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רִבְקָה

𐤓𐤁𐤒𐤄

Riveqah

H7259 noun

SILEX Entry

Root uncertain uncertain (personal name only)

Definition

Ribqâh is a personal name referring to the wife of Isaac and the mother of Esau and Jacob. The name functions as a proper noun designating this key matriarch in the ancestral narratives of the Hebrew Bible. The semantic sense of the name itself in Hebrew is unclear; it does not directly correlate with common lexical roots or ordinary vocabulary, and is used exclusively as a personal name.

Semantic Range

personal name of Isaac's wife, mother of Jacob and Esau; matriarch in the ancestral narratives

Root / Etymology

etymology uncertain. The name רִבְקָה (Ribqâh) does not appear to derive clearly from an attested Hebrew root. Traditional lexicographers have speculated a relationship to an unused root possibly meaning 'to bind' or 'fetter,' but such a root is not securely established in Biblical Hebrew, and this proposed meaning is based on folk etymology rather than philological evidence. Thus, the etymology remains uncertain.

Historical & Contextual Notes

Ribqâh surfaces in the ancestral (patriarchal) narratives of Genesis (predominantly chs. 24–27), where she is central to the formation of the Israelite family line. Her name appears only as a proper noun, never as a common noun, and is exclusive to biblical characters. In the genealogies and narratives, she is consistently referred to as Isaac's wife and mother of Jacob and Esau. No later usage develops a meaning beyond the personal name function. English tradition translates רִבְקָה as 'Rebekah,' though this has no lexical basis apart from standardizing the name in later Jewish and Christian literature. The proposed connection to a root meaning 'to tie up' is speculative, and there is no evidence for this term functioning as a common noun in biblical or later Hebrew. Ribqâh's name becomes synonymous with one of Israel's foundational matriarchs, but does not carry semantic nuance beyond the identification of her person.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from an unused root probably meaning to clog by tying up the fetlock; fettering (by beauty); Ribkah, the wife of Isaac; Rebekah.

Bantu Hebrew

No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.

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Root Family

uncertain (uncertain) — uncertain; personal name only

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H1085 בִּלְדַּד Bildad
H1095 בֵּלְטְשַׁאצַּר Belteshatsar
H1114 בִּלְשָׁן Bilshan
H1150 בִּנְעָא Bin'a
H116 אֱדַיִן and then

Word Forms

4 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H7259-02 רִבְקָ֑ה riveqah HNp Rebekah Ribqah 22
H7259-04 וְ/רִבְקָ֖ה veriveqah HC/Np and Rebekah and Ribqah 3
H7259-01 לְ/רִבְקָ֑ה leriveqah HR/Np to Rebekah to Ribqah 3
H7259-03 וּ/לְ/רִבְקָ֥ה uleriveqah HC/R/Np Now Rebekah had and to Ribqah 2

Occurrences in Scripture

30 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H7259-02 Genesis 22:23 רִבְקָ֑ה riveqah HNp Rebekah Ribqah
H7259-02 Genesis 24:15 רִבְקָ֣ה riveqah HNp Rebekah Ribqah
H7259-03 Genesis 24:29 וּ/לְ/רִבְקָ֥ה uleriveqah HC/R/Np Now Rebekah had and to Ribqah
H7259-02 Genesis 24:30 רִבְקָ֤ה riveqah HNp Rebekah Ribqah
H7259-02 Genesis 24:45 רִבְקָ֤ה riveqah HNp Rebekah Ribqah
H7259-02 Genesis 24:51 רִבְקָ֥ה riveqah HNp Rebekah Ribqah
H7259-01 Genesis 24:53 לְ/רִבְקָ֑ה leriveqah HR/Np to Rebekah to Ribqah
H7259-01 Genesis 24:58 לְ/רִבְקָה֙ leriveqah HR/Np Rebekah to Ribqah
H7259-02 Genesis 24:59 רִבְקָ֥ה riveqah HNp Rebekah Ribqah
H7259-02 Genesis 24:60 רִבְקָה֙ riveqah HNp Rebekah Ribqah
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