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====== קֶרֶב ======
{{tag>hebrew}}
~~NOTOC~~
Meaning
  * Midst
  * Among
  * Within
  * Inwardly
  * The centre, whether literal, figurative or adverbial

Masculine noun. Occurs over 250 times in the Old Testament.

From the root קרב, meaning "to come near, approach." So קֶרֶב is a noun form built from the verb "to draw near." While the verb קָרַב means “to approach” or "come near," the noun קֶרֶב literally names that which is "in the middle" or "near inside."

===== Examples and Theological and Poetic Significance=====

The word frequently bridges the physical and the spiritual, speaking aobut:
  * God’s presence - "I the Lord your God an in the midst of the camp" in Deuteronomy 23:15 - God is not distant but immanently present with his people
  * The inner person - The human heart is the inner arena where God's truth must dwell, frequently spoke about in these terms in the Psalms
  * Moral contamination or holiness - when Israel sins, sin is said to be in their midst, suggesting that sin pollutes the entire community's inner life.

Thus, קֶרֶב serves as a key word for both geographical nearness (God among His people) and existential nearness (God within one’s heart).

| **Sense**               | **Meaning**                                         | **Example**                                                                                  
| **Spatial / Physical**  | the inside, the middle, the interior of something | "is the Lord in our midst" — <autott>exodus_17:7|Exodus 17:7</autott> |
| **Personal / Bodily**   | the inward parts, inner being | "Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me" — <autott>psalm_103:1|Psalm 103:1</autott>  |

===== Common Grammatical Forms in the Old Testament =====

| **Form (Grammatical Description)** | **English Meaning**  | **Hebrew Spelling** |
| **Absolute singular** | the midst / inner part | קֶרֶב |
| **Construct singular** | midst of / inner part of | קֶרֶב־ |
| **Absolute plural** | inward parts | קְרָבִים (rare poetic form) |
| **Construct plural** | of the inward parts | קִרְבֵי |
| **With 1st person singular suffix** | my inward part / within me | קִרְבִּי |
| **With 2nd person masculine singular suffix** | within you | קִרְבְּךָ |
| **With 2nd person feminine singular suffix** | within you | קִרְבֵּךְ |
| **With 3rd person masculine singular suffix** | within him / in his midst | קִרְבּוֹ |
| **With 3rd person feminine. sing. suffix** | within her / in her midst | קִרְבָּהּ |
| **With 1st person plural suffix** | within us / in our midst | קִרְבֵּנוּ |
| **With 3rd person plural suffix** | within them / in their midst | קִרְבָּם |
| **Prefixed form with בְּ ("in")** | in the midst of | בְּקֶרֶב — most common phrase |
| **Prefixed form with מִן ("from")** | from the midst of  | מִקֶּרֶב |