רָסַס

# רָסַס (rasas): A Hapax Legomenon in Biblical Hebrew The Hebrew verb *rasas* appears only once in the entire Hebrew Bible, making it a hapax legomenon—a word whose meaning must be inferred from its single occurrence and linguistic context. The lexicon defines it as "to moisten," suggesting an action involving the application or absorption of liquid. The rarity of this term prevents us from observing how its meaning might shift across different contexts or how ancient Hebrew speakers used it with varying degrees of intensity or specificity. The singular occurrence of *rasas* in the biblical text limits our ability to determine its precise semantic range or whether it carried specialized meanings in particular domains (such as ritual, agricultural, or domestic contexts). We cannot determine whether it functioned as a common colloquial term or a more formal or technical expression. Its presence in the Bible, however minimal, confirms that "moistening"—whether through sprinkling, dampening, or soaking—was a concept the language required a dedicated verb to express at some point in biblical Hebrew's development.