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רָחַב

𐤓𐤇𐤁

râchab

H7337 verb

SILEX Entry

Root רחב to be broad, become wide, make wide, enlarge

Definition

To be or become broad, wide, or spacious; to make broad or widen. Used both transitively (to make wide or enlarge) and intransitively (to be wide, become spacious). Also employed figuratively to denote expansion in social, material, or psychological circumstances—such as giving relief from distress, granting freedom, or making a path open.

Semantic Range

to become broad or wide, to make broad or wide, to expand, to relieve from constraint, to grant freedom or deliverance, to make room, to feel at ease or bold, to prosper

Root / Etymology

From the root רחב, which fundamentally conveys the notion of broadness or spaciousness. The verb רָחַב is a direct derivation and embodies the application of the root meaning to states or actions of widening or enlarging.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In the Hebrew Bible, רָחַב most commonly refers physically to spatial expansion (a broad road, an open space), but frequently appears in figurative contexts: for example, describing deliverance from oppression as being 'set in a broad space' or 'having room to live.' In legal and poetic texts, the term shifts toward metaphorical uses of prosperity, safety, and relief from threat. The root is distinct from גָּדַל (to be great, grow), as רָחַב emphasizes spaciousness rather than greatness. In later periods, the figurative senses become more pronounced, reflecting mental or existential states—as in feeling at ease or liberated. Standard English translations (enlarge, make room, make wide) sometimes miss the nuance between simple expansion and rescued relief or the shift from literal to metaphorical usage.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

a primitive root; to broaden (intransitive or transitive, literal or figurative); be an en-(make) large(-ing), make room, make (open) wide.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

רחב (r-ḥ-b) — broadness, wideness, spaciousness, enlargement

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H4800 מֶרְחָב in the spacious expanse
H7338 רַחַב Rahab
H7339 רְחֹב in the broad-place
H7340 רְחֹב Wide-Place
H7341 רֹחַב in the breadth

Word Forms

18 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H7337-12 תַּרְחִ֥יב tarechiv HVhi2ms You enlarge you cause to widen 3
H7337-18 יַרְחִיב֩ yarechiv HVhi3ms enlarges he will widen 3
H7337-06 הִרְחִ֧יב hirechiv HVhp3ms and wide he made wide 3
H7337-03 הַרְחִ֣יבִי harechivi HVhv2fs enlarge Make wide! 2
H7337-15 וְ/הִרְחַבְתִּ֖י vehirechaveti HC/Vhq1cs and I will enlarge and I made wide 1
H7337-16 וְ/רָחַ֖ב verachav HC/Vqq3ms and be enlarged and he widened 1
H7337-14 וַ/יַּרְחִ֥יבוּ vayarechivu HC/Vhw3mp they opened wide they made wide 1
H7337-17 וְֽ/רָחֲבָ֡ה verachavah HC/Vqp3fs and it widened and she became wide 1
H7337-07 הִרְחִ֤יבָה hirechivah HVhp3fs has enlarged she widened 1
H7337-11 רָ֤חַב rachav HVqp3ms is enlarged Rachav 1

Occurrences in Scripture

25 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H7337-06 Genesis 26:22 הִרְחִ֧יב hirechiv HVhp3ms has made room he made wide
H7337-15 Exodus 34:24 וְ/הִרְחַבְתִּ֖י vehirechaveti HC/Vhq1cs and I will enlarge and I made wide
H7337-18 Deuteronomy 12:20 יַרְחִיב֩ yarechiv HVhi3ms enlarges he will widen
H7337-18 Deuteronomy 19:8 יַרְחִ֞יב yarechiv HVhi3ms he-enlarges he will widen
H7337-09 Deuteronomy 33:20 מַרְחִ֣יב marechiv HVhrmsc is the one who enlarges one who enlarges
H7337-11 1 Samuel 2:1 רָ֤חַב rachav HVqp3ms is enlarged Rachav
H7337-12 2 Samuel 22:37 תַּרְחִ֥יב tarechiv HVhi2ms you enlarged you cause to widen
H7337-07 Isaiah 5:14 הִרְחִ֤יבָה hirechivah HVhp3fs has enlarged she widened
H7337-10 Isaiah 30:23 נִרְחָֽב nirechav HVNrmsa large one being widened
H7337-06 Isaiah 30:33 הִרְחִ֑ב hirechiv HVhp3ms and wide he made wide
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