7379. rib

Lexical Summary

rib: Dispute, controversy, contention, lawsuit, quarrel

Original Word: רִיב
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: riyb
Pronunciation: reeb
Phonetic Spelling: (reeb)
KJV: + adversary, cause, chiding, contend(-tion), controversy, multitude (from the margin), pleading, strife, strive(-ing), suit
NASB: strife, case, dispute, cause, contentions, complaint, quarrel
Word Origin: [from H7378 (רִיבּ רוּב - contend)]

1. a contest (personal or legal)

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

adversary, cause, chiding, contention, controversy, multitude, pleading, strife,

Or rib {reeb}; from riyb; a contest (personal or legal) -- + adversary, cause, chiding, contend(-tion), controversy, multitude (from the margin), pleading, strife, strive(-ing), suit.

see HEBREW riyb

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
from rib
Definition
strife, dispute
NASB Translation
adversary (1), case (11), cause (9), complaint (2), contend (1), contention (1), contentions (3), controversy (1), dispute (11), disputes (1), indictment (1), lawsuit (1), plea (1), plead his case (1), quarrel (2), strife (13), suit (2).

Brown-Driver-Briggs

רִיב₆₂ noun masculine^{Isaiah 1:23} strife, dispute; — absolute ׳ר Genesis 13:7 +, רִב Exodus 23:2 +; construct רִיב Exodus 17:7 +; suffix רִיבִי 1 Samuel 24:16 +, בְּרִבָם Job 31:13 (or infinitive?), etc.; plural רִיבֹת Deuteronomy 17:8; construct רִיבֵי 2 Samuel 22:44 2t., רִבוֺת Job 13:6; — strife, quarrel:

1 in words, Exodus 17:7 (J), Deuteronomy 1:12, about pasturage Genesis 13:7 (J; = מְרִיבָה Genesis 13:8), in General Proverbs 15:18; Proverbs 17:14; Proverbs 20:3; Proverbs 26:17,21; Proverbs 30:33, + מָדוֺן Habakkuk 1:3, so ׳זִבְחֵירֿ Proverbs 17:1; figurative עֲצָמָיו ׳ר Job 33:19 Kt (Qr רוב, i.e. רֹב q. v. ); לְשֹׁנוֺת ׳ר Psalm 31:21, compare Isaiah 58:4; Proverbs 18:6; ׳אִישׁ ר Jeremiah 15:10 (+ מָדוֺן ׳א). 2. of public hostilities 2 Samuel 22:44 = Psalm 18:44, compare אִישׁ רִיב Judges 12:2, אַנְשֵׁי רִיבֶ֑ךָ Isaiah 41:11; "" חָמָס Psalm 55:10.

3₃₉ especially dispute, controversy, case at law: Exodus 23:2,3,6 (E), Deuteronomy 21:5 (+נֶגַע), Deuteronomy 25:1; 2 Samuel 15:2,4 ("" מִשְׁפָט), + 10 t., + (of ׳י) Hosea 4:1; Hosea 12:3; Micah 6:2 (twice in verse); Jeremiah 25:31; Ezekiel 44:24; Lamentations 3:36; as accusative of congnate meaning with verb, case, cause Micah 7:9; Jeremiah 50:34 8t. (see √

3), + רִיב חֶרְמָּתִי 1 Samuel 25:39, רִיבֵי נַפְשִׁי Lamentations 3:58; דִּבְרֵי רִיבֹת Deuteronomy 17:8 matters of controversy; ׳ר Deuteronomy 19:17 dispute as to guilt; אִישׁ דִיבִי Job 31:35 = accuser.

4 plea: Proverbs 18:17, רִבוֺת שְׂפָתַי Job 13:6 pleadings of my lips.

Topical Lexicon

Range of Meaning and General Theme

רִיב depicts every level of conflict, from a neighborly quarrel to a formal court case and, supremely, to the covenant lawsuit Yahweh brings against His people and the nations. It therefore touches the horizontal plane of human relationships and the vertical plane of divine-human accountability.

Occurrences and Literary Distribution

About sixty-one appearances span narrative (Genesis through Kings), legal material (Exodus–Deuteronomy), wisdom literature (Job, Psalms, Proverbs), and the prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Hosea, Micah, Habakkuk). The term’s spread affirms that wherever sin, injustice, or misunderstanding arise, God addresses them.

Civil and Criminal Litigation in the Torah

Israel’s civil life assumed that disputes would surface, but God provided righteous mechanisms for resolution:
• Exodus 23:2-3, 6 outlines courtroom integrity: “When you testify in a lawsuit, do not pervert justice by siding with the crowd… You shall not deny justice to the poor in their lawsuits.”
• Deuteronomy 25:1 pushes judges toward impartiality.
• Deuteronomy 17:8-13 brings the most difficult רִיב to the sanctuary courts, rooting jurisprudence in worship.

These passages show that justice is an act of theology; wrong judgments misrepresent God.

Strife among Families and Neighbors

Early narrative uses stress the everyday character of רִיב. Genesis 13:7 reports, “So there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram’s livestock and the herdsmen of Lot’s livestock.” The solution—peaceful separation—foreshadows New Testament exhortations to pursue peace. Isaac’s well-conflicts (Genesis 26:20-22) likewise portray patient forbearance as the path to blessing.

Judges, Kings, and National Disputes

Judges 11:12-27 records Jephthah’s diplomatic “case” with Ammon, blending international relations with covenant history. Absalom manipulates personal grievances to steal Israel’s heart (2 Samuel 15:2-6), warning leaders never to exploit legitimate complaints for self-promotion.

The Prophetic ‘Rib’ Pattern: Yahweh’s Covenant Lawsuit

In prophetic literature רִיב becomes a technical term for God’s litigation against covenant breakers:
• “Hear, O mountains, the indictment of the Lord… for the Lord has a case against His people” (Micah 6:2).
• Hosea 4:1; 12:2; Isaiah 3:13; Jeremiah 25:31; 51:36; Habakkuk 1:4 all frame judgment oracles as courtroom proceedings.

The pattern highlights God’s moral governance: He gathers witnesses (heaven and earth), reads the charges (idolatry, oppression), renders verdicts (exile, calamity), yet holds out restoration for repentance.

Appeals for Divine Advocacy in the Psalms

Sufferers turn רִיב into prayer:
• “Awake and rise to my defense, to my cause, my God and my Lord!” (Psalm 35:23).
• “Defend my cause and redeem me; revive me according to Your word” (Psalm 119:154).

Believers entrust unresolved injustice to the heavenly court, confident that “He will defend the afflicted among the people” (Psalm 72:4, thematic).

Wisdom for Conflict Resolution

Proverbial teaching assumes disputes but sets guardrails:
• “The first to state his case seems right until another comes and cross-examines him” (Proverbs 18:17).
• “Do not rush to court, or what will you do in the end when your neighbor humiliates you? Argue your case with your neighbor directly” (Proverbs 25:8-9).
• Meddling in another’s רִיב invites harm (Proverbs 26:17).

Wisdom urges restraint, private dialogue, and truth-seeking—principles directly transferable to church discipline and pastoral counseling.

Theological Significance

1. God is Judge: Every human רִיב ultimately arrives at His bar (Jeremiah 25:31).
2. Covenant accountability: Israel’s privileges brought heightened scrutiny; so does the church’s (1 Peter 4:17).
3. Redemption through advocacy: God not only judges; He “pleads the cause of His people” (Jeremiah 51:36). His role anticipates Christ the Advocate.

Practical Ministry Implications

• Encourage believers to exhaust private reconciliation before litigation (Matthew 18:15-17 reflects Proverbs 25:8-9).
• Model impartiality in church leadership, remembering Deuteronomy 1:17—“Do not show partiality in judgment; hear both small and great alike.”
• Preach the prophetic רִיב passages to expose cultural sins and call for repentance grounded in the finished work of Christ.
• Offer pastoral comfort from the Psalms to those facing unjust accusations, directing them to the One who “pleads the cause of the afflicted.”

Foreshadowing of Christ and New Testament Connections

Isaiah’s Servant “will faithfully bring forth justice” (Isaiah 42:3); Jesus embodies that promise, settling the deepest רִיב—humanity’s enmity with God—through the cross. Paul pictures the courtroom outcome: “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). Meanwhile believers are called, “as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone” (Romans 12:18), extinguishing lesser quarrels in light of the greater reconciliation already secured.

Thus רִיב reminds every generation that conflicts, whether personal or cosmic, must be resolved in righteousness. Scripture presents God as both the perfect Judge and the gracious Advocate who, in Messiah, brings every lawsuit to a just and saving conclusion.

Forms and Transliterations

בְּרִיב֑וֹ בְּרִיב֔וֹ בְּרִיבֽוֹ׃ בְרִ֑יב בריב בריבו בריבו׃ הָרִ֖יב הָרִ֥יב הריב וְלָרִ֑יב וְרִ֖ב וְרִ֣יב וְרִ֥יב וְרִֽיבְכֶֽם׃ וְרִב֖וֹת וְרֹ֖וב ולריב ורב ורבות ורוב וריב וריבכם׃ לְרִ֤יב לְרִ֥יב לְרִיבִֽי׃ לריב לריבי׃ מֵרִ֑יב מֵרִ֥יב מֵרִ֪יבֵ֫י מֵרִיבֵ֖י מריב מריבי רִ֗ב רִ֗יב רִ֛יב רִ֣יב רִ֣יב ׀ רִ֤יב רִ֥יב רִ֦יב רִ֨יב רִ֭יבִי רִֽיבְכֶ֖ם רִֽיב׃ רִיב֙ רִיב֩ רִיבִ֔י רִיבִ֗י רִיבִֽי׃ רִיבִי֙ רִיבֵ֔ךְ רִיבֵ֥י רִיבֶ֑ךָ רִיבֶֽךָ׃ רִיבָ֑ם רִיבָ֣ם רִיבֹ֖ת רב ריב ריב׃ ריבי ריבי׃ ריבך ריבך׃ ריבכם ריבם ריבת bə·rî·ḇōw ḇə·rîḇ ḇərîḇ bərîḇōw beriVo hā·rîḇ hārîḇ haRiv lə·rî·ḇî lə·rîḇ lərîḇ lərîḇî leRiv leriVi mê·rî·ḇê mê·rîḇ mêrîḇ mêrîḇê meRiv meriVei rî·ḇām rî·ḇê rî·ḇe·ḵā rî·ḇə·ḵem rî·ḇêḵ rî·ḇî rî·ḇōṯ riḇ rîḇ rîḇām rîḇê rîḇêḵ rîḇeḵā rîḇəḵem rîḇî rîḇōṯ Riv riVam rivChem riVech riVecha riVei riVi riVot velaRiv veRiv veRiveChem veriVot veRov wə·lā·rîḇ wə·rî·ḇə·ḵem wə·ri·ḇō·wṯ wə·riḇ wə·rîḇ wə·rō·wḇ wəlārîḇ wəriḇ wərîḇ wərîḇəḵem wəriḇōwṯ wərōwḇ

Englishman's Concordance

Genesis 13:7
HEB: וַֽיְהִי־ רִ֗יב בֵּ֚ין רֹעֵ֣י
NAS: And there was strife between
KJV: And there was a strife between the herdmen
INT: and there was strife between shipherd

Exodus 17:7
HEB: וּמְרִיבָ֑ה עַל־ רִ֣יב ׀ בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל
NAS: because of the quarrel of the sons
KJV: and Meribah, because of the chiding of the children
INT: and Meribah because of the quarrel of the sons of Israel

Exodus 23:2
HEB: תַעֲנֶ֣ה עַל־ רִ֗ב לִנְטֹ֛ת אַחֲרֵ֥י
NAS: shall you testify in a dispute so as to turn
KJV: neither shalt thou speak in a cause to decline
INT: testify in A dispute to turn after

Exodus 23:3
HEB: לֹ֥א תֶהְדַּ֖ר בְּרִיבֽוֹ׃ ס
NAS: to a poor man in his dispute.
KJV: a poor man in his cause.
INT: nor shall you be partial his dispute

Exodus 23:6
HEB: מִשְׁפַּ֥ט אֶבְיֹנְךָ֖ בְּרִיבֽוֹ׃
NAS: [due] to your needy [brother] in his dispute.
KJV: the judgment of thy poor in his cause.
INT: the justice your needy his dispute

Deuteronomy 1:12
HEB: טָרְחֲכֶ֥ם וּמַֽשַּׂאֲכֶ֖ם וְרִֽיבְכֶֽם׃
NAS: and burden of you and your strife?
KJV: and your burden, and your strife?
INT: the load and burden adversary

Deuteronomy 17:8
HEB: לָנֶ֔גַע דִּבְרֵ֥י רִיבֹ֖ת בִּשְׁעָרֶ֑יךָ וְקַמְתָּ֣
NAS: being cases of dispute in your courts,
KJV: [being] matters of controversy within thy gates:
INT: another cases of dispute your courts aloud

Deuteronomy 19:17
HEB: אֲשֶׁר־ לָהֶ֥ם הָרִ֖יב לִפְנֵ֣י יְהוָ֑ה
NAS: who have the dispute shall stand
KJV: the men, between whom the controversy [is], shall stand
INT: who those have the dispute before the LORD

Deuteronomy 21:5
HEB: יִהְיֶ֖ה כָּל־ רִ֥יב וְכָל־ נָֽגַע׃
NAS: and every dispute and every
KJV: and by their word shall every controversy and every stroke
INT: become and every dispute and every assault

Deuteronomy 25:1
HEB: כִּֽי־ יִהְיֶ֥ה רִיב֙ בֵּ֣ין אֲנָשִׁ֔ים
NAS: If there is a dispute between men
KJV: If there be a controversy between men,
INT: If is a dispute between men

Judges 12:2
HEB: אֲלֵיהֶ֔ם אִ֣ישׁ רִ֗יב הָיִ֛יתִי אֲנִ֛י
NAS: were at great strife with the sons
INT: about he strife were I

1 Samuel 24:15
HEB: וְיָרֵ֣ב אֶת־ רִיבִ֔י וְיִשְׁפְּטֵ֖נִי מִיָּדֶֽךָ׃
NAS: and plead my cause and deliver
KJV: and plead my cause, and deliver
INT: see and plead my cause and deliver your hand

1 Samuel 25:39
HEB: רָב֩ אֶת־ רִ֨יב חֶרְפָּתִ֜י מִיַּ֣ד
NAS: has pleaded the cause of my reproach
KJV: that hath pleaded the cause of my reproach
INT: who has pleaded the cause of my reproach the hand

2 Samuel 15:2
HEB: יִהְיֶה־ לּוֹ־ רִיב֩ לָב֨וֹא אֶל־
NAS: man had a suit to come to the king
KJV: and it was [so], that when any man that had a controversy came
INT: after had A suit to come to

2 Samuel 15:4
HEB: יִהְיֶה־ לּוֹ־ רִ֥יב וּמִשְׁפָּ֖ט וְהִצְדַּקְתִּֽיו׃
NAS: who has any suit or cause could come
KJV: that every man which hath any suit or cause
INT: who has suit cause give

2 Samuel 22:44
HEB: וַֽתְּפַלְּטֵ֔נִי מֵרִיבֵ֖י עַמִּ֑י תִּשְׁמְרֵ֙נִי֙
NAS: You have also delivered me from the contentions of my people;
KJV: Thou also hast delivered me from the strivings of my people,
INT: delivered the contentions of my people have kept

2 Chronicles 19:8
HEB: לְמִשְׁפַּ֥ט יְהוָ֖ה וְלָרִ֑יב וַיָּשֻׁ֖בוּ יְרוּשָׁלִָֽם׃
NAS: and to judge disputes among the inhabitants
KJV: of the LORD, and for controversies, when they returned
INT: the judgment God disputes returned of Jerusalem

2 Chronicles 19:10
HEB: וְכָל־ רִיב֩ אֲשֶׁר־ יָב֨וֹא
NAS: any dispute comes
KJV: And what cause soever shall come
INT: any dispute Whenever comes

Job 13:6
HEB: נָ֥א תוֹכַחְתִּ֑י וְרִב֖וֹת שְׂפָתַ֣י הַקְשִֽׁיבוּ׃
NAS: And listen to the contentions of my lips.
KJV: and hearken to the pleadings of my lips.
INT: Please my argument to the contentions of my lips and listen

Job 29:16
HEB: אָ֭נֹכִֽי לָֽאֶבְיוֹנִ֑ים וְרִ֖ב לֹא־ יָדַ֣עְתִּי
NAS: And I investigated the case which I did not know.
KJV: to the poor: and the cause [which] I knew
INT: I to the needy the case did not know

Job 31:35
HEB: כָּ֝תַ֗ב אִ֣ישׁ רִיבִֽי׃
NAS: me! And the indictment which my adversary has written,
INT: has written which my adversary

Job 33:19
HEB: [וְרִיב כ] (וְרֹ֖וב ק) עֲצָמָ֣יו
NAS: And with unceasing complaint in his bones;
INT: on his bed adversary his bones unceasing

Psalm 18:43
HEB: תְּפַלְּטֵנִי֮ מֵרִ֪יבֵ֫י עָ֥ם תְּ֭שִׂימֵנִי
NAS: You have delivered me from the contentions of the people;
KJV: Thou hast delivered me from the strivings of the people;
INT: have delivered the contentions of the people have placed

Psalm 31:20
HEB: תִּצְפְּנֵ֥ם בְּסֻכָּ֗ה מֵרִ֥יב לְשֹׁנֽוֹת׃
NAS: in a shelter from the strife of tongues.
KJV: in a pavilion from the strife of tongues.
INT: keep A shelter the strife of tongues

Psalm 35:23
HEB: אֱלֹהַ֖י וַֽאדֹנָ֣י לְרִיבִֽי׃
NAS: to my right And to my cause, my God
KJV: to my judgment, [even] unto my cause, my God
INT: my God and my Lord my cause

61 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 7379
61 Occurrences

bə·rî·ḇōw — 4 Occ.
hā·rîḇ — 2 Occ.
lə·rîḇ — 2 Occ.
lə·rî·ḇî — 1 Occ.
mê·rîḇ — 2 Occ.
mê·rî·ḇê — 2 Occ.
rîḇ — 23 Occ.
rî·ḇām — 3 Occ.
rî·ḇə·ḵem — 1 Occ.
rî·ḇêḵ — 1 Occ.
rî·ḇe·ḵā — 2 Occ.
rî·ḇê — 1 Occ.
rî·ḇî — 7 Occ.
rî·ḇōṯ — 1 Occ.
wə·lā·rîḇ — 1 Occ.
wə·riḇ — 5 Occ.
wə·rî·ḇə·ḵem — 1 Occ.
wə·ri·ḇō·wṯ — 1 Occ.
wə·rō·wḇ — 1 Occ.