Lexical Summary rethach: Wrath, boiling, heat Original Word: רֶתַח Strong's Exhaustive Concordance boil well From rathach; a boiling -- X (boil) well. see HEBREW rathach NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom rathach Definition a boiling NASB Translation vigorously (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs [רֶ֫תַח] noun [masculine] boiling; — plural suffix רְתָחֶיהָ Ezekiel 24:5, as accusative of congnate meaning with verb cause its boilings to boil, make it boil vigorously; but read נְתָחֶיהָ Hi-Sm Co Da (possibly) and all modern (compare Ezekiel 24:4; Ezekiel 24:6; "" עצמים). Topical Lexicon Semantic Range and Imagery רֶתַח evokes the violent bubbling of water or broth at full boil. The image is not of a gentle simmer but of furious agitation, a pot roiling as heat is maximized and contents are churned. Such language conveys intensity, urgency, and irreversible momentum. Immediate Literary Context (Ezekiel 24:1-14) In Ezekiel the boiling pot becomes a living parable on the very day Nebuchadnezzar besieged Jerusalem. The prophet is commanded to set a bronze cauldron on the fire, fill it with choice pieces of meat, heap fuel beneath, and “bring it to a boil” (Ezekiel 24:5). רֶתַח marks the point at which the judgment God has long threatened is no longer merely heating up; it is now erupting. The simmer of prophetic warning becomes the full rolling boil of divine retribution. Historical Significance The word’s single occurrence anchors it to one of the most decisive moments in Israel’s history: the fall of Jerusalem in 588/586 B.C. The sign-act precedes Ezekiel’s devastating message that the city’s defenses will melt away and its citizens will become dross in the crucible (Ezekiel 22:17-22). As the Babylonian siege ramps up, רֶתַח depicts the advance from pressure to calamity, reminding readers that God’s patience, though long, is not infinite. Theology of Judgment 1. Certainty: The boiling stage demonstrates that divine wrath, once kindled, cannot be quenched by human effort alone (Ezekiel 24:14). Christological Foreshadowing While the boiling pot exposes Judah’s guilt, it also heightens the longing for a Mediator who can withstand and absorb the full heat of divine wrath. At Calvary the righteous One endures judgment’s “fury” (Isaiah 53:10) so that all who trust in Him are refined, not consumed (Romans 5:9). Pastoral and Ministry Applications • Warn with urgency. Prophetic boiling calls preachers to move hearers from complacent comfort to sober reflection on sin’s consequences (Hebrews 10:26-31). Intertextual Links • Boiling judgment: Jeremiah 1:13-15 speaks of “a boiling pot…tilting toward us from the north,” foreshadowing Babylon’s invasion. Summary רֶתַח serves as a vivid, singular flashpoint in Scripture, condensing generations of prophetic warnings into a moment of unrestrained heat. It affirms God’s righteous character, underscores the seriousness of persistent sin, and ultimately directs the reader to the gospel hope of cleansing through a greater Substitute who endures the boil on behalf of His people. Forms and Transliterations רַתַּ֣ח רתח rat·taḥ ratTach rattaḥLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Ezekiel 24:5 HEB: הָעֲצָמִ֖ים תַּחְתֶּ֑יהָ רַתַּ֣ח רְתָחֶ֔יהָ גַּם־ NAS: the pot. Make it boil vigorously. Also KJV: under it, [and] make it boil well, and let them seethe INT: wood under vigorously boil Also 1 Occurrence |
    |