Quick Definition
ῥακά Aram. empty, foolish
Strong's Definition
of Chaldee origin (compare 7386); O empty one, i.e. thou worthless (as a term of utter vilification)
KJV Usage: Raca
UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament
adjc. (Aramaic loanword)
32.61 · Understand · Lack of Capacity for Understanding
numskull, fool (a borrowing from Aramaic) one who is totally lacking in understanding
UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament © United Bible Societies, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Thayer's Greek Lexicon
ῥακά (Tdf. paya; [the better accentuation seems to be -a; cf. Kautzsch, Gram. d. Bibl.-Aram. p. 8]), a Chald. word xp> [but ace. to Kautzsch (u.s. p. 10) not the stat. emph. of pv, but shortened fr. >>] (Hebr. py), empty, i. 6. a senseless, empty-headed man, a term of reproach used by the Jews in the time of Christ [B. D. s.v. Raca; Wiinsche, Erlauterung u.s. w. p. 47]: Mt. v. 22.
Mounce Concise Greek Dictionary
ῥακά rhaka 1x
raca, an Aramaic term of bitter contempt, worthless fellow, fool, Mt. 5:22*
Abbott-Smith Greek Lexicon
* ῥακά (T, ῥαχά), usually taken to represent the Aram. רֵיקָא, a shortened form of רֵיקָן, "empty," as vocalized in the Galilæan dialect; an expression of contempt, raca: Mt 5:22 (cf. DB, iv, 191 f.; and for other explanations, v. Zorell, s.v.).†
Moulton & Milligan — Vocabulary of the Greek NT
ῥακά (payd, Tisch.) in Mt 5”? is usually taken as a term of contempt transliterated from the Aramaic NP", ‘‘empty”’: cf. Lightfoot Hor. Hebr. ii. p. 109. It is thus not so strong as μωρός, which denotes, according to Lightfoot 2d. p. 112, “lightness of manner and life ’’ rather than ‘‘ foolishness”: see Marriot Sermon on the Mount, p. 182. Mr. W. K. L. Clarke kindly supplies us with an interesting definition of ῥακά from Basil Regwzlae li. 432 C: τί ἐστὶ Ῥακά ; ἐπιχώριον ῥῆμα ἠπιωτέρας ὕβρεως, πρὸς τοὺς οἰκειοτέρους λαμβανόμένον, ‘‘ What is ‘Paka? a vernacular word of mild abuse, used in the family circle.” Various explanations of the word are discussed by Zorell Lex. s.v., Ἐς Schulthess ZV7W xxi. (1922) p. 241 ff., and Leipoldt CQ xcii. (1921), p. 38. a
Liddell-Scott-Jones — Greek-English Lexicon
ῥακά (rhaka) — fool. Transliteration of Hebrew רֵיק 'worthless' [H7386]. Not in LSJ.