רֹאֵה
𐤓𐤀𐤄
Roeh
H7204 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
A seer—one who perceives, envisions, or discerns, especially in reference to those with divinely given insight, such as recipients of visions or revelation. In the Hebrew Bible, רֹאֵה refers particularly to individuals consulted for their ability to perceive truths or future events, occasionally used as an official or functional title before the term 'prophet' (נָבִיא) became standard.
Semantic Range
seer, visionary, person who perceives supernatural visions, recipient of divine revelation; official religious title in early monarchy period; personal name or title (e.g., 'the Seer')
Root / Etymology
From the root ראה (to see, perceive, observe), רֹאֵה is a Qal active participle, meaning 'one who sees' or 'seer.' Its lexical meaning is derived directly from the act of seeing but in this form it denotes someone characterized by seeing—especially in a supernatural or revelatory sense.
Historical & Contextual Notes
In early Israelite history (cf. 1 Samuel 9:9), רֹאֵה was the term commonly used for figures who later were called prophets (נָבִיא). This reflects a historical transition in terminology. 'Seer' (רֹאֵה) highlights perception or vision as their primary function, whereas 'prophet' (נָבִיא) emphasizes the role of one who speaks forth. Later biblical texts overwhelmingly use נָבִיא to describe such figures, but רֹאֵה preserves the older conceptualization. The English rendering 'seer' captures the core meaning, but in post-biblical and later religious use, 'prophet' became dominant, sometimes leading to anachronistic readings of early texts. The use as a proper noun ('the Seer' or 'Haroeh'), such as in genealogical or narrative listings, occurs but is rare.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
for רֹאֶה; prophet; Roeh, an Israelite; Haroeh (including the article).
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
ראה (r-ʾ-h) — to see, to perceive, to consider, to appear, to show
| 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
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H7204-01 |
הָרֹאֶ֖ה | haroeh | HNp |
Haroeh | the seeing one | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
1 total occurrence
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H7204-01 |
1 Chronicles 2:52 | הָרֹאֶ֖ה | haroeh | HNp |
Haroeh | the seeing one |