What does רָפָא (rāpāʾ) mean in the Bible?
רָפָא (rāpāʾ): Spirits of the dead; figures lacking substance or vitality, existing in shadowy underworld realm.
Hebrew · H7496
רָפָא
Properly, lax , i.e. (figuratively) a ghost (as dead ; in plural only)
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רָפָא H7496
Pronunciation rāpāʾ
What does רָפָא (rāpāʾ) mean in the Bible?
רָפָא (rāpāʾ): Spirits of the dead; figures lacking substance or vitality, existing in shadowy underworld realm.
Full entry for רָפָא (H7496) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render H7496?
The BSB source-word alignment has 8 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include The dead (2), the departed spirits (2), Do departed spirits (1), her dead (1), of the dead (1).
Where does רָפָא (rāpāʾ) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Job 26:5. Its strongest book concentrations include Isaiah (3), Proverbs (3), Job (1), Psalms (1).
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 The dead 2× Job 26:5, Proverbs 9:18
the departed spirits 2× Proverbs 2:18, Isaiah 26:14
Do departed spirits 1× Psalms 88:10
her dead 1× Isaiah 26:19
of the dead 1× Proverbs 21:16
the spirits of the dead 1× Isaiah 14:9
Show sample aligned rows
Job 26:5 הָרְפָאִ֥ים to The dead Article | Noun - masculine plural Psalms 88:10 רְ֝פָאִ֗ים to Do departed spirits Noun - masculine plural Proverbs 2:18 רְ֝פָאִ֗ים to the departed spirits Noun - masculine plural Proverbs 9:18 רְפָאִ֣ים to the dead Noun - masculine plural Proverbs 21:16 רְפָאִ֣ים to of the dead Noun - masculine plural Isaiah 14:9 רְפָאִים֙ to the spirits of the dead Noun - masculine plural Isaiah 26:14 רְפָאִ֖ים to the departed spirits Noun - masculine plural Isaiah 26:19 רְפָאִ֥ים to her dead Noun - masculine plural
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Job 26:5
Aligned rows 8
Books represented 4
Job 1 Psalms 1 Proverbs 3 Isaiah 3
Source forms
רְ֝פָאִ֗ים 2x rə·p̄ā·’îm Psalms 88:10, Proverbs 2:18
רְפָאִ֣ים 2x rə·p̄ā·’îm Proverbs 9:18, Proverbs 21:16
הָרְפָאִ֥ים 1x hā·rə·p̄ā·’îm Job 26:5
רְפָאִים֙ 1x rə·p̄ā·’îm Isaiah 14:9
רְפָאִ֖ים 1x rə·p̄ā·’îm Isaiah 26:14
רְפָאִ֥ים 1x rə·p̄ā·’îm Isaiah 26:19
Parsing patterns
Noun - masculine plural 7x Psalms 88:10, Proverbs 2:18, Proverbs 9:18, Proverbs 21:16
Article | Noun - masculine plural 1x Job 26:5
Evidence Summary
Hebrew word. Spirits of the dead; figures lacking substance or vitality, existing in shadowy underworld realm.
Source Gloss
properly, lax , i.e. (figuratively) a ghost (as dead ; in plural only)
Extended definition Source: Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon + Brown-Driver-Briggs
Spirits of the dead; figures lacking substance or vitality, existing in shadowy underworld realm.
properly, lax, i.e. (figuratively) a ghost (as dead; in plural only) BDB: shades Usage: dead, deceased.
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
The shades or departed spirits dwelling in the realm of death
The shades of those who have perished, emphasizing descent into death's domain
Showing 2 selected witnesses from 8 lexical occurrence verses.
Word Origins
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