רָהָב
𐤓𐤄𐤁
râhâb
H7295 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
A term denoting arrogance, pride, or boastfulness, often with negative connotations such as presumption or overbearing insolence. In poetic usages, can represent an attitude of defiance, or be used figuratively for entities characterized by haughtiness or resistance.
Semantic Range
arrogance, pride, boastfulness, insolence, presumption, haughtiness; poetic personification of tumultuous or rebellious power (especially Egypt); symbolic name for mythic or hostile powers; mythologized sea monster (post-biblical)
Root / Etymology
Root: רהב (resh-hey-bet), meaning primarily 'to act arrogantly, to storm, to be proud.' The noun רָהָב derives directly from this root and carries the sense of 'arrogance' or 'boastfulness.' Lexically, the noun embodies the abstract quality of ‘arrogance’ or ‘pride’ as well as related states such as insolence or excessive self-assertion. Although it sometimes takes concrete form as a proper name or epithet (see notes), its root meaning is consistently connected with haughty or tumultuous behavior.
Historical & Contextual Notes
In the Hebrew Bible, רָהָב is generally used to denote human arrogance or pride, typically in a negative sense (e.g., Job 9:13; Psalm 40:5 [Eng. 40:4]). In poetic passages, especially in Isaiah 30:7 and Psalm 87:4, רָהָב functions as a symbolic or mythic name for Egypt, associating the nation with boastfulness or rebelliousness. This usage reflects the ancient Near Eastern tendency to personify nations as mythic monsters; the LXX sometimes renders it as 'proud one' or transliterates it. In post-biblical literature, רָהָב occasionally takes on mythological aspects as a sea monster, but this is a development beyond the biblical usage. The term does not correspond directly to the English sense of 'pride' as a positive trait, nor does it carry the collective ethnic or religious connotations that the English 'Jew' does; rather, it serves as a poetic motif of arrogance, boasting, or untamable opposition, sometimes personalized in enemies of the deity. Later translations, such as KJV, sometimes render it generically ('proud,' 'arrogant'), but often miss the poetic or mythological nuances present in the Hebrew.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from רָהַב; insolent; proud.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
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רהב (r-h-b) — to act arrogantly, to storm, to boast, to be proud
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H7292 | רָהַב | they emboldened me |
| H7293 | רַהַב | Arrogant Chaos-One |
| H7294 | רַהַב | Arrogant-One |
| H7296 | רֹהָב | and their stormy arrogance |
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H7295-01 |
רְ֝הָבִ֗ים | rehavim | HNcmpa |
the-proud | arrogant ones | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
1 total occurrence
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H7295-01 |
Psalms 40:5 | רְ֝הָבִ֗ים | rehavim | HNcmpa |
the-proud | arrogant ones |