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רֹאֶה

𐤓𐤀𐤄

rôʼeh

H7203 verb

SILEX Entry

Root ראה to see, to perceive, to look at

Definition

A person who sees, specifically one endowed with the ability to perceive visions or possess insight, especially of a revelatory or prophetic nature. Often used as a term for a visionary, seer, or diviner, typically associated with receiving communication or guidance from the divine. In some contexts, may refer to the act or faculty of seeing, i.e., a vision.

Semantic Range

seer, visionary, one who sees visions, person receiving divine revelation, vision (occasionally abstractly); prophetic oracles received by seeing

Root / Etymology

From the root ראה (to see, perceive, look at). רֹאֶה is the masculine singular qal active participle form, meaning 'one who sees.' The participial form came to be used as a substantive title for certain figures perceived as having special insight or prophetic vision, i.e., 'seer.'

Historical & Contextual Notes

In early Israelite history, רֹאֶה (rôʼeh) served as a technical term for individuals recognized as having divinatory or prophetic sight—often used interchangeably or alongside the term נָבִיא (navi, 'prophet'), as in 1 Samuel 9:9, which notes that 'seer' was the former term for what later would be called 'prophet.' The term is more frequent in texts from the monarchic period, especially in narratives about Samuel, who is explicitly called a rôʼeh. The word can sometimes denote 'vision' itself by metonymy (e.g., Isaiah 28:7), but its standard use is as a title for a person. The later tradition often translated the term as 'seer,' and many English Bibles follow this, though the nuances of visionary experience and public role often do not directly correspond to later traditions of 'seer' or 'prophet.' The word is less common after the early monarchic period, as 'prophet' (נָבִיא) becomes more dominant. It notably differs from חֹזֶה (ḥozeh, '[another term for] seer'), which may emphasize different prophetic roles or modes of revelation.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

active participle of רָאָה; a seer (as often rendered); but also (abstractly) a vision; vision.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

ראה (r-ʾ-h) — to see, to perceive, to look at

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H1254 בָּרָא and he saw
H3372 יָרֵא he sees
H4179 מוֹרִיָּה the Seen-of-Yah
H4758 מַרְאֶה in the appearance
H4759 מַרְאָה in the visible-manifestation

Word Forms

2 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H7203-02 הָ/רֹאֶ֑ה haroeh HTd/Vqrmsa the seer the seeing-one 5
H7203-01 בָּֽ/רֹאֶ֔ה baroeh HRd/Ncmsa in vision one who sees 1

Occurrences in Scripture

6 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H7203-02 1 Samuel 9:9 הָ/רֹאֶ֑ה haroeh HTd/Vqrmsa the seer the seeing-one
H7203-02 1 Samuel 9:9 הָ/רֹאֶֽה haroeh-2 HTd/Vqrmsa the seer the seeing-one
H7203-02 1 Samuel 9:11 הָ/רֹאֶֽה haroeh HTd/Vqrmsa the seer the seeing-one
H7203-02 1 Samuel 9:18 הָ/רֹאֶֽה haroeh HTd/Vqrmsa the seer the seeing-one
H7203-02 1 Samuel 9:19 הָ/רֹאֶ֔ה haroeh HTd/Vqrmsa the seer the seeing-one
H7203-01 Isaiah 28:7 בָּֽ/רֹאֶ֔ה baroeh HRd/Ncmsa in vision one who sees
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