. 174) he suggested at last a more probable solution, that the word in Greek assumed its form through assimilation to Greek ῥάκος, ‘lump’ = rag (a tattered piece of cloth, and then used of a shabby, beggarly fellow). This is possible. But there is another strange and not yet corroborated statement about the use of the word, found in Chrysostom, who was acquainted with Syriac as spoken in the neighbourhood of Antioch. He says (p. 214) that it was not a word ‘of the highest scorn,’ as Lightfoot styled it:

Τὸ δὲ ῥακὰ τοῦτο οὐ μεγάλης ἐστὶν ὕβρεως ῥῆμα, ἀλλὰ μᾶλλον καταφρονησεως καὶ ὁλιγωρὶας τινος τοῦ λὲγοντος. καθὰτερ γὰρ ἡμεῖς ἡ οἰκεταις, ἤ τισι τῶν καταδεεστὲρων ἐτιτάττοντες λέγομεν· ἄτελθε σύ, εἰτὲ τῷ δεῖνι σύ· οὔτω κκὶ οἱ τῇ Σύρων κεχρημένοι γλώττη ῥακὰ λέγουσιν, ἀντὶ τοῦ σύ, τοῦτο τιθέντες. ἀλλʼ ὁ φιλάνθρωτος θεὸς καὶ τὰ μικρότατα ἀναστᾷ, καθηκόντως ἡμὶν κεχρῆσθαι ἀλληλοις κελεύων, καὶ μετὰ τῆς προσηκούσης τιμῆς, καὶ ἴνα διὰ τούτων καὶ τὰ μείζονα ἀναιρῆται.

In contradistinction to ῥακά, Chrysostom considers μωρέ, as χαλεπώτερον, as ῥῆμα τῆς ὕβρεως πληκτικώτερον, for which διπλῆ γίνεται ἡ πυρά. The same statement by a later hand is also found on the margin of codex B, τὸ ῥακᾶ ἁντὶ τοῦ σύ being one of the few marginal notes of this MS; and a similar statement is made in the so-called Opus imperfectum , p. 62; but, at the same time, the common explanation is there given: ‘Racha quidem dicitur Hebraice vacuus.’ Euthymius Zigabenus is dependent on Chrysostom: Τὸ ῥακὰ δὲ ἑβραϊκή ἐστι φωνή, δηλοῦσα τὸ Σύ. Ἐπεί γὰρ ὀργιζόμενὸς τις κατά τινος οὐκ ἀξιοῖ καλέσαι τοῦτον ἐξ ὀνόματος, ὡς ἀνάξιον ὀνόματος ἀντὶ ὀνόματος δὲ τὸ Σὺ τίθησιν. Augustine speaks of having heard from a Jew, that Raca is vocum non significantem aliquid, sed indignantis animi motum exprimentem . No example, however, has been found as yet of this use in Syriac. It is interesting to note that Maclean’s Dictionary of the Dialects of Vernacular Syriac gives the vocalization ܪܩܵܐ rçca (or rica ) for the present dialect of the Azerbaijani Jews. This want of examples may, however, be due to the fact that a word was avoided, the use of which was denounced in the Gospel. The expression ἄνθρωπε κενέ in  James 2:20 may be considered its Greek equivalent, as St. Paul’s ἄφρων ( 1 Corinthians 15:36) is the parallel to μωρέ. It may be added that the εἰκῇ in the first part of the verse has been believed by some to be the Greek explanation of this Raca , and to have crept into the text at the wrong place. But this is not likely. The Onomastica sacra (ed. Lagarde) are unanimous in the explanation ‘κενέ, κενός, vacuus ,’ and spell ῥακά, ῥακκά, Racha, Raca (cod. F). See also art. Fool.

Eb. Nestle.

Rachel , the wife of Jacob and the mother of Joseph and Benjamin, is mentioned in  Matthew 2:18, in a quotation from  Jeremiah 31:15. The words of Jeremiah are understood in this passage as a prediction of the slaughter of the Innocents, but in their original connexion they refer to a historical incident in the prophet’s own life. He accompanied the exiles on their way to Babylon as far as Ramah, 5 miles north of Jerusalem ( Jeremiah 40:1), and the impression produced by his last sight of them took the form of a poetic picture of Rachel, the ancestral mother of the Israelites (who according to one tradition— 1 Samuel 10:2—was buried in the neighbourhood), bewailing the fate of her descendants ( Jeremiah 31:15). The application of this passage to the massacre at Bethlehem seems to have been suggested by the fact that another tradition placed Rachel’s tomb in the vicinity of that town ( Genesis 35:19-20;  Genesis 48:7). The supposed site of this sepulchre has been shown, at least since the 4th cent. a.d., about 4 miles south of Jerusalem, and one mile north of Bethlehem. See Ramah.

James Patrick.

Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary

A Syriac word, signifying somewhat very opprobious, such as sorry fellow, villain, and the like; so that it is a term of the utmost contempt, and seldom used unless accompanied with spitting. See Spitting. Our blessed Lord hath defined three several degrees of guilt in the use of improper anger and names. ( Matthew 5:22) "I say unto you (saith Jesus) that whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause, shall be in danger of the judgment; and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council; but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire." It was a law of the Sanhedrim, founded upon the law of God, that no one should cherish anger against another, much less bring a railing accusation. He that did so was justly exposed to the judgment of God; but if he went farther than mental anger, and called his brother Raca, should be brought before the council, that judgment might be speedily obtained. But, if still prosecuting his malignity, and said, Thou fool, that is, thou child of hell, and this to a brother who is a child of God, Such an one was in danger of hell fire. The Jews had three different sorts of punishment. Beheading was commanded by judgment; stoning by the order of the Sanhedrim, or council; and burning in Gehenna, the valley of the son of Hinnom. (See  Jeremiah 7:31-32) Joshiah, the good king, in order to pollute this place, and render it everlastingly, hateful to Israel, commanded all the filth he could rake together, and dead men's bones, to be thrown into it. ( 2 Kings 23:1-37) There is somewhat of difficulty at first view in this passage of our Lord. To say to another Raca, subjects the offender to the curse and condemnation of the council; but to say thou fool, makes the offender in danger of hell-fire. Whereas we find the apostle, Paul using the very phrase in his discourse on the resurrection. ( 1 Corinthians 15:36) And our blessed Lord him self, when reproving the dullness of his disciples, said, "O fools, and slow of heart, to believe all that the prophets have spoken." ( Luke 24:26) But the difficulty vanisheth when the passages are compared together. In the instance of the apostle, and his master, the term fool is but a gentle reproof, and meant in a tender way to correct a dullness of understanding. In the case to which Jesus refers, the utmost anger and malice is supposed; so that when the offender calls his brother, fool, he means one that is a child of hell, and under the curse of God. Oh, for grace to be kept from sins of such heinousness and malignity!

Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible

RACA . A term occurring only in   Matthew 5:22 . It is a Semitic word, probably a popular pronunciation of the Rabbinic rçqâ , a noun formed from the adjective rçq ‘empty.’ Several instances of its use occur in the Talmud as a term of contempt applied to a person devoid of education and morals. From   Matthew 5:22 it may be inferred that it was employed as a term of abuse in the time of Christ.

While the general force of our Lord’s words in  Matthew 5:21-22 is clear enough, the significance of the judgments referred to is obscured in the present text. A distinction has been drawn between ‘Raca’ as denying intellectual capacity, and ‘thou fool’ as denying a man’s religious worth, which cannot he sustained. Our ‘Lord’s reference to the ‘Council’ ( i.e. the supreme Jewish Court, the Sanhedrin) in   Matthew 5:22 , implying its possession of the power of life and death, is especially difficult. The Sanhedrin possessed no such power in fact, nor is it at all likely, that our Lord would recognize the validity of such a claim on its behalf even in theory. It was after all only a provisional institution devised by the Rabbis; whereas the ‘Gehenna of fire’ is a Messianic judgment.

The true meaning and real antithesis emerge clearly if a slight re-arrangement of the text, first suggested by J. P. Peters (in JBL [Note: BL Journ. of Biblical Literature.] x. (1891) 131f., xv. (1896) 103: adopted in the EBi [Note: Encyclopædia Biblica.] , s.v. ‘Raca,’ vol. iv. col. 4001), is accepted. The clause about ‘Raca’ should be transferred to v. 21. Read then: ‘Ye have heard that it was said to the ancients, Thou shalt not murder, and whosoever murders is liable to the judgment, and whosoever says “Raca” to his brother is liable to the Sanhedrin: but I say unto you, whosover is angry with his brother is liable to the (Divine) judgment, and whosoever says “thou fool” is liable to the Gehenna of fire.’ Rabbinic law is very stringent against libellous expressions, which were to be treated as serious offences liable for punishment to the supreme court (like murder).

G. H. Box.

Vine's Expository Dictionary of NT Words

1: Ῥακά (Strong'S #4469 — Noun — raka — rhak-ah' )

is an Aramaic word akin to the Heb. req, "empty," the first "a" being due to a Galilean change. In the AV of 1611 it was spelled racha; in the edition of 1638, raca. It was a word of utter contempt, signifying "empty," intellectually rather than morally, "empty-headed," like Abimelech's hirelings,  Judges 9:4 , and the "vain" man of  James 2:20 . As condemned by Christ,  Matthew 5:22 , it was worse than being angry, inasmuch as an outrageous utterance is worse than a feeling unexpressed or somewhat controlled in expression; it does not indicate such a loss of self-control as the word rendered "fool," a godless, moral reprobate.

American Tract Society Bible Dictionary

A word derived from a Hebrew word signifying vain, trifling, brainless; otherwise, beggarly, worthless. It is thus translated by the Vulgate, in  Judges 11:3; in the English, "vain men." The word includes a strong idea of contempt. Christ says,  Matthew 5:22 , whoever shall say to his brother, "Raca," shall be condemned by the council, or sanhedrim. The term translated "fool" in the same passage, means vile and abandoned wretch.

Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary

a Syriac word which properly signifies empty, vain, beggarly, foolish, and which includes in it a strong idea of contempt. Our Saviour pronounces a censure on every person using this term to his neighbour,   Matthew 5:22 , Lightfoot assures us that, in the writings of the Jews, the word raca is a term of the utmost contempt, and that it was usual to pronounce it with marked signs of indignation.

Smith's Bible Dictionary

Raca. A term of reproach derived from the Chaldee, reka , Worthless. ("Raca denotes A Certain Looseness Of Life And Manners, while Fool , in the same passage, means A Downright Wicked And Reprobate Person. ").  Matthew 5:22.

Fausset's Bible Dictionary

Chaldee Reeiqua , "worthless, vain man" ( James 2:20;  Judges 9:4;  Judges 11:3). Expressing contempt of one as at once despicable and worthless; three degrees of angry bitterness, and of corresponding punishment, are described  Matthew 5:22.

King James Dictionary

R'ACA, n. A Syriac word signifying empty, beggarly, foolish a term of extreme contempt.  Matthew 5 .

Morrish Bible Dictionary

An Aramaic word signifying 'worthless,' a term of great contempt.  Matthew 5:22 .

Webster's Dictionary

(a.) A term of reproach used by the Jews of our Savior's time, meaning "worthless."

Holman Bible Dictionary

 Matthew 5:22

Easton's Bible Dictionary

 Matthew 5:22

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

rā´ka , rā - ka ´ ( ῤακά , rhaká , Westcott and Hort, The New Testament in Greek with Codices Sinaiticus (corrected), Vaticanus, Codex E, etc.; ῥαχά , rhachá , Tischendorf with Codices Sinaiticus (original hand) and Bezae; Aramaic ריקא , rēḳā' , from ריק , rēḳ , "empty"): Vain or worthless fellow; a term of contempt used by the Jews in the time of Christ. In the Bible, it occurs in   Matthew 5:22 only, but John Lightfoot gives a number of instances of the use of the word by Jewish writers ( Hor. Hebrew ., edition by Gandell, Oxford, 1859, II, 108). Chrysostom (who was acquainted with Syriac as spoken in the neighborhood of Antioch) says it was equivalent to the Greek σύ , sú , "thou," used contemptuously instead of a man's name. Jerome rendered it inanis aut vacuus absque cerebro . It is generally explained as expressing contempt for a man's intellectual capacity (= "you simpleton!"), while μωρέ , mōré (translated "thou fool"), in the same verse is taken to refer to a man's moral and religious character (= "you rascal!" "you impious fellow!"). Thus we have three stages of anger, with three corresponding grades of punishment: (1) the inner feeling of anger (ὀργιζόμενος , orgizómenos ), to be punished by the local or provincial court (τῇ κρίσει , tḗ krı́sei , "the judgment"); (2) anger breaking forth into an expression of scorn ( Raca ), to be punished by the Sanhedrin (τῷ συνεδρίῳ , tṓ sunedrı́ō , "the council"); (3) anger culminating in abusive and defamatory language ( Mōre ), to be punished by the fire of Gehenna. This view, of a double climax, which has been held by foremost English and Gor. commentators, seems to give the passage symmetry and gradation. But it is rejected among others by T. K. Cheyne, who, following J. P. Peters, rearranges the text by transferring the clause "and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council" to the end of the preceding verse (Encyclopaedia Biblica, IV, cols. 4001 f). There certainly does not seem to be trustworthy external evidence to prove that the terms "the judgment," "the council," "the Gehenna of fire" stand to each other in a relation of gradation, as lower and higher legal courts, or would be so understood by Christ's hearers. What is beyond dispute is that Christ condemns the use of disparaging and insulting epithets as a supreme offense against the law of humanity, which belongs to the same category as murder itself. It should be added, however, that it is the underlying feeling and not the verbal expression as such that constitutes the sin. Hence, our Lord can, without any real inconsistency, address two of His followers as "foolish men" ( Luke 24:25 , ἀνόητοι , anóētoi , practically equivalent to Raca , as is also James's expression, "O vain man,"  James 2:20 ).

Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature

( ῾Ρακά ), a term of reproach used by the Jews of our Saviour's age ( Matthew 5:22). Critics are agreed that it is but the Greek form of the Chaldee term רֵיקָא , Ireyka ' (the terminal א being the definite article, used in a Vocative sense), with the sense of "worthless;" but they differ as to whether this term should be connected with the root רוּק conveying the notion of Emptiness (Gesen. Thesaur. . 1279), or with one of the cognate roots רָקִק (Tholuck) or רָקִע (Ewald), conveying the notion of Thinness (Olshausen, De Wette, On Matthew V , 22). The first of these views is probably correct. We may compare the use of רֵיק , vain," inJudges 9:4; 11:3, al., and of Κενέ in  James 2:20. Jesus, contrasting the law of Moses, which could only take notice of overt acts, with his own, which renders man amenable for his motives and feelings, says in effect: "Whosoever is rashly angry with his brother is liable to the judgment of God; whosoever calls his brother raca is liable to the judgment of the Sanhedrim; but whosoever calls him fool ( Μωρέ ) becomes liable to the judgment of Gehenna." To apprehend the higher criminality here attached to the term fool, which may not at first seem very obvious, it is necessary to observe that while "raca" denotes a certain looseness of life and manners, "fool" denotes a wicked and reprobate person: foolishness being in Scripture opposed to spiritual wisdom (Lightfoot, Hor. Hebr. ad loc.). (See Fool).