Lexical Summary rebets: Resting place, lair, crouching place Original Word: רֵבֶץ Strong's Exhaustive Concordance where each lay, lie down in, resting place From rabats; a couch or place of repose -- where each lay, lie down in, resting place. see HEBREW rabats NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom rabats Definition (place of) lying down, resting place, dwelling place NASB Translation resting place (4). Brown-Driver-Briggs רֵ֫בֶץ noun [masculine] (place of) lying down, resting- or dwelling-place; — construct בָּקָר ׳ר Isaiah 65:10 ("" נְוֵה צאֹן); suffix בִּנְוֵה תַנִּים רִבְצָהּ Isaiah 35:7 (compare Ges§ 145m, but Du רָֽבְצָה, that is, flock); רִבְצָם Jeremiah 50:6 (people as sheep); of man, רִבְצוֺ Proverbs 24:15 ("" נְוֵה צַדְּיק). Topical Lexicon Conceptual Overviewרֵבֶץ denotes a settled, secure spot where living creatures recline in safety. Scripture employs the term to evoke two related images: 1. A literal animal lair or pasture. Because it is never used of hostile powers or chaotic spaces, רֵבֶץ consistently points to order, calm, and provision after danger or wandering. Occurrences in Scripture • Proverbs 24:15 contrasts the secure “resting place” of the righteous with the schemes of the wicked. Literary Settings Wisdom Literature – In Proverbs, רֵבֶץ functions as a moral safeguard: righteousness establishes a stable dwelling that evil cannot legitimately touch. Prophetic Writings – Isaiah employs the word both in eschatological renewal (chapter 35) and in the millennial blessing promised to the faithful remnant (chapter 65). Jeremiah uses it to underscore the pastoral heartache of Israel’s shepherdless condition. Imagery of Rest and Security 1. Pastoral Rest: The shepherd image dominates. A good pasture invites the flock to lie down (cf. Psalm 23:2), and in Isaiah 65:10 that rest is assured for “My people who seek Me.” Judgment and Redemption Motifs Jeremiah 50:6 exposes the tragedy of lost rest. Exile strips the flock of its appointed רֵבֶץ, but the chapter goes on to foretell Babylon’s fall and Israel’s return, implying the restoration of that rest. Thus רֵבֶץ becomes a barometer of covenant faithfulness: lost through disobedience, regained by divine mercy. Christological Fulfillment The Shepherd-King in Ezekiel 34 and John 10 answers Jeremiah’s lament. Jesus gathers scattered sheep and grants the rest symbolized by רֵבֶץ: “Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). The New Testament’s promise of eternal Sabbath (Hebrews 4:9-11) is the ultimate רֵבֶץ in which redeemed believers will “lie down” in complete safety (Revelation 7:17). Ministry and Devotional Implications • Pastoral Care: Congregational leaders model the Good Shepherd by providing safe spaces—spiritually, emotionally, and physically—where God’s people may “lie down.” Summary רֵבֶץ portrays the settled, covenantal rest God intends for His people and His creation. Whether applied to green pastures, eschatological renewal, or the believer’s present security in Christ, the word consistently testifies to God’s determination to bring His flock home and give them peace. Forms and Transliterations לְרֵ֣בֶץ לרבץ רִבְצָ֔הּ רִבְצָֽם׃ רִבְצֽוֹ׃ רבצה רבצו׃ רבצם׃ lə·rê·ḇeṣ lərêḇeṣ leRevetz riḇ·ṣāh riḇ·ṣām riḇ·ṣōw riḇṣāh riḇṣām riḇṣōw rivTzah rivTzam rivTzoLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Proverbs 24:15 HEB: אַֽל־ תְּשַׁדֵּ֥ד רִבְצֽוֹ׃ NAS: Do not destroy his resting place; KJV: spoil not his resting place: INT: not destroy his resting Isaiah 35:7 Isaiah 65:10 Jeremiah 50:6 4 Occurrences |
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