Lexical Summary rachab: enlarge, enlarges, enlarged Original Word: רָחַב Strong's Exhaustive Concordance make room, make open wide A primitive root; to broaden (intransitive or transitive, literal or figurative) -- be an en-(make) large(-ing), make room, make (open) wide. NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Origina prim. root Definition to be or grow wide or large NASB Translation enlarge (6), enlarged (2), enlarges (3), extend (1), extends (1), large (1), made your wide (1), made room (1), makes room (1), open your wide (1), open wide (1), opened their wide (1), rejoice (1), relieved (1), roomy (1), speaks boldly (1), wider (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs רָחַב [? also רָחֹב, so LagBN 31; compare also Idib. 52 f.] verb be, or grow, wide, large (Late Hebrew in derived species (rare) and derivatives; Arabic Qal Perfect3masculine singular מִּי ׳ר 1 Samuel 2:1, + עַל against (i.e. to devour, in figure; compare Hiph`il); consecutive לְבָבֵךְ ׳וּפָחַד וְר Isaiah 60:5 be widened, enlarged, relieved, and expanded with joy (compare Hiph`il 2); 3 feminine singular וְרָֽחֲבָה וְנָָֽסְבָה Ezekiel 41:7 probably error, Co רָחְבָּהּ וְנוֺסָפָה, Toy וְהָרֹחַב נוֺסַף, Krae וְיָָֽסְפוּ רָֽחֲבוּ [וְ?]. Niph`al Participle as adjective נִרְחָב Isaiah 30:23 a broad, roomy, pasture. Hiph`il Perfect3masculine singular הִרְחִיב Genesis 26:22; Habakkuk 2:5, הִרְחִ֑ב Isaiah 30:33; 2masculine singular הִרְחַבְתָּ Psalm 4:2, etc.; Imperfect3masculine singular יַרְחִיב Deuteronomy 12:20 +, etc.; Imperative masculine singular הַרְחֶבֿ Psalm 81:11 (compare also Psalm 25:17 below); feminine singular הַרְחִיבִי Isaiah 54:2, הַרְחִבִי Micah 1:16; Infinitive construct הַרְחִיב Amos 1:13; Participle מַרְחִיב Deuteronomy 33:20; — 1 make large, with accusative baldness Micah 1:16 (sign of mourning), fun. pile Isaiah 30:33 (accusative omitted; + הֶעְמִיק); make wide, accusative couch Isaiah 57:8 (figurative). 2 enlarge limit of territory (גְּבוּל) Amos 1:13; Exodus 34:24 (J), Deuteronomy 12:20; Deuteronomy 19:8, so גָּ֑ד ׳מַר Deuteronomy 33:20, compare מְקוֺם אָהֳלֵךְ ׳הַר Isaiah 54:2 (figurative); also absolute + ל person, לָנוּ ׳י ׳הִר Genesis 26:22 (J), and (figurative of deliverance), לִי ׳בַּצָּר הִר Psalm 4:2; לוֺ ׳מַתַּן אָדָם יַר Proverbs 18:16 a man's gift makes room for him, gives access to patron; of ׳י's enlarging the heart (לִבִּי) Psalm 119:32 (compare Qal); ׳צָרוֺת לְבָבִי הִרְחִיכוּ מ Psalm 25:17 read probably (with most) Imperative ׳הַרְחֵ(י)ב ומ (Bae הִרְהִיבוּ, alarm, compare Songs 6:5); with accusative צַעֲדִי my step, stride Psalm 18:37 = 2 Samuel 22:37 (i.e. givest me firm footing and vigorous step, compare צַעַד 2); enlarge mouth, open it wide, with עַל person against Isaiah 57:4; Psalm 35:21 (compare Qal); without עַל, as a young bird to receive food, figurative, Psalm 81:11; ׳הִר שְׁאוֺל נַפְשָׁהּ Isaiah 5:14 ("" מָּֽעֲרָה פִיהָ; נֶפֶשׁ 5c), compare Habakkuk 2:5. Topical Lexicon Concept of Expansiveness in the Life of Faith The verb רָחַב presents the idea of being broadened, widened, given room. Scripture pairs this idea with relief from pressure, provision of territory, or the granting of spiritual capacity. In Genesis 26:22 Isaac names the well “Rehoboth,” declaring, “Now the LORD has given us room and we will be fruitful in the land.” The spacious place is not merely geographic; it is the lived experience of divine favor that removes strife and invites fruitfulness. Patriarchal Foundations: Room to Flourish Genesis 26 anchors the word in covenant history. Isaac’s herdsmen are harassed until the Lord grants space. The broad place confirms the promise first sworn to Abraham. Ministry reflection: opposition need not signal abandonment; sometimes the Lord leads through narrowing pressures to an enlargement prepared in advance. Covenant Promises in the Torah Moses employs the verb to describe the national horizon. “When the LORD your God enlarges your territory as He has promised” (Deuteronomy 12:20). Similarly, Deuteronomy 19:8 conditions the addition of refuge-cities on the land’s expansion. Enlargement is inseparable from obedience (Deuteronomy 19:9) and underscores that spatial blessing is covenantal, not accidental. Israel’s geography thus becomes a living sermon: holiness makes room; sin constricts. Priestly Security and Agricultural Plenty Exodus 34:24 assures Israel that pilgrimage feasts will not shrink their holdings: “I will enlarge your borders, and no man will covet your land.” Here רָחַב guards worship. The promise frees hearts from anxious calculation, showing that God’s enlargement is a safeguard for faith-driven obedience. Tribe of Gad: Warrior’s Breadth In Moses’ final blessing, “Blessed is he who enlarges Gad” (Deuteronomy 33:20). The warrior tribe receives widened territory east of Jordan. Their enlarged domain witnesses to divine generosity while reinforcing Israel’s unity; what God broadens for one tribe ultimately serves all. Davidic Praise: From Distress to Broad Places The Psalms frequently turn the verb into personal testimony. In ministry the pattern is clear: prayer framed by God’s past enlargements breeds present courage. Wisdom Literature: Opportunities and Relationships Proverbs 18:16 observes, “A man’s gift opens the way for him and brings him into the presence of the great.” Gifts “make room”; generosity enlarges relational space. The wise recognize that God’s principle of expansion can work through human courtesy and honor. Prophetic Warnings: Illicit Enlargement Not every widening is blessed. Isaiah 5:14 warns, “Therefore Sheol enlarges its throat and opens wide its mouth.” The yawning grave mirrors societal greed. Isaiah 57:8 rebukes idolatrous Israel: “Behind your doors and your doorposts you have set up your memorial; […] you have uncovered yourself to those other than Me and have gone up to them, You have enlarged your bed.” Expansion of sin leads to captivity, visible in Micah 1:16 and Amos 1:13. Habakkuk 2:5 indicts the proud who “enlarges his appetite like Sheol.” The word that celebrates grace also exposes covetous ambition. Prophetic Hope: The Widened Tent of Zion Isaiah 54:2 issues a command steeped in eschatological promise: “Enlarge the place of your tent; stretch out the curtains of your dwelling; do not hold back; lengthen your ropes and drive your stakes deep.” Following the Servant’s atonement (Isaiah 53), Zion must prepare for global in-gathering. Isaiah 60:5 pictures the nations streaming in: “Then you will look and be radiant; your heart will tremble and swell with joy.” God’s final enlargement transcends geography, extending salvation’s reach to the ends of the earth. Temple Vision: Widening in the House of God Ezekiel 41:7 notes progressively broader side chambers in the temple vision. Each ascent creates more space—an architectural parable of access to God’s holiness that widens rather than narrows, anticipating the New Covenant’s invitation to “draw near with confidence.” Pastoral and Missional Implications 1. Assurance under Pressure: Believers hemmed in by trial may trace the biblical pattern—distress is often a hallway to a spacious place. Summary רָחַב threads through Scripture as a witness that God delights to make space—for His covenant people, for the righteous individual, for redemptive history. Whether felt as relief, received as land, or envisioned as global redemption, enlargement comes from Him alone and is stewarded through faith, obedience, and humble dependence. Forms and Transliterations הִרְחִ֑ב הִרְחִ֑יבוּ הִרְחִ֤יבָה הִרְחִ֧יב הִרְחִ֨יב הִרְחַ֣בְתָּ הִרְחַ֤בְתְּ הַרְחִ֣יבִי ׀ הַרְחִ֤בִי הַרְחִ֥יב הַרְחֶב־ הרחב הרחב־ הרחבי הרחבת הרחיב הרחיבה הרחיבו הרחיבי וְֽרָחֲבָ֡ה וְהִרְחַבְתִּ֖י וְרָחַ֖ב וַיַּרְחִ֥יבוּ והרחבתי וירחיבו ורחב ורחבה יַרְחִ֞יב יַרְחִ֣יב יַרְחִיב֩ ירחיב מַרְחִ֣יב מרחיב נִרְחָֽב׃ נרחב׃ רָ֤חַב רחב תַּרְחִ֣יב תַּרְחִ֥יב תַּרְחִ֥יבוּ תַרְחִ֣יב תרחיב תרחיבו har·ḥeḇ- har·ḥi·ḇî har·ḥî·ḇî har·ḥîḇ harchev harChiv harChivi harḥeḇ- harḥîḇ harḥiḇî harḥîḇî hir·ḥaḇ·tā hir·ḥaḇt hir·ḥî·ḇāh hir·ḥî·ḇū hir·ḥiḇ hir·ḥîḇ hirChavt hirChavta hirChiv hirChivah hirChivu hirḥaḇt hirḥaḇtā hirḥiḇ hirḥîḇ hirḥîḇāh hirḥîḇū mar·ḥîḇ marChiv marḥîḇ nir·ḥāḇ nirChav nirḥāḇ rā·ḥaḇ Rachav rāḥaḇ tar·ḥî·ḇū tar·ḥîḇ ṯar·ḥîḇ tarChiv tarChivu tarḥîḇ ṯarḥîḇ tarḥîḇū vaiyarChivu vehirchavTi veraChav verachaVah way·yar·ḥî·ḇū wayyarḥîḇū wə·hir·ḥaḇ·tî wə·rā·ḥă·ḇāh wə·rā·ḥaḇ wəhirḥaḇtî wərāḥaḇ wərāḥăḇāh yar·ḥîḇ yarChiv yarḥîḇLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Genesis 26:22 HEB: כִּֽי־ עַתָּ֞ה הִרְחִ֧יב יְהוָ֛ה לָ֖נוּ NAS: the LORD has made room for us, and we will be fruitful KJV: the LORD hath made room for us, and we shall be fruitful INT: For now has made the LORD will be fruitful Exodus 34:24 Deuteronomy 12:20 Deuteronomy 19:8 Deuteronomy 33:20 1 Samuel 2:1 2 Samuel 22:37 Psalm 4:1 Psalm 18:36 Psalm 25:17 Psalm 35:21 Psalm 81:10 Psalm 119:32 Proverbs 18:16 Isaiah 5:14 Isaiah 30:23 Isaiah 30:33 Isaiah 54:2 Isaiah 57:4 Isaiah 57:8 Isaiah 60:5 Ezekiel 41:7 Amos 1:13 Micah 1:16 Habakkuk 2:5 25 Occurrences |
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, Ethiopic 
Sabean in epithet of deity FellZMG liv (1900), 249, and proper name CISiv, no. 1, 3 etc.; Assyrian in rêbitu, open place; Aramaic רְחַב in derivatives ); —