Lexical Summary rathach: To boil, to be hot, to be agitated Original Word: רָתַח Strong's Exhaustive Concordance boil A primitive root; to boil -- boil. NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Origina prim. root Definition to boil NASB Translation boil (2), seething (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs [רָתַח] verb boil (Late Hebrew id.; Ecclus 43:3Hiph`il make hot; Aramaic רְתַח,  boil); — Pi`el Imperative masculine singular רַתַּח causative Ezekiel 24:5 cause to boil, bring to boiling, with accusative of thing. Pu`al Perfect3plural רֻתְּחוּ Job 30:27 my bowels have been made to boil without quiet (figurative of violent emotion). Hiph`il Imperfect3masculine singular יַרְתִּיחַ כַּסּיר מְצוּלָה Job 41:23 he (the crocodile) maketh the depth boil like the pot.. Topical Lexicon Linguistic Imagery and Range The verb רָתַח evokes the violent rolling of water at full heat. Whether applied to a human heart, the ocean depths, or a prophetic kettle, it conveys an energy that cannot be restrained. In Scripture the image moves easily from the literal kitchen to the turbulent soul and to divine judgment. Occurrences in Scripture • Job 30:27 – “I am churning within and cannot rest; days of affliction confront me.” Thematic Significance 1. Inner Turmoil – In Job 30:27 the suffering patriarch uses רָתַח to picture his viscera in uproar. The term bridges physical sensation and spiritual distress, showing how overwhelming sorrow can feel like a pot that never cools (compare Psalm 38:8). Historical Setting • Job’s lament belongs to patriarchal times, yet his vivid metaphor resonates with every sufferer wrestling with unexplained pain. Intertextual Connections – The simmering of God’s wrath appears elsewhere: “Behold, the calamity goes forth from nation to nation, and a great storm is stirred up from the ends of the earth” (Jeremiah 25:32). – Parallel culinary imagery is used redemptively in 2 Kings 4:38–41, where poisonous stew is purified, hinting that the same God who boils in judgment can also heal. – In Revelation 16:1–11, the pouring out of the bowls echoes Ezekiel’s cauldron, showing that final judgment will again overflow. Doctrinal Reflections The verb warns against trivializing either human anguish or divine holiness. Suffering may reach a “boiling point,” yet God remains present (Job 42:5). Likewise, His wrath is not capricious heat but a controlled, purposeful purging of evil (Nahum 1:2–6). For believers, the cross becomes the place where righteous fury meets mercy, as Christ “drank the cup” (Matthew 26:39), sparing His people from the boiling cauldron of judgment. Practical Ministry Applications • Pastoral care: When counselees describe emotions that “won’t cool down,” Job 30:27 legitimizes their experience and directs them toward lament that trusts God. Forms and Transliterations יַרְתִּ֣יחַ ירתיח רְתָחֶ֔יהָ רֻתְּח֥וּ רתחו רתחיה rə·ṯā·ḥe·hā retaCheiha rəṯāḥehā rut·tə·ḥū rutteChu ruttəḥū yar·tî·aḥ yarTiach yartîaḥLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Job 30:27 HEB: מֵעַ֖י רֻתְּח֥וּ וְלֹא־ דָ֗מּוּ NAS: I am seething within and cannot KJV: My bowels boiled, and rested INT: within I am seething and cannot relax Job 41:31 Ezekiel 24:5 3 Occurrences |
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