לָחַךְ

# Lachakh (לָחַךְ): The Hebrew Verb "To Lick" The Hebrew verb *lachakh* carries the straightforward physical meaning of licking—the action of passing the tongue over a surface. With only six occurrences in the biblical text, this is a relatively rare word, suggesting it was used selectively rather than as a common everyday term. Its rarity itself indicates that biblical writers invoked this verb only when the specific image of licking was narratively or figuratively important enough to warrant inclusion. The limited attestation prevents broad generalizations about extended or metaphorical uses of the term. Unlike more frequent verbs that develop multiple layers of meaning across different contexts, *lachakh* appears confined to situations where the literal act of licking serves the author's purpose. This restraint in usage is typical of words describing specific physical actions in biblical Hebrew, where precision sometimes took priority over stylistic variation. For readers seeking to understand how ancient Hebrew literature portrayed concrete bodily actions, *lachakh* exemplifies a direct, unadorned vocabulary choice reserved for moments when such imagery mattered to the narrative or argument at hand.