English · KJV
H724

אֲרוּכָה

ʼărûwkâh /ar-oo-kaw'/ Ask about this word
Rootor אֲרֻכָה · feminine passive participle of אָרַךְ (in the sense of restoring to soundness)
Meaningwholeness (literally or figuratively)
KJV usagehealth, made up, perfected.

Word Study

In depth

A plain-language study of ʼărûwkâh — 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 ʼărûwkâh, represented by H724, describes a state of wholeness and health. Derived from a root meaning to restore to soundness, it appears 6 times in 6 unique verses. The term is applied both literally, as in something being perfected or made up, and figuratively, referring to the restoration of health to a person or a nation.

Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis

In biblical usage, H724 signifies a complete restoration. In a literal sense, it is used to describe the repair of physical structures, such as when the walls of Jerusalem were made up Nehemiah 4:7 and the work on the house of God was perfected by the workmen 2 Chronicles 24:13. Figuratively, it is most often used in the context of divine healing and national restoration. God promises to restore health to his people Jeremiah 30:17 and bring them health and cure Jeremiah 33:6. This restoration is often presented as a dynamic event, where health is promised to "spring forth speedily" as a result of righteousness Isaiah 58:8.

Related Words & Concepts

Several related words help to clarify the concept of restoration and wholeness:

  • H7495 râphâʼ (to cure, heal): This word is often used in parallel with H724. God promises not only to restore health (ʼărûwkâh) but also to heal (râphâʼ) the wounds of His people Jeremiah 30:17.
  • H4832 marpêʼ (a cure, remedy): This term appears alongside H724 to emphasize the active provision of healing. God promises to bring both health (ʼărûwkâh) and cure (marpêʼ) to Jerusalem Jeremiah 33:6.
  • H6779 tsâmach (to sprout, spring forth): This verb illustrates the vibrant, living nature of the restoration promised by God. In Isaiah, the people's health (ʼărûwkâh) is depicted as something that will spring forth (tsâmach) like a plant Isaiah 58:8.

Theological Significance

The theological significance of H724 centers on the theme of divine restoration.

  • Source of Wholeness: The restoration signified by ʼărûwkâh is consistently presented as a divine action. It is God who declares, "I will restore health unto thee" Jeremiah 30:17 and "I will bring it health and cure" Jeremiah 33:6.
  • Literal and Figurative Restoration: The term bridges the physical and the spiritual. It describes the mending of breaches in a wall Nehemiah 4:7 as well as the healing of a nation's wounds, questioning why the health of the people is not recovered Jeremiah 8:22.
  • Consequence of Righteousness: The promise of health is explicitly linked to right living. In Isaiah, wholeness is the result of obedience, where one's health shall "spring forth speedily" after their righteousness H6664 goes before them Isaiah 58:8.

Summary

In summary, H724 conveys a concept far deeper than mere physical recovery. It signifies a complete and thorough restoration to a state of soundness and perfection. Whether applied to the literal mending of a temple wall or the figurative healing of a nation, ʼărûwkâh consistently points to God as the ultimate source of wholeness and the one who makes all things new.

How the KJV Renders It

Translation

Strong’s lists the renderings but not their weight. These are counted from the King James text of the tagged verses — the bar under each is how often the translators actually reached for it. Select one to filter the occurrences below.

Grammatical Forms

Morphology

In the Hebrew Old Testament, this word appears as a noun across 6 occurrences, inflected in 2 grammatical forms — each row is one form, and the bar is how often it is that form. Select any form to read what each part of its name means, and to filter the occurrence list to it.

  • אֲרֻכָה
  • אֲרֻכָתְ

Related Words

Related

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.

H7495 רָפָא or רָפָה; a primitive root; properly, to mend (by stitching), i.e. (figuratively) to cure; cure, (cause to) heal, physic H4832 מַרְפֵּא from רָפָא; properly, curative, i.e. literally (concretely) a medicine, or (abstractly) a cure; figuratively (concretely H6779 צָמַח a primitive root; to sprout (transitive or intransitive, literal or figurative); bear, bring forth, (cause to, make to) H6664 צֶדֶק from צָדַק; the right (natural, moral or legal); also (abstractly) equity or (figuratively) prosperity; [idiom] even, ([

Theographic Context

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.

Biblical Distribution

Distribution

Appears in 6 verses across 4 of the 39 books. Most frequent in Jeremiah (3 verses); never once in the other 35.

1
2 Chronicles
1
Nehemiah
1
Isaiah
3
Jeremiah

Every Occurrence

Concordance

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.