Lexical Definition
אֶרֶךְ ʼErek (eh'-rek) Erech N:N--L
from אָרַךְ; length
Erech.
- § Erech = "long"
- Erek, a place in Babylon
1) a city 40 miles (64 km) northwest of Ur toward Babylon on the left bank of the Euphrates river
| Form | Translated As | In Verse(s) |
|---|---|---|
| וְאֶ֖רֶךְ | and Erech | Gen.10.10 |
| Ορέχ | Erech | LXX.Gen.10.10 |
Extended Information
- Erech = "long"
- Also named: ar.ke.vay (אַרְכְּוָיֵא "Erech" אַרְכְּוַי)
Brown-Driver-Briggs
אֶ֫רֶךְ proper name, of a location city in Babylonia (Babylonian Urûk see Dl below) on left bank of Euphrates,approximately 40 miles northwest from Ur (אוּר) toward Babylon; modern Warka; compare LoftusCS 152 f. DlPa 221 f.
Profile
Erech • Ancient Mesopotamian city; part of Nimrod's kingdom
Erech, an ancient Mesopotamian city that was part of Nimrod's kingdom and later inhabited by people who opposed the rebuilding of the Jerusalem Temple.
- A location first mentioned at Gen.10.10;
- referred to as Erech אֶרֶךְ, or Erech (KJV= Archevite, NIV= Uruk) אַרְכְּוַי.
Erech, also known as Uruk or Warka, was an ancient Mesopotamian city located in the southern part of modern-day Iraq. It is mentioned twice in the Bible, in Genesis 10:10 and Ezra 4:9.
In Genesis 10:10, Erech is listed as one of the cities that formed the beginning of Nimrod's kingdom in the land of Shinar (Babylonia). Nimrod, a mighty hunter and ruler, is described as establishing a powerful kingdom that included the cities of Babel, Erech, Accad, and Calneh.
Ezra 4:9 mentions the people of Erech among those who wrote a letter to King Artaxerxes of Persia, opposing the rebuilding of the Jerusalem Temple and the city walls after the Babylonian exile. This suggests that inhabitants of Erech were among those deported and resettled in other parts of the Persian Empire, and they sought to hinder the Jewish returnees' efforts to reestablish their homeland.
Archaeologically, Erech is one of the oldest cities in Mesopotamia, with evidence of continuous habitation from the 5th millennium BC. It was an important center of Sumerian culture and religion, known for its impressive ziggurats and the Gilgamesh Epic, one of the earliest known works of literature.
The biblical mentions of Erech, though brief, attest to its significance as an ancient Mesopotamian city and its interaction with the history and people of Israel, both in the early stages of civilization and during the post-exilic period.
All entries for Erech: אֶרֶךְ ☩ אַרְכְּוַי