רָפָא
𐤓𐤐𐤀
râphâʼ
H7496 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
A shade, spirit, or apparition of the dead; used exclusively in the plural to designate the departed spirits inhabiting the underworld (Sheol) in ancient Israelite belief. The term refers to inhabitants of Sheol as insubstantial and powerless beings, distinct from the living. It is not a synonym for 'corpse' but indicates the continued, though diminished, existence of those who have died.
Semantic Range
departed spirits, shades in Sheol, inhabitants of the underworld, ghosts (in the sense of insubstantial beings), collective dead
Root / Etymology
Formed from the root רפה (r-p-h), meaning 'to become weak, feeble, to relax.' The noun רָפָא appears to reflect the idea of weakness or lack of vitality, applied metaphorically to the powerless condition of the dead. Its precise morphological formation is debated; some consider it a poetic or archaic plural from the root, but the exact derivation remains uncertain.
Historical & Contextual Notes
Used only in poetic or archaic literary passages (most notably in Job 26:5, Psalm 88:11, Proverbs 2:18, Isaiah 14:9; 26:14, 26:19); always plural and often with the article or in construct (e.g., רְפָאִים). It describes the collective dead as shades or spirits, not as bodily deceased persons. The concept of רָפָא aligns with ancient Near Eastern views of the dead inhabiting a shadowy underworld and contrasts with later Hellenistic or rabbinic conceptions of the afterlife. English Bibles variously translate the term as 'shades,' 'spirits,' 'rephaim,' or sometimes 'giants' (though this latter sense arises from a homonymous term referring to a legendary people; it is distinct lexically and contextually). No Israelite or Judahite period sources equate these beings with the later term 'Jew' or religious Judaism; the term predates such concepts. The sense of 'ghost' is limited and not identical to post-biblical or modern ideas of disembodied haunting spirits.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from רָפָא in the sense of רָפָה; properly, lax, i.e. (figuratively) a ghost (as dead; in plural only); dead, deceased.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
רפה (r-p-h) — to be weak, slack, feeble, to let go
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H7503 | רָפָה | I will loosen her |
| H7504 | רָפֶה | slack |
| H7510 | רִפְיוֹן | from slackness of |
| H7517 | רֶפֶת | livestock stalls |
Word Forms
2 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H7496-02 |
רְפָאִים֙ | refaim | HNcmpa |
shades | Rephaim giants | 7 |
H7496-01 |
הָ/רְפָאִ֥ים | harefaim | HTd/Ncmpa |
the departed spirits | the weakened shades | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
8 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H7496-02 |
Isaiah 14:9 | רְפָאִים֙ | refaim | HNcmpa |
shades | Rephaim giants |
H7496-02 |
Isaiah 26:14 | רְפָאִ֖ים | refaim | HNcmpa |
the departed spirits | Rephaim giants |
H7496-02 |
Isaiah 26:19 | רְפָאִ֥ים | refaim | HNcmpa |
the shades | Rephaim giants |
H7496-02 |
Psalms 88:11 | רְ֝פָאִ֗ים | refaim | HNcmpa |
shades | Rephaim giants |
H7496-02 |
Proverbs 2:18 | רְ֝פָאִ֗ים | refaim | HNcmpa |
the dead | Rephaim giants |
H7496-02 |
Proverbs 9:18 | רְפָאִ֣ים | refaim | HNcmpa |
the dead | Rephaim giants |
H7496-02 |
Proverbs 21:16 | רְפָאִ֣ים | refaim | HNcmpa |
of the dead | Rephaim giants |
H7496-01 |
Job 26:5 | הָ/רְפָאִ֥ים | harefaim | HTd/Ncmpa |
the departed spirits | the weakened shades |