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Ῥαχήλ

Rhachḗl

G4478 noun

SILEX Entry

Definition

Proper name: Rachel. The personal name of a woman known in biblical tradition as a wife of Jacob and mother of Joseph and Benjamin. In Greek texts, refers specifically to this individual, often evoking connotations of matriarchal status within the ancestral narratives of Israel. Use is overwhelmingly as a direct transliteration of the Hebrew name, without additional connotative development in Greek contexts.

Semantic Range

proper name used for Rachel, the wife of Jacob; symbolic matriarchal figure in prophetic citation

Root / Etymology

From Hebrew רָחֵל (rāḥēl), meaning 'ewe' (female sheep). The Greek form Ῥαχήλ is a transliteration of the Hebrew, preserving its original sound rather than adapting to a Greek meaning. Not derived from native Greek roots.

Historical & Contextual Notes

Ῥαχήλ is used exclusively as the proper name of the ancestral figure Rachel in the Septuagint and New Testament. In the Greek Jewish Scriptures (LXX), its presence signals continuity with Hebrew tradition by maintaining the phonetic shape of Hebrew names. In Matthew 2:18, the name is employed in the context of prophetic citation (Jeremiah 31:15), symbolizing Jacob's wife mourning for her children—here, Rachel is depicted as a matriarchal figure personifying the suffering of her descendants. The English translation 'Rachel' follows both Hebrew and Greek traditions without change in meaning. In extra-biblical Hellenistic Jewish literature, the name is also used as a personal name, reflecting its Hebrew origins, but does not acquire additional meanings or metaphorical nuance in Greek linguistic practice.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

of Hebrew origin (רָחֵל); Rachel, the wife of Jacob:--Rachel.

Root Family

Ῥαχήλ (Rhachēl) — proper name, personal name

Root uncertain proper name, personal name

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
G4478-01 Ῥαχὴλ rachel N NOM F SG Rachel Rachel Rhachel 1

Occurrences in Scripture

1 occurrence

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
G4478-01 Matthew 2:18 Ῥαχὴλ rachel N NOM F SG Rachel Rachel Rhachel
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