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רָפָא

𐤓𐤐𐤀

râphâʼ

H7495 verb

SILEX Entry

Root רפא to heal, to cure, to restore, to repair

Definition

To heal, to restore to health, to cure of physical or spiritual maladies; to make whole or sound. The term can refer both to medical or physical healing (of people, wounds, or even water supplies or lands) and, in extended and figurative uses, to the restoration of social, communal, or spiritual wellbeing. The verb sometimes also implies the process of bringing about renewal, repair, or complete restoration in instances of injury, distress, or brokenness.

Semantic Range

to heal physical illness; to cure diseases; to restore health; to repair wounds; to act as a healer or physician; to restore a community or nation; to make sound or whole (physically, socially, or spiritually); to mend or repair non-organic entities (e.g., water, land); to bring about renewal or restoration

Root / Etymology

The verb רָפָא derives from the root רפא, which conveys the sense of healing or restoration. The original concrete meaning may have been associated with binding up wounds or tending to the sick, although the etymology is not attested in cognate Semitic languages outside Hebrew, and thus is considered uncertain beyond the general idea of healing. The word is found in various binyanim (verb stems) in Hebrew, primarily in Qal, Nifal, and Piel, with a consistent semantic focus on cure, heal, or repair. The noun forms (רופא for 'healer, physician' and תְּרוּפָה for 'medicine, remedy') are also derived from this root.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In the Hebrew Bible, רָפָא is employed across diverse genres, including narratives (healing of individuals, e.g., Gen 20:17 where Abraham prays for healing), legal contexts, prophetic literature (healing of nations or restoration to favor, e.g., Jer 30:17), and wisdom texts. The scope of the verb extends from tangible, observable healing by human or divine agency to metaphorical uses where restoration refers to social, political, or spiritual circumstances—such as the healing of a damaged nation (Isa 6:10), or the restoration of a broken community. Unlike later Greek or Roman medical terminology, the biblical term does not denote a technical or specialized profession by default, though the noun רֹפֵא (physician, healer) does emerge by the monarchic period (e.g., 2 Chr 16:12). Later Judean and early Second Temple literature begin to use the term with increased reference to professional healers. In translation traditions (e.g., Septuagint, Vulgate), רָפָא is rendered as 'to heal' or 'physician,' but over time, especially in English (KJV and successors), the semantic field narrows toward 'healing' (primarily physical or spiritual). The broader contextual senses—such as mending or restoring non-human entities—are sometimes less visible in these translations.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

or רָפָה; a primitive root; properly, to mend (by stitching), i.e. (figuratively) to cure; cure, (cause to) heal, physician, repair, [idiom] thoroughly, make whole. See רָפָה.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

רפא (r-p-ʾ) — to heal, to cure, to restore, to repair

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H3416 יִרְפְּאֵל El Heals
H4832 מַרְפֵּא healing remedy
H7496 רָפָא Rephaim giants
H7497 רָפָא the Rephaite
H7498 רָפָא Rapha

Word Forms

53 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H7495-13 נִרְפָּ֥א nirepa HVNp3ms has been healed was healed 4
H7495-53 יִרְפָּ֥א yirepa HVqi3ms will heal he will heal 3
H7495-11 לְ/הִתְרַפֵּ֣א lehiterape HR/Vtc to be healed to heal oneself 3
H7495-17 רְפָאֵ֤/נִי refaeni HVqv2ms/Sp1cs heal me heal me 2
H7495-05 הָ֝/רֹפֵ֗א harofe HTd/Vqrmsa he heals the healer 2
H7495-52 יְרַפֵּֽא yerape HVpi3ms he shall heal he will thoroughly heal 2
H7495-02 אֶרְפָּ֔א erepa HVqi1cs heal I will heal 2
H7495-12 לִ/רְפֹּ֣א lirepo HR/Vqc to heal to heal 2
H7495-09 לְ/הֵרָפֵֽא leherafe HR/VNc be healed to be healed 2
H7495-06 הָ/רֹ֣פְאִ֔ים harofeim HTd/Vqrmpa the physicians the healers 2

Occurrences in Scripture

69 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H7495-38 Genesis 20:17 וַ/יִּרְפָּ֨א vayirepa HC/Vqw3ms healed and he healed
H7495-06 Genesis 50:2 הָ/רֹ֣פְאִ֔ים harofeim HTd/Vqrmpa the physicians the healers
H7495-06 Genesis 50:2 הָ/רֹפְאִ֖ים harofeim-2 HTd/Vqrmpa the physicians the healers
H7495-25 Exodus 15:26 רֹפְאֶֽ/ךָ rofeekha HVqrmsc/Sp2ms your healer your healer
H7495-46 Exodus 21:19 וְ/רַפֹּ֥א verapo HC/Vpa and healing thoroughly heal
H7495-52 Exodus 21:19 יְרַפֵּֽא yerape HVpi3ms he shall heal he will thoroughly heal
H7495-42 Leviticus 13:18 וְ/נִרְפָּֽא venirepa HC/VNq3ms and it is healed and he was healed
H7495-13 Leviticus 13:37 נִרְפָּ֥א nirepa HVNp3ms has healed was healed
H7495-13 Leviticus 14:3 נִרְפָּ֥א nirepa HVNp3ms has been healed was healed
H7495-13 Leviticus 14:48 נִרְפָּ֖א nirepa HVNp3ms has been healed was healed
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