לֶ֫כֶד

# Lekhed (H3921): A Rare Hebrew Term for Capture The Hebrew word *lekhed* appears only once in the biblical text, making it one of the Bible's most obscure terms. Its basic meaning is "capture," denoting the act of seizing or taking possession of something or someone. Despite its straightforward definition, the word's singular occurrence in scripture limits our ability to observe variations in meaning or context that might reveal additional nuances. The extreme rarity of this term—appearing just a single time—prevents us from establishing how it was used across different situations or whether it carried specialized connotations. Unlike frequently occurring words, which biblical writers employ in diverse contexts and which lexicographers can analyze comprehensively, *lekhed* surfaces nowhere else in the surviving biblical corpus. This unique status means the word's full semantic range and any figurative applications remain largely inaccessible to modern analysis based solely on biblical evidence. For readers encountering this term, its significance lies primarily in its documentary value rather than its theological or narrative importance. It represents a vocabulary item that, while present in ancient Hebrew, did not become a standard or repeated element in biblical expression. Without multiple contexts showing how the word functioned in relation to other terms for seizure or possession, *lekhed* remains a lexical artifact—defined by a single occurrence rather than illuminated by it.