Lexical Summary arubbah: Window, lattice, sluice Original Word: אֲרֻבָּה Strong's Exhaustive Concordance chimney, window Feminine participle passive of 'arab (as if for lurking); a lattice; (by implication) a window, dove-cot (because of the pigeon-holes), chimney (with its apertures for smoke), sluice (with openings for water) -- chimney, window. see HEBREW 'arab NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom arab Definition a lattice, window, sluice NASB Translation chimney (1), floodgates (2), lattices (1), windows (5). Brown-Driver-Briggs אֲרֻבָּה noun feminine lattice, window, sluice (Mishna id.) — ׳א Hosea 13:3; plural אֲרֻבּוֺת 2 Kings 7:2 +, construct id.. Malachi 3:10; אֲרֻבֹּת Genesis 7:11; Genesis 8:2; אֲרֻבֹּתֵיהֶם Isaiah 60:8; — lattice, latticed opening, where smoke escaped Hosea 13:3; openings of dove-cote Isaiah 60:8; metaphor of eyes Ecclesiastes 12:3 (as latticed by lashes ? Hi Now; only here of opening to look through); elsewhere of sluices in sky, opened by ׳י, through which rain pours destructively, הַשָּׁמַיִם ׳א Genesis 7:11; Genesis 8:2, compare Isaiah 24:18 (מִמָּרוֺם ׳מ); but also fertilizing 2 Kings 7:2,19 (בשׁמים ׳א); figurative of blessing Malachi 3:10 (השׁמים ׳א). Topical Lexicon Scope of Meaning and Imagery אֲרֻבָּה portrays an opening through which something moves—water, air, light, grain-dust, birds, or blessing. In ordinary life the word could describe the lattice window of an ancient house or the hatch in a city wall, but Scripture consistently turns the commonplace aperture into a theological vantage point: heaven’s sluice for judgment or mercy, earth’s outlook on frailty, and the soul’s reminder that everything issued through that opening is under God’s sovereign control. Occurrences in Narrative History 1. Genesis 7:11; 8:2 – The Flood begins and ends when “the floodgates of the heavens” are opened and shut. These twin references anchor the term in global judgment and covenant preservation. The deluge is not a natural accident; the very windows that God later promises never again to unleash so destructively are under His lock and key. 2. 2 Kings 7:2, 19 – In Samaria’s siege a royal officer mocks Elisha: “Even if the LORD were to open the windows of heaven, could this happen?”. The miracle of cheap grain the next day proves that the same floodgates that once released waters can just as easily release provision. Unbelief questions the aperture; faith trusts the One who opens it. Symbolism of Divine Judgment Isaiah 24:18 re-casts אֲרֻבָּה for the eschaton: “For the floodgates on high are opened, and the foundations of the earth are shaken.” The imagery recalls Noah yet points ahead to cosmic upheaval. Hosea 13:3 adds a quieter but still ominous picture: apostate Israel will vanish “like chaff swirling from a threshing floor, like smoke escaping through a window.” Whether by cataclysm or gradual dissipation, judgment flows through the opening when men shut their ears to God. Symbolism of Divine Provision Malachi 3:10 turns the same window into a conduit of lavish grace: “See if I will not open the windows of heaven and pour out for you blessing without measure.” The storehouse in heaven dwarfs any earthly granary. God alone can swing the shutters wide, but He delights to do so when His people walk in covenant faithfulness. Human Fragility and Aging Ecclesiastes 12:3 employs the plural “windows” in the poetic description of aging eyes that “see dimly.” The house is the aging body; the windows, failing sight. Even here the metaphor reminds readers that life’s physical apertures deteriorate, while the heavenly ones remain firmly in God’s hands. Redemptive Hope Isaiah 60:8 pictures returning exiles as “doves to their windows,” homing through the very openings that once symbolized exile and loss. The passage anticipates the ingathering of nations under Messiah’s light. The same architectural feature that framed judgment in Genesis now frames restoration. Historical and Cultural Background Archaeology reveals small lattice or shuttered windows high on mud-brick houses, designed to admit air while limiting heat, rain, and thieves. City gates and fortress towers also had narrow slits for watching or shooting arrows. These practical features offered ready metaphors for overflowing water, cascading grain, or descending birds. In agrarian Israel, a window in a granary roof allowed grain to be poured in; such imagery informs Malachi’s promise that heaven itself will act like an overflowing barn. Ministry Implications • Proclamation: Preachers may contrast Genesis 7:11 and Malachi 3:10 to exhort hearers that the same sovereign portal dispenses either flood or favor; covenant relationship determines which. Summary אֲרֻבָּה serves as a vivid theological hinge between heaven and earth. Whether unleashing deluge, provision, judgment, or blessing, the “window” underscores that every flow—water, grain, light, or grace—originates in God’s sovereign storehouse and moves at His command. Forms and Transliterations אֲרֻבֹּתֵיהֶֽם׃ אֲרֻבּ֣וֹת אֲרֻבּ֤וֹת אֲרֻבּוֹת֙ ארבות ארבתיהם׃ בָּאֲרֻבּֽוֹת׃ בארבות׃ וַֽאֲרֻבֹּ֖ת וַאֲרֻבֹּ֥ת וארבת מֵאֲרֻבָּֽה׃ מארבה׃ ’ă·rub·bō·ṯê·hem ’ă·rub·bō·wṯ ’ărubbōṯêhem ’ărubbōwṯ arubbOt arubboteiHem bā’ărubbōwṯ bā·’ă·rub·bō·wṯ baarubBot mê’ărubbāh mê·’ă·rub·bāh mearubBah vaarubBot wa’ărubbōṯ wa·’ă·rub·bōṯLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Genesis 7:11 HEB: תְּה֣וֹם רַבָּ֔ה וַאֲרֻבֹּ֥ת הַשָּׁמַ֖יִם נִפְתָּֽחוּ׃ NAS: burst open, and the floodgates of the sky KJV: broken up, and the windows of heaven INT: deep of the great and the floodgates of the sky were opened Genesis 8:2 2 Kings 7:2 2 Kings 7:19 Ecclesiastes 12:3 Isaiah 24:18 Isaiah 60:8 Hosea 13:3 Malachi 3:10 9 Occurrences |
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