What does רָעָב (rāʿāb) mean in the Bible?
רָעָב (rāʿāb): Famine as extended collective hunger; shifts from individual need to societal crisis and divine judgment.
Hebrew · H7458
רָעָב
Hunger (more or less extensive)
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רָעָב H7458
Pronunciation rāʿāb
What does רָעָב (rāʿāb) mean in the Bible?
רָעָב (rāʿāb): Famine as extended collective hunger; shifts from individual need to societal crisis and divine judgment.
Full entry for רָעָב (H7458) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render H7458?
The BSB source-word alignment has 101 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include and famine (20), famine (15), the famine (12), of famine (10), by famine (8).
Where does רָעָב (rāʿāb) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Genesis 12:10. Its strongest book concentrations include Jeremiah (33), Genesis (24), Ezekiel (14), 2 Kings (5).
Source Word Evidence
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders It and famine 20× Jeremiah 14:12, Jeremiah 14:15, Jeremiah 16:4, Jeremiah 21:7
famine 15× Genesis 41:31, Genesis 41:54, 1 Kings 8:37, 2 Kings 6:25
the famine 12× Genesis 12:10, Genesis 41:57, Genesis 42:5, Genesis 45:6
of famine 10× Genesis 41:27, Genesis 41:30, Genesis 41:36, Genesis 41:50
by famine 8× 2 Chronicles 32:11, Isaiah 14:30, Jeremiah 11:22, Jeremiah 14:18
a famine 5× Genesis 12:10, Ruth 1:1, 2 Samuel 21:1, Amos 8:11
or famine 5× 2 Chronicles 20:9, Jeremiah 5:12, Jeremiah 14:15, Jeremiah 44:12
in famine 3× Deuteronomy 28:48, Job 5:20, Psalms 33:19
and the famine 2× Genesis 41:30, Jeremiah 42:16
from hunger 2× Deuteronomy 32:24, Lamentations 2:19
to famine 2× Jeremiah 15:2, Jeremiah 18:21
. . . 1× Jeremiah 38:9
another famine 1× Genesis 26:1
are starving 1× Isaiah 5:13
destined for famine 1× Jeremiah 15:2
during the famine 1× Nehemiah 5:3
for the famine 1× Genesis 41:56
from [our] hunger 1× Lamentations 5:10
from the famine 1× 2 Kings 7:4
in the famine 1× Genesis 41:36
In their hunger 1× Nehemiah 9:15
Now the famine 1× Genesis 43:1
of hunger 1× Lamentations 4:9
on account of famine 1× Ezekiel 36:30
the [one] 1× Genesis 26:1
there was a famine 1× 2 Kings 4:38
to starve 1× Exodus 16:3
When the famine 1× Genesis 41:56
Show sample aligned rows
Genesis 12:10 רָעָ֖ב to a famine Noun - masculine singular Genesis 12:10 הָרָעָ֖ב to the famine Article | Noun - masculine singular Genesis 26:1 רָעָב֙ to another famine Noun - masculine singular Genesis 26:1 הָרָעָ֣ב to the [one] Article | Noun - masculine singular Genesis 41:27 רָעָֽב׃ to of famine Noun - masculine singular Genesis 41:30 רָעָב֙ to of famine Noun - masculine singular Genesis 41:30 הָרָעָ֖ב to and the famine Article | Noun - masculine singular Genesis 41:31 הָרָעָ֥ב to famine Article | Noun - masculine singular Genesis 41:36 הָרָעָ֔ב to of famine Article | Noun - masculine singular Genesis 41:36 בָּרָעָֽב׃ to in the famine Preposition-b, Article | Noun - masculine singular
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Genesis 12:10
Aligned rows 101
Books represented 17
Genesis 24 Exodus 1 Deuteronomy 2 Ruth 1 2 Samuel 2 1 Kings 2 2 Kings 5 1 Chronicles 1 2 Chronicles 3 Nehemiah 2 Job 1 Psalms 2 Isaiah 3 Jeremiah 33 Lamentations 3 Ezekiel 14 Amos 2
Source forms
הָרָעָ֖ב 9x hā·rā·‘āḇ Genesis 12:10, Genesis 41:30, Genesis 41:57, Genesis 42:5
בָּרָעָ֣ב 4x bā·rā·‘āḇ Jeremiah 27:13, Jeremiah 29:18, Jeremiah 38:2, Jeremiah 42:17
בָּרָעָֽב׃ 4x bā·rā·‘āḇ Genesis 41:36, Nehemiah 5:3, Psalms 33:19, Jeremiah 11:22
הָרָעָ֣ב 4x hā·rā·‘āḇ Genesis 26:1, Jeremiah 14:16, Jeremiah 24:10, Jeremiah 29:17
וְהָרָעָ֖ב 4x wə·hā·rā·‘āḇ Genesis 43:1, 1 Kings 18:2, Jeremiah 32:24, Ezekiel 7:15
רָעָ֖ב 4x rā·‘āḇ Genesis 12:10, Ruth 1:1, Ezekiel 36:30, Amos 8:11
רָעָב֙ 4x rā·‘āḇ Genesis 26:1, Genesis 41:30, Genesis 41:54, Ezekiel 34:29
וּבָֽרָעָב֙ 3x ū·ḇā·rā·‘āḇ Jeremiah 14:15, Jeremiah 16:4, Ezekiel 5:12
Parsing patterns
Noun - masculine singular 27x Genesis 12:10, Genesis 26:1, Genesis 41:27, Genesis 41:30
Article | Noun - masculine singular 24x Genesis 12:10, Genesis 26:1, Genesis 41:30, Genesis 41:31
Preposition-b, Article | Noun - masculine singular 15x Genesis 41:36, Exodus 16:3, Nehemiah 5:3, Psalms 33:19
Conjunctive waw, Preposition-b, Article | Noun - masculine singular 10x Jeremiah 14:12, Jeremiah 14:15, Jeremiah 16:4, Jeremiah 21:9
Conjunctive waw, Article | Noun - masculine singular 9x Genesis 41:56, Genesis 43:1, 1 Kings 18:2, 2 Kings 4:38
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular 6x 2 Chronicles 20:9, Jeremiah 5:12, Jeremiah 14:13, Jeremiah 14:15
Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular 4x Deuteronomy 28:48, 2 Chronicles 32:11, Job 5:20, Lamentations 2:19
Preposition-l, Article | Noun - masculine singular 4x 2 Kings 8:1, Jeremiah 15:2, Jeremiah 18:21
Evidence Summary
Hebrew word. Famine as extended collective hunger; shifts from individual need to societal crisis and divine judgment.
Source Gloss
hunger (more or less extensive)
Extended definition Source: Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon + Brown-Driver-Briggs
Famine as extended collective hunger; shifts from individual need to societal crisis and divine judgment.
hunger (more or less extensive) BDB: famine Usage: dearth, famine, famished, hunger.
Grammatical Forms
How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.
Selected Scripture Witnesses
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Biblical Witnesses
Widespread famine across Egypt and surrounding lands, requiring governmental provision
Severe famine causing economic hardship and population displacement in Egypt
Famine as divine judgment upon the remnant left in Jerusalem
Individual hunger as motivation driving personal labor and effort
Showing 4 selected witnesses from 101 lexical occurrence verses.
Word Origins
רָעָב is built from this root:
Part of These Phrases
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
Sources
MorphGNT Strong's Dictionary XML — CC0 1.0 Public Domain
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible (morphhb/OSHB) — CC BY 4.0
Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon — CC BY 4.0
Berean Standard Bible (BSB) source-word alignment - CC0 Public Domain