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רָחָב

𐤓𐤇𐤁

Rachav

H7343 noun

SILEX Entry

Root רחק to be broad, wide, spacious

Definition

Proper name designating a woman of Jericho, often transliterated as Rahab, known for her role in protecting Israelite spies prior to the conquest of the city. The name itself possibly conveys the ideas of broadness, spaciousness, or largeness, but is primarily used as a personal name rather than carrying an adjectival meaning in biblical narrative.

Semantic Range

personal name (woman of Jericho); rarely, with underlying sense of 'broad' or 'spacious,' but nearly always a proper noun in biblical contexts

Root / Etymology

From the root רָחַב (r-ch-v), meaning 'to be wide, spacious, broad.' The name is a nominal form, likely conveying 'broad' or 'spacious,' but actual connection of this meaning to the character or story is uncertain; the usage is primarily as a proper noun.

Historical & Contextual Notes

רָחָב (Rachab/Rahab) is featured in the book of Joshua as a Canaanite woman of Jericho who shelters Israelite spies. The context is specifically late in the patriarchal or early monarchic periods. In some later biblical and post-biblical texts, her figure is remembered and sometimes typologized; however, the term in the Hebrew Bible remains a proper name, distinct from the mythological or poetic 'Rahab' (e.g., Isaiah 51:9; Psalm 87:4), which refers to a mythical sea monster or a symbol for Egypt, though spelled identically. English translations may use 'Rahab' or, in some cases influenced by Greek transliteration, 'Rachab,' but these renderings do not reflect significant semantic range, as the usage is confined to the personal name. The later English term 'Jew' is sometimes used anachronistically for Rahab in Christian tradition due to her post-biblical identification as an ancestor of Jesus, but in the biblical narrative she is unequivocally identified as a Canaanite inhabiting Jericho. This personal name should not be confused with the common noun or adjective forms derived from the same root, nor with the poetic symbol 'Rahab' for Egypt or chaos.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

the same as רָחָב; proud; Rachab, a Canaanitess; Rahab.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

רחב (r-ḥ-v) — to be broad, wide, spacious

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H4800 מֶרְחָב in the spacious expanse
H7337 רָחַב cause to widen
H7338 רַחַב Rahab
H7339 רְחֹב in the broad-place
H7340 רְחֹב Wide-Place

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H7343-01 רָחָ֖ב rachav HNp Rahab Broad-One 5

Occurrences in Scripture

5 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H7343-01 Joshua 2:1 רָחָ֖ב rachav HNp was Rahab Broad-One
H7343-01 Joshua 2:3 רָחָ֖ב rachav HNp Rahab Broad-One
H7343-01 Joshua 6:17 רָחָ֨ב rachav HNp Rahab Broad-One
H7343-01 Joshua 6:23 רָ֠חָב rachav HNp Rahab Broad-One
H7343-01 Joshua 6:25 רָחָ֣ב rachav HNp Rahab Broad-One
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