Way

"way (path, road, highway); distance; journey; manner, conduct; condition; destiny." This noun has cognates in Akkadian, Ugaritic (where it sometimes means "power" or "rule"), Phoenician, Punic, Arabic, and Aramaic. It occurs about 706 times in biblical Hebrew and in all periods. First, this word refers to a path, a road, or a highway. In Gen 3:24 (the first occurrence of the word) it means "path" or "route": "… and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden cherubim, and a flaming sword which turned every [direction], to [guard] the way of the tree of life."

Sometimes, as in Gen 16:7, the word represents a pathway, road, or route: "And the angel of the Lord found her by a fountain of water in the wilderness, by the fountain in the way to Shur." The actual road itself is represented in Gen 38:21: "Where is the [temple prostitute], that was openly by the wayside?" (In Num 20:17 the word means "highway," a well-known and well-traveled road: "… We will go by the king's highway, we will not turn to the right hand nor to the left, until we have passed thy borders." Second, this noun represents a "distance" (how far or how long) between two points: "And he set three days' journey [a distance of three days] betwixt himself and Jacob…" (Gen 30:36).

In other passages derek refers to the action or process of "taking a journey": "And to his father he sent after this manner; ten asses laden with the good things of Egypt, and ten she asses laden with corn and bread and meat for his father by the way [on the journey]" (Gen 45:23). In an extended nuance derek means "undertaking": "If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honorable; and shalt honor him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure…" (Isa 58:13). Cf. Gen 24:21: "And the man wondering at her held his peace, to wit whether the Lord had made his journey prosperous or not" (cf. Deut 28:29). In another emphasis this word connotes how and what one does, a "manner, custom, behavior, mode of life": "Our father is old, and there is not a man in the earth to come in unto us after the manner of all the earth" (Gen 19:31). in 1Ki 2:4 derek is applied to an activity that controls one, one's life-style: "If thy children take heed to their way, to walk before me in truth with all their heart and with all their soul, there shall not fail thee… a man on the throne of Israel." in 1Ki 16:26 derek is used of Jeroboam's attitude: "For he walked in all the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and in his sin wherewith he made Israel to sin…" Deeds, or specific acts, may be connoted by this noun: "Lo, these are parts of his ways; but how little a portion is heard of him? but the thunder of his power who can understand?" (Job 26:14).

Derek refers to a "condition" in the sense of what has happened to someone. This is clear by the parallelism of Isa 40:27: "Why sayest thou, O Jacob, and speakest, O Israel, My way is hid from the Lord, and [the justice due to me is passed away] from my God?" In one passage derek signifies the overall course and fixed path of one's life, or his "destiny": "O Lord, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps" (Jer 10:23). Finally, this word sometimes seems to bear the meaning of its Ugaritic cognate, "power" or "rulership": "Only acknowledge thine iniquity, that thou hast transgressed against the Lord thy God, and hast scattered thy ways [nasb, "favors"] to the strangers under every green tree…" (Jer 3:13; cf. Job 26:14; Job 36:23; Job 40:19; Psa 67:2; Psa 110:7; Psa 119:37; Psa 138:5; Prov 8:22; Prov 19:16; Prov 31:3; Hos 10:13; Amos 8:14). Some scholars, however, contest this explanation of these passages.

"way; path; course; conduct; manner." Cognates of this word appear in Akkadian, Arabic, and Aramaic. Its 57 occurrences in biblical Hebrew are all in poetry except Gen 18:11. In meaning this word parallels Hebrew derek, which it often synonymously parallels. First, ’orah? means "path" or "way" conceived as a marked-out, well-traveled course: "Dan shall be a serpent by the way, an adder in the path, that biteth the horse heels …" (Gen 49:17). In Judg 5:6 the word means "highways were unoccupied, and the travelers walked through byways." When the sun is likened to a "strong man" who rejoices "to run a race" (Psa 19:5), ’orah? represents a race course rather than a highway or a primitive, snake-laden path. The man who makes his path straight goes directly on his journey, not turning aside for the beckoning harlot (Prov 9:15). So here the word represents the "course" one follows between his departure and arrival conceived in terms of small units, almost step by step. In Psa 8:8 the word represents the ocean currents: "… the fowl of the air and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas." ’Orah? signifies the ground itself as the path upon which one treads: "He pursued them, and passed safely; even by the way that he had not gone with his feet" (Isa 41:3). In Job 30:12 the word seems to represent an obstruction or dam: "…They push away my feet, and they raise up against me the ways of their destruction."

The word can refer to a recurring life event typical of an individual or a group. In its first biblical occurrence (Gen 18:11) it is used of "the manner of women" (menstruation). Job 16:22 mentions the "way whence I shall not return," or death, while other passages speak of life actions (Job 34:11; literally, "conduct") or life-style (Prov 15:10: "Correction is grievous unto him that forsaketh the way…" prescribed life-style; Prov 5:6: "Lest thou shouldest ponder the path [which is typified by] life…"). Thus, ’orah? sometimes figures a proper course of action or proceeding within a given realm, "the path of judgment" (Isa 40:14). The noun ’orh?â, which occurs 3 times, represents a "wandering company" or a "caravan" (Gen 37:25).

Usage Number: 3
Part of Speech: Verb
Original Word: ’arah?

Usage Notes:’Arah? means "to go, wander." This word, which occurs 6 times in biblical Hebrew, has cognates in Phoenician, Ethiopic, Aramaic, and Syriac. One example of this verb's usage is found in Job 1:34-8: "What man is like Job… which goeth in company with the workers of iniquity, and walketh with wicked men."

denotes (a) "a natural path, road, way," frequent in the Synoptic Gospels; elsewhere, e.g., Act 8:26, 1Th 3:11, Jam 2:25, Rev 16:12; (b) "a traveler's way" (see JOURNEY); (c) metaphorically, of "a course of conduct," or "way of thinking," e.g., of righteousness, Mat 21:32, 2Pe 2:21; of God, Mat 22:16, and parallels, i.e., the "way" instructed and approved by God; so Act 18:26, Heb 3:10, "My ways" (cp. Rev 15:3); of the Lord, Act 18:25; "that leadeth to destruction," Mat 7:13; "... unto life," Mat 7:14; of peace, Luk 1:79, Rom 3:17; of Paul's "ways" in Christ, 1Co 1:17 (plural); "more excellent" (of love), 1Co 12:31; of truth, 2Pe 2:2; of the right "way," 2Pe 2:15; of Balaam (id); of Cain, Jud 1:11; of a "way" consisting in what is from God, e.g., of life, Act 2:28 (plural); of salvation, Act 16:17; personified, of Christ as the means of access to the Father, Joh 14:6; of the course followed and characterized by the followers of Christ, Act 9:2, Act 19:9, Act 19:23, Act 24:22. See HIGHWAY.

Note: In Luk 5:19, Luk 19:4 the noun is not expressed in the original, but is understood.

"a passing or passage," is used with en, "in," 1Co 16:7, "by the way" (lit, "in passing").

"a turning, a manner," is translated "way" in Rom 3:2, "(every) way;" Phi 1:18, "(in every) way." See CONVERSATION, MANNER, MEANS.

Notes: (1) In Jam 1:11, AV, poreia, "a journey, a going,"). (2) In Heb 12:17, topos, "a place," is rendered in AV marg., "way (to change his mind)." (3) For the AV rendering of makran "a good (or great) way off," Mat 8:30, Luk 15:20, see FAR, B, No. 1. (4) In Luk 14:32, porro is rendered "a great way off." (5) In Heb 5:2, AV, planao, Middle Voice, "to wander," is rendered "(them) that are out of the way," RV, "(the) erring." (6) In Col 2:14, 2Th 2:7, ek mesou, is translated "out of the way;" see MIDST, Note (1) (e). (7) For "two ways" in Mar 11:4, AV see STREET. (8) In Joh 10:1, the adverb allachothen, "from some other place" (from allos, "another"), is translated "some other way." (9) In 2Pe 3:1, the AV translates en "by way of" ("by," RV). (10) In Gal 2:5, the renderings "by," AV, "in the way of," RV, serve to express the dative case of hupotage, subjection. (11) For propempo, "to bring on one's way," Act 15:3, Act 21:5, and the AV of 2Co 1:16 (RV, "to be set forward on my journey"), see BRING, No. 25. (12) Aperchomai, "to go away," is rendered "to go one's way," e.g., Mat 13:25, Mat 20:4, Mar 11:4, Mar 12:12, Luk 19:32, Joh 11:46, Act 9:17, Jam 1:24, see GO, No. 14. (13) In Luk 8:14, AV, poreuomai, "to go on one's way" (RV), is rendered "go forth;" in Luk 13:33, AV, "walk" (RV, "go on my way"); in Mat 24:1, AV, it is rendered "departed" (RV, "was going on his way"): see DEPART, No. 8. (14) In Act 24:3, pante is rendered "in all ways" (AV, "always"). (15) In Rom 3:12, AV, ekklino, "to turn aside" (RV), is rendered "are gone out of the way." (16) See also ESCAPE, B, LASCIVIOUS.