רִיר
𐤓𐤉𐤓
rîyr
H7388 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
Bodily fluid secreted from the mouth, specifically saliva or spittle; in metaphorical or extended contexts, any viscous liquid, such as the egg white, or a broth/juice resulting from cooking meat or fish. Used concretely for spittle and by resemblance for other viscous fluids.
Semantic Range
spittle, saliva, mucus, white of an egg (albumen), juice or broth (as of meat or fish), any slimy or mucilaginous liquid
Root / Etymology
From the root רור (r-w-r), meaning 'to flow' or 'to drip.' The noun derives its form by nominalizing the concept of flowing or dripping liquid, particularly thick bodily fluids.
Historical & Contextual Notes
רִיר appears rarely in the Hebrew Bible, most notably in Job 6:6 where it refers to the 'white of an egg'—that is, the slimy albumen. The term is used to denote bodily secretions like saliva or spittle, highlighting the visual or textural quality of a viscous, clear (or whitish) liquid. In some later Hebrew, רִיר extends more broadly to describe any slimy or mucilaginous substance. The ancient Israelites would have understood רִיר as principally referring to noticeable fluids such as spit, but in poetic or uncommon occurrences, its range expands by analogy to similar substances (e.g., egg white, meat broth). English translations such as 'spittle,' 'saliva,' or 'white of an egg' vary depending on the immediate context; some may use 'broth' or 'juice,' particularly in metaphor or culinary reference. Compared with related roots (e.g., ירק for 'spit'), רִיר is less common and has a broader physical sense determined by context. There is no direct link to later religious purity or impurity terminologies for spittle, as might develop in Second Temple or Rabbinic sources.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from רוּר; saliva; by resemblance, broth; spittle, white (of an egg).
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
רור (r-w-r) — to flow, to drip, to ooze
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H7325 | רוּר | he oozed fluid |
Word Forms
2 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H7388-01 |
בְּ/רִ֣יר | berir | HR/Ncmsc |
in the juice | in flowing-slime-of | 1 |
H7388-02 |
רִיר֖/וֹ | riro | HNcmsc/Sp3ms |
his saliva | his saliva | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
2 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H7388-02 |
1 Samuel 21:14 | רִיר֖/וֹ | riro | HNcmsc/Sp3ms |
his saliva | his saliva |
H7388-01 |
Job 6:6 | בְּ/רִ֣יר | berir | HR/Ncmsc |
in the juice | in flowing-slime-of |