Word Study for H6127 (עָקַל) | Strong's Concordance

Roota primitive root

Meaningto wrest

KJV usagewrong.

In depth

Word Study

A plain-language study of ʻâqal — the range of meaning it carries, how Scripture actually uses it, and where it points. Written for readers who don’t know the original language.

Core Meaning & Semantic Range

The Hebrew word ʻâqal, represented by H6127, is a primitive root defined as to wrest; wrong. This specific term is exceptionally rare, appearing only 1 time in a single verse in the entire Bible. Its singular use provides a potent description of perverted justice, where a righteous outcome is twisted into something corrupt.

Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis

The sole appearance of ʻâqal is in Habakkuk 1:4, where the prophet laments a state of moral decay. The verse states that because the law is "slacked" and the wicked surround the righteous, "wrong judgment proceedeth." In this context, ʻâqal describes a verdict that has been actively corrupted, failing to reflect the true justice that should have been rendered. It is presented as the direct result of the ungodly oppressing the just.

Related Words & Concepts

Several related words from its only context in Habakkuk 1:4 help clarify the meaning of ʻâqal:

H7563 râshâʻ (wicked): This term, meaning a "morally wrong" or "bad person," identifies the agent responsible for the perversion of justice. The wicked are those who "compass about the righteous" Habakkuk 1:4, leading to the wrongful judgment.
H6662 tsaddîyq (righteous): Defined as "just, lawful, righteous (man)," this word represents the victim of the "wrong" judgment. The LORD is shown to uphold the righteous when the arms of the wicked are broken Psalms 37:17.
H4941 mishpâṭ (judgment): This term refers to a "verdict pronounced judicially." It is the very concept being corrupted by ʻâqal. God's ways are described as judgment Deuteronomy 32:4, making its perversion a serious offense.

Theological Significance

The theological weight of ʻâqal is focused on the corruption of divine standards.

Perversion of Divine Law: The use of ʻâqal signifies a direct assault on God's order. It appears because the law H8451 is "slacked" H6313, allowing wrong judgment to go forth Habakkuk 1:4. This highlights a severe breakdown in the moral and legal fabric of society.
The Siege of the Righteous: The word is used in a context where the wicked H7563 "doth compass about" H3803 the righteous H6662. This dynamic of evil enclosing or besieging the just is what leads to injustice when the law is not enforced Habakkuk 1:4.
The Consequence of Inaction: The text explicitly links the emergence of wrong H6127 judgment to the failure of the law H8451. When the law is "slacked" and does not "go forth" H3318, a vacuum is created that is filled by perversion and wickedness.

Summary

In summary, H6127 ʻâqal, though used only once, provides a sharp and critical definition of perverted justice. It means to wrest or make wrong, and its appearance in Habakkuk 1:4 describes a scenario where the law has failed, and the wicked triumph over the righteous. The word encapsulates the severe consequences of a society where legal and moral standards are not upheld, resulting in verdicts that are twisted and unjust.

Translation

How the KJV Renders It

Strong’s lists one rendering for this word. It is counted from the King James text of the tagged verses — the number is how many of them use it. Select it to filter the occurrences below.

Morphology

Grammatical Forms

In the Hebrew Old Testament, this word appears as a verb across 1 occurrence, inflected in 1 grammatical form. Select any form to read what each part of its name means, and to filter the occurrence list to it. These are this word’s own inflections, not words built from it — for those, see Related Words.

מְעֻקָּל

Related Words

2 entries in Strong’s name this word as their origin. These are its derivatives — a different relationship from the inflected forms above, which are this same word bent by grammar.

Other entries the study above points to — each one is drawn from a reference it makes. Follow the trail to see how the words connect.

Context

Theographic Context

The people, places, and span of history the verses containing this word touch on — drawn from the theographic tagging of Scripture. Select any name to isolate its verses in the occurrence list.

Distribution

Biblical Distribution

1 verse, all in Habakkuk — and none of the other 38 Old Testament books.

Concordance

Every Occurrence

Every verse where the word is tagged in the King James text. Filter by book, by the English word the translators chose, by grammatical form, or search within the verses.

Sources. Definition and numbering: James Strong, Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (1890). Morphology: STEPBible / Tyndale House (CC BY). Verse tagging: the King James text keyed to Strong’s numbers. Every count on this page is computed from the tagged corpus, not estimated.