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רָעָב

𐤓𐤏𐤁

râʻâb

H7458 noun

SILEX Entry

Root רעב to hunger, be hungry, suffer want for food

Definition

State of extreme hunger or food scarcity, typically resulting from inadequate food supply or failed crops, often affecting communities collectively (famine), but also referring to individual hunger. In the Hebrew Bible, primarily denotes periods of severe starvation impacting regions, prompting migrations or divine interventions, yet can also indicate individual or metaphorical hunger.

Semantic Range

famine (widespread, especially as historical catastrophe); hunger (personal or societal); food scarcity; dearth; metaphorical hunger (spiritual or for hearing words, e.g., Amos 8:11)

Root / Etymology

From the root רעב (to be hungry, to suffer hunger). רָעָב is the noun form denoting the state or condition of hunger or famine. The noun emphasizes the result or phenomenon of the root action ('to hunger').

Historical & Contextual Notes

Throughout the Hebrew Bible, רָעָב most often refers to catastrophic famines affecting large populations, such as those prompting the patriarchs' movement to Egypt (e.g., Gen 12:10). While dearth can in some contexts refer to short-term or localized scarcity, רָעָב almost always indicates a more intense or prolonged crisis, often understood as a societal or covenantal trial. The term may differ from other words for scarcity (e.g., מחסור, 'lack, want') in its focus on critical, life-threatening hunger. In later periods (Second Temple and beyond), distinctions between general hunger and specific, named historical famines become more pronounced. English translations as 'famine' are often accurate for biblical narrative context, but 'hunger' or 'food shortage' may be appropriate for individual or poetic uses; translation as 'dearth' is less common in contemporary English. The Greek Septuagint typically renders רָעָב with λιμός (limos), preserving the collective nuance. Use of the word can be literal or metaphorical (e.g., Amos 8:11, 'not a famine of bread... but of hearing the words of YHWH').

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from רָעֵב; hunger (more or less extensive); dearth, famine, [phrase] famished, hunger.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

רעב (r-ʿ-b) — hunger, starvation, food scarcity, famine

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H7456 רָעֵב I will hunger
H7457 רָעֵב the hungry man
H7459 רְעָבוֹן hunger-famine of

Word Forms

11 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H7458-07 רָעָ֖ב raav HNcmsa famine famine 27
H7458-03 הָ/רָעָ֖ב haraav HTd/Ncmsa the famine the famine 24
H7458-01 בָּ/רָעָֽב baraav HRd/Ncmsa by famine in the famine 14
H7458-08 וּ/בָ/רָעָ֣ב uvaraav HC/Rd/Ncmsa and by famine and in famine 10
H7458-10 וְ/הָ/רָעָ֣ב veharaav HC/Td/Ncmsa and the famine and the famine 9
H7458-11 וְ/רָעָ֖ב veraav HC/Ncmsa and famine and famine 6
H7458-04 לָֽ/רָעָ֔ב laraav HRd/Ncmsa to famine hunger 4
H7458-02 בְּ/רָעָ֧ב beraav HR/Ncmsa by famine in famine 4
H7458-05 לִ/רְעָבָ֔/ם lireavam HR/Ncmsc/Sp3mp for their hunger for their hunger 1
H7458-06 מֵ/רָעָ֣ב meraav HR/Ncmsa from-famine from famine 1

Occurrences in Scripture

101 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H7458-07 Genesis 12:10 רָעָ֖ב raav HNcmsa famine famine
H7458-03 Genesis 12:10 הָ/רָעָ֖ב haraav HTd/Ncmsa the famine the famine
H7458-07 Genesis 26:1 רָעָב֙ raav HNcmsa a famine famine
H7458-03 Genesis 26:1 הָ/רָעָ֣ב haraav HTd/Ncmsa the famine the famine
H7458-07 Genesis 41:27 רָעָֽב raav HNcmsa of famine famine
H7458-07 Genesis 41:30 רָעָב֙ raav HNcmsa of famine famine
H7458-03 Genesis 41:30 הָ/רָעָ֖ב haraav HTd/Ncmsa the famine the famine
H7458-03 Genesis 41:31 הָ/רָעָ֥ב haraav HTd/Ncmsa the famine the famine
H7458-03 Genesis 41:36 הָ/רָעָ֔ב haraav HTd/Ncmsa of famine the famine
H7458-01 Genesis 41:36 בָּ/רָעָֽב baraav HRd/Ncmsa by the famine in the famine
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