רֹאשׁ
rôʼsh · roshe
the head (as most easily shaken), whether literal or figurative (in many applications, of place, time, rank, itc.)
Lexicon
Derivation: from an unused root apparently meaning to shake;
the head (as most easily shaken), whether literal or figurative (in many applications, of place, time, rank, itc.)
Definition from Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (1890). Wording is Strong's own, including his etymological notes, which are not separate meanings.
KJV renderings: band, beginning, captain, chapiter, chief(-est place, man, things), company, end, [idiom] every (man), excellent, first, forefront, (be-)head, height, (on) high(-est part, (priest)), [idiom] lead, [idiom] poor, principal, ruler, sum, top.
Letters
- רResh200
Picture: a human head
- Concrete
- head · face · person
- Extended
- first · top · beginning · chief · the highest
- אAlef1
Picture: ox head
- Concrete
- ox · bull · cattle
- Extended
- strength · leader · first · the one in front
- שShin300
Picture: two front teeth (or a composite bow)
- Concrete
- teeth · sharp · press · bow
- Extended
- to consume · to destroy · to press or grind · to change · again
Possible cultural reading (auto-composed)
the head, the highest › strength, the leader › to consume, to destroy
The head, the highest of strength, the leader that works to consume, to destroy.
Interpretive, not lexical. The dictionary sense of רֹאשׁ above is the attested meaning; this pictographic reading is a tradition about how the sign-shapes may have been heard. Both can be held at once, they are answering different questions.
Usage
600 occurrences · 600 OT · 0 NT · 208 distinct forms
KJV renderings of this word, by how often each one is used.
- the chief30 · 11%
- upon the head27 · 10%
- his head19 · 7%
- the head18 · 7%
- upon his head17 · 6%
- head16 · 6%
- chief13 · 5%
- my head10 · 4%
- upon their heads10 · 4%
- heads10 · 4%
- in the top8 · 3%
- to the top8 · 3%
- the heads8 · 3%
- their heads8 · 3%
- and the chief7 · 3%
- of mine head7 · 3%
- from the top7 · 3%
- from the beginning7 · 3%
- upon his own head6 · 2%
- on the top6 · 2%
- companies6 · 2%
- upon the top6 · 2%
- of his head6 · 2%
- the sum6 · 2%
- the top4 · 1%
Where it is used, by book.
- Genesis20
- Exodus26
- Leviticus40
- Numbers41
- Deuteronomy17
- Joshua15
- Judges29
- 1 Samuel23
- 2 Samuel32
- 1 Kings23
- 2 Kings17
- 1 Chronicles73
- 2 Chronicles22
- Ezra13
- Nehemiah16
Inflected forms found in the text.
Counts are computed from the tagged Hebrew and Greek text aligned to the King James Version, not from an estimate.