רָוַח
ra.vach
be wide
Lexicon Entry
Lexicon data from STEPBible TIPNR, Tyndale House, Cambridge. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.
What Original Readers Understood
Supported# The Hebrew Word רָוַח (ravach): "Be Wide" The Hebrew verb רָוַח (ravach) carries the fundamental meaning "be wide" or "become wide." With only three occurrences in the biblical text, this word represents a relatively rare term in Hebrew scripture. Its core semantic field involves expansion or the state of having width or spaciousness, conveying a sense of opening up or becoming less confined. The scarcity of this word—appearing just three times—limits our ability to observe varied contexts, yet its basic definition suggests it was used to describe physical states of wideness or expansion. For biblical translators and readers, recognizing such rare verbs is important because their infrequency can make their specific occurrences more meaningful to the original author's intent. The word likely functioned as a straightforward descriptive term for literal or possibly figurative widening, though the limited data prevents confident claims about metaphorical usage patterns.
Source data & methodology
Occurrences in Scripture
3 total occurrences across the text
I will speak, that I may be refreshed. I will open my lips and answer.
Jeremiah 22:14who says, ‘I will build myself a wide house and spacious rooms,’ and cuts out windows for himself; with a cedar ceiling, and painted with red.
1 Samuel 16:23When the spirit from God was on Saul, David took the harp, and played with his hand; so Saul was refreshed, and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him.