The Hebrew verb rāḥaq (רָחַק) means to be far away, to keep at a distance, or to remove far from someone or something. It appears about 60 times and is the verbal root of rachok (far, distant). It describes spatial distance, relational estrangement, and the removal of things — both negative (removing from God) and positive (God removing our sins far from us).
The theology of rāḥaq moves in two directions. In the negative register, the Psalms lament: 'Why, LORD, do you stand far off? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?' (Psalm 10:1), and 'Do not be far from me, my God' (Psalm 22:11, 19). This expresses the terror of divine distance. But the positive register proclaims God's dramatic act of removal: 'As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us' (Psalm 103:12) — using the Hiphil of rāḥaq. The infinite distance of forgiveness is the most magnificent use of this word. Isaiah 59:2 names sin as that which 'separates you from your God,' while the gospel declares this barrier permanently removed in Christ.