דרך

Hebrew

Etymology

Root
ד־ר־ך (d-r-k)

Compare Aramaic דְּרַךְ (dəraḵ, “to tread”), Arabic أَدْرَكَ (ʔadraka, “to reach, to overtake”). Possibly related to Arabic طريق.

Pronunciation

• (noun): (Modern Israeli Hebrew) IPA^(key): /ˈdeʁeχ/
• (Tiberian Hebrew) IPA^(key): [ˈdɛː.ʀ̟ɛχ]

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

דֶּרֶךְ • (dérekh) f (plural indefinite דְּרָכִים, singular construct דֶּרֶךְ־, plural construct דַּרְכֵי־) [pattern: קֶטֶל]

1. (literally and figuratively) a road, a path, a way

   כל הדרכים מובילות לרומא. ― kól had'rakhím movilót l'róma ― All the roads lead to Rome.

   הקו שלי עוצר בדרך בגין. ― My [bus] line stops at Begin Road.

   • Tanach, Genesis 3:24, with translation of the New International Version:

     וַיְגָרֶשׁ אֶת־הָאָדָם וַיַּשְׁכֵּן מִקֶּדֶם לְגַן־עֵדֶן אֶת־הַכְּרֻבִים וְאֵת לַהַט הַחֶרֶב הַמִּתְהַפֶּכֶת לִשְׁמֹר אֶת־דֶּרֶךְ עֵץ הַחַיִּים׃

     After he drove the man out, he placed on the east sidefn of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.

2. a journey
3. (by extension) a custom
   • Tanach, Genesis 19:31, with translation of the New International Version:

     וַתֹּאמֶר הַבְּכִירָה אֶל־הַצְּעִירָה אָבִינוּ זָקֵן וְאִישׁ אֵין בָּאָרֶץ לָבֹוא עָלֵינוּ כְּדֶרֶךְ כָּל־הָאָֽרֶץ׃

     One day the older daughter said to the younger, “Our father is old, and there is no man around here to give us children—as is the custom all over the earth.

Usage notes

• Unlike most nouns of the קֶטֶל pattern, דֶּרֶךְ is primarily feminine (though masculine usage is not unheard of, especially in older forms of Hebrew). Nonetheless, it has the same inflected forms as other like-patterned nouns, including an indefinite-state plural in ־ים (-im) rather than ־ות (-ot).

Declension

Declension of דֶּרֶךְ

Number	Isolated forms		With possessive pronouns
	State	Form	Person	singular		plural
				m.	f.	m.	f.
singular	indefinite	דֶּרֶךְ	first	דַּרְכִּי		דַּרְכֵּנוּ
	definite	הַדֶּרֶךְ	second	דַּרְכְּךָ	דַּרְכֵּךְ	דַּרְכְּכֶם	דַּרְכְּכֶן
	construct	דֶּרֶךְ־	third	דַּרְכּוֹ	דַּרְכָּהּ	דַּרְכָּם	דַּרְכָּן
plural	indefinite	דְּרָכִים	first	דרכיי / דְּרָכַי		דְּרָכֵינוּ
	definite	הַדְּרָכִים	second	דְּרָכֶיךָ	דרכייך / דְּרָכַיִךְ	דַּרְכֵיכֶם	דַּרְכֵיכֶן
	construct	דַּרְכֵי־	third	דְּרָכָיו	דְּרָכֶיהָ	דַּרְכֵיהֶם	דַּרְכֵיהֶן

Derived terms

• אֵם הַדֶּרֶךְ (em hadérekh)
• בְּדֶרֶךְ כְּלָל (b'dérekh k'lál)
• דֶּרֶךְ־אַגַּב (dérekh-agáv)
• דֶּרֶךְ אֶרֶץ (dérekh-érets)
• דַּרְכּוֹן (darkón)
• הדרך לגיהנום רצופה כוונות טובות (hadérekh lagehenóm r'tzufáh kavanót tovót)
• פְּרִיצַת־דֶּרֶךְ (p'ritsát-dérekh)
• קיצור דרך / קִצּוּר דֶרֶךְ (kitsúr-dérekh)

Further reading

• H1870 in Strong, James (1979) Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible

Preposition

דֶּרֶךְ • (dérekh) [pattern: קֶטֶל]

1. Through, via, by way of.

   ראיתי את זה דרך החלון. ― ra'íti ét zé dérekh hakhalón. ― I saw it through the window.

Verb

דָּרַךְ • (darách) (pa'al construction)

1. to step on, to walk on (something or someone)
2. to tread (grapes, etc.)
3. to cock (to lift the cock of a firearm), to draw (to pull back the bowstring)

Conjugation

Conjugation of דָּרַךְ (see also Appendix:Hebrew verbs) 

non-finite forms		to-infinitive: לדרוך / לִדְרֹךְ action noun: דְּרִיכָה passive participle: דָּרוּךְ
finite forms		singular		plural
		m.	f.	m.	f.
past	first	דָּרַכְתִּי		דָּרַכְנוּ
	second	דָּרַכְתָּ	דָּרַכְתְּ	דְּרַכְתֶּם1	דְּרַכְתֶּן1
	third	דָּרַךְ	דָּרְכָה	דָּרְכוּ
present		דּוֹרֵךְ	דּוֹרֶכֶת	דּוֹרְכִים	דּוֹרְכוֹת
future	first	אדרוך / אֶדְרֹךְ		נדרוך / נִדְרֹךְ
	second	תדרוך / תִּדְרֹךְ	תִּדְרְכִי	תִּדְרְכוּ	תדרוכנה / תִּדְרֹכְנָה2
	third	ידרוך / יִדְרֹךְ	תדרוך / תִּדְרֹךְ	יִדְרְכוּ	תדרוכנה / תִּדְרֹכְנָה2
imperative		דרוך / דְּרֹךְ	דִּרְכִי	דִּרְכוּ	דרוכנה / דְּרֹכְנָה2
notes		Pronounced דָּרַכְתֶּם and דָּרַכְתֶּן in informal Modern Hebrew. Rare in Modern Hebrew.

References

• H1870 in Strong, James (1979) Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible