קֶרֶב

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
Spatial / Physical	the inside, the middle, the interior of something	“is the Lord in our midst” — Exodus 17:7plugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigExodus 17:7 Hebrew וַיִּקְרָא֙ שֵׁ֣ם הַמָּק֔וֹם מַסָּ֖ה וּמְרִיבָ֑ה עַל רִ֣יב בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל וְעַ֨ל נַסֹּתָ֤ם אֶת יְהוָה֙ לֵאמֹ֔ר הֲיֵ֧שׁ יְהוָ֛ה בְּקִרְבֵּ֖נוּ אִם אָֽיִן ESV And he called the name of the place Massah and Meribah, because of the quarreling of the people of Israel, and because they tested the LORD by saying, “Is the LORD among us or not?” NIV And he called the place Massah and Meribah because the Israelites quarreled and because they tested the LORD saying, καὶἐπωνόμασεν…
Personal / Bodily	the inward parts, inner being	“Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me” — Psalm 103:1plugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigPsalm 103:1 Hebrew לְדָוִ֨ד בָּרֲכִ֣י נַ֭פְשִׁי אֶת יְהוָ֑ה וְכָל קְ֝רָבַ֗י אֶת שֵׁ֥ם קָדְשֽׁוֹ ESV OF DAVID. Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! NIV Praise the LORD, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. NLT Let all that I am praise the LORD; with my whole heart, I will praise his holy name. τῷεὐλόγειἡψυχήμουτὸνκύριονκαίπάντατὰἐντόςμουτὸὄνοματὸἅγιοναὐτοῦ…

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