The Hebrew verb arak means to arrange, to set in order, to draw up (as an army), or to prepare. It appears about 75 times in the Old Testament in both military and priestly contexts, expressing the careful ordering of things according to a proper pattern.
Arak is the technical term used for the priest's arrangement of the offerings on the altar — the precise, ordered preparation of worship (Leviticus 1:7–8). The word also describes battle formations: 'They drew up their battle lines' (1 Samuel 17:2). In Job 33:5, Elihu challenges Job to 'prepare' his argument before God — to arrange his words. Job himself uses the word to describe laying his case before God (Job 23:4). The Psalms use the related noun ma'arakhah for the arrangement of show-bread before the LORD (Psalm 23:5 — 'you prepare a table'). Theologically, arak embeds the concept that worship, justice, and life before God require careful order and intentional preparation — neither carelessness nor improvisation honors the holy God of Israel.