Lexical Summary ravach: To be wide, spacious, to have relief, to be refreshed Original Word: רָוַח Strong's Exhaustive Concordance be refreshed, large A primitive root (identical with ruwach); properly, to breathe freely, i.e. Revive; by implication, to have ample room -- be refreshed, large. see HEBREW ruwach NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Origina prim. root Definition to be wide or spacious NASB Translation get relief (1), refreshed (1), spacious (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs רָרַח verb be wide, spacious (Late Hebrew id., extend (intransitive), רֶוַח wide space; Arabic  be wide (between thighs), and derivatives; compare perhaps Ethiopic  make open, open (derived species; Di293); Aramaic רְוַח be wide (usually figurative as Hebrew),  ,  be wide, enlarged); — Qal Perfect3masculine singular ׳ר, followed by ל person 1 Samuel 16:23 figurative there was enlargement, relief, for Saul; Imperfect3masculine singular יִרְוַח לִי Job 32:20 that there may be relief for me. Pu`al Participle plural מְרֻוָּחִים Jeremiah 22:14 spacious (of rooms; "" בֵּות מִדּוֺת). Topical Lexicon Semantic Range and Imagery רָוַח portrays a sudden opening up of space so that breathing becomes easy again. The word evokes the moment the chest loosens after strain, the room widens after confinement, or the heart settles after turmoil. Although rare (three times), each setting illustrates one of those images—relief from demonic oppression, relief from intellectual pressure, and relief sought through architectural excess. Occurrences and Settings 1 Samuel 16:23—Saul’s torment is alleviated when David plays the harp: “relief would come to Saul, and he would feel better, and the evil spirit would depart from him”. The verb captures the felt effect of worship-saturated music driving away spiritual darkness. Job 32:20—Elihu, constrained by the silence of courtesy, bursts out: “I must speak and find relief.” Here רָוַח marks the inward pressure valve releasing as truth is finally voiced. Jeremiah 22:14—Jehoiakim plans “spacious upper rooms,” imagining that architectural breadth will give him רָוַח. The prophet’s context exposes the futility of substituting luxury for covenant faithfulness. Thematic Threads 1. Spiritual oppression versus spiritual ministry (1 Samuel 16). The relief does not spring from David’s skill alone but from the covenant worship that accompanies it. רָוַח becomes a window into the ministry of music, prefiguring the liberating authority of the Son of David. Historical and Ministry Significance Ancient Near-Eastern kings were judged by the comfort they provided their subjects, yet Jehoiakim sought comfort for himself. The prophets invert that paradigm: true kingship creates רָוַח for others. David models it; Jehoiakim caricatures it. In congregational life the concept guides several ministries: Christological Perspective Jesus Christ fulfills the deeper resonance of רָוַח. He proclaims, “Come to Me… and you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:28-29). At the cross He opened the tight confinement of sin, and by the Spirit He still brings relief analogous to Saul’s but surpassing it in permanence (Romans 8:1-2). Practical Reflections • Seek your first relief not in altered circumstances but in the presence of the LORD. Thus רָוַח, though sparsely used, unfolds a rich biblical motif: God breathes spacious grace into cramped lives, calling His people both to receive and to extend that liberating breadth. Forms and Transliterations וְיִֽרְוַֽח־ וְרָוַ֤ח וירוח־ ורוח מְרֻוָּחִ֑ים מרוחים mə·ruw·wā·ḥîm meruvvaChim məruwwāḥîm veraVach veyirvach wə·rā·waḥ wə·yir·waḥ- wərāwaḥ wəyirwaḥ-Links Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance 1 Samuel 16:23 HEB: וְנִגֵּ֣ן בְּיָד֑וֹ וְרָוַ֤ח לְשָׁאוּל֙ וְט֣וֹב NAS: and Saul would be refreshed and be well, KJV: so Saul was refreshed, and was well, INT: and play his hand would be refreshed and Saul and be well Job 32:20 Jeremiah 22:14 3 Occurrences |
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