בֵּית רָפָא

𐤁𐤉𐤕 𐤓𐤐𐤀

Bêyth Râphâʼ

H1051 noun

SILEX Entry

Root בית , רפא to build, to dwell; to heal, to be large (as a possible secondary meaning for רפא)

Definition

A place name meaning 'house of Rapha' or 'house of the (healing) one/giant', used in the genealogical contexts of the Hebrew Bible to denote an Israelite settlement or clan association. The word functions as a proper noun designating a specific locality or tribal grouping, rather than describing a structure or an individual.

Semantic Range

name of a settlement or clan, house or dwelling associated with Rapha (a person, ancestor, or possibly an eponymous ancestor); Beth-rapha; rarely, by extension in later tradition, 'house of the giant'

Root / Etymology

Compound of בַּיִת (bayit, 'house') and רָפָא (Rapha, which may mean 'healer' or function as a personal name; the root רפא can denote 'to heal', but also occurs as a personal or clan name, sometimes rendered 'giant' in later traditions). Thus, בֵּית רָפָא is 'house of Rapha' or 'house of the healer/giant'.

Historical & Contextual Notes

בֵּית רָפָא is attested as a place name or clan designation within genealogies of the tribal territories of ancient Israel, appearing in 1 Chronicles 4:12 as one of the settlements or family groups within the territory of Judah. The component רָפָא is etymologically linked either to a root meaning 'heal' or to names associated with the Rephaim, a group traditionally considered ancient giants or distinguished ancestors in the ancient Near East. Standard English translations often render the name as 'Beth-rapha', typically without interpretation. Later traditions sometimes associate רָפָא with the 'giants', yet in the context of biblical genealogy, it is more likely a clan or ancestor's name rather than a direct reference to physical stature or mythic beings. The usage is specific to clan or settlement identification and should not be conflated with later geographic usage of similarly structured place names. There is no evidence of religious or cultic meaning in the biblical text, and the term remains a toponym rather than a theological concept.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from בַּיִת and רָפָא; house of (the) giant; Beth-Rapha, an Israelite; Beth-rapha.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

בנה (b-n-h) — build, construct, establish, found (a family)

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H1004 בַּיִת in the houses
H1005 בַּיִת the built-house
H1006 בַּיִת the house
H1007 בֵּית אָוֶן house-of
H1008 בֵּית־אֵל in house of

Word Forms

2 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H1051-01 בֵּ֤ית beyt HNp Beth house of 1
H1051-02 רָפָא֙ rafa HNp Rapha House of Rapha 1

Occurrences in Scripture

2 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H1051-01 1 Chronicles 4:12 בֵּ֤ית beyt HNp Beth house of
H1051-02 1 Chronicles 4:12 רָפָא֙ rafa HNp Rapha House of Rapha