### Core Meaning & Semantic Range
The Hebrew word **zârab**, represented by `{{H2215}}`, is a primitive root meaning **to flow away** or **wax warm**. This term is exceptionally rare, appearing only **1 time** in **1 unique verse** in the entire Bible. Its singular usage provides a very specific and vivid image within its biblical context.
### Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis
In its sole biblical appearance, `{{H2215}}` is used by Job to describe something that is fleeting and disappears under certain conditions, which he compares to his unreliable friends. The word appears in the phrase "What **time** they **wax warm**, they **vanish**" [[Job 6:17]]. Here, **zârab** describes the critical moment when the heat causes something to disappear, illustrating a state of being that leads directly to vanishing.
### Related Words & Concepts
The meaning of `{{H2215}}` is clarified by the words surrounding it in [[Job 6:17]]:
* `{{H6256}}` **ʻêth** (time): This word sets the condition for the action. The vanishing happens at a specific **time**, namely when things **wax warm**.
* `{{H6789}}` **tsâmath** (to extirpate; vanish): This is the direct result of waxing warm. The subject does not just lessen; it vanishes completely.
* `{{H2527}}` **chôm** (heat): This word is used in the second half of the verse to intensify the cause. The subject disappears "when it is **hot**," directly linking the action of `{{H2215}}` to temperature.
* `{{H1846}}` **dâʻak** (to be extinguished; consumed): This word further describes the outcome. The subject is **consumed out** of its place, like a flame being extinguished.
* `{{H4725}}` **mâqôwm** (a spot; place): This specifies that the disappearance is total, leaving their designated **place** empty.
### Theological Significance
While `{{H2215}}` is not a major theological term, its singular use in the book of Job carries significant figurative weight.
* **Metaphor for Unreliability:** The primary function of **zârab** is to build a metaphor for conditional loyalty. Just as something present only in cool weather vanishes, Job implies his companions' support fails when his circumstances "wax warm" with affliction.
* **The Cause of Vanishing:** The term describes the process that leads to absence. It is not the vanishing itself, but the "waxing warm" that causes something to "flow away" and be "consumed" [[Job 6:17]]. This points to the idea that pressure and trial can reveal the true substance of things.
* **The Imagery of Transience:** Paired with words like **vanish** `{{H6789}}` and **consumed out** `{{H1846}}`, **zârab** creates a vivid picture of something that is ephemeral and cannot be depended upon when needed most.
### Summary
In summary, `{{H2215}}` **zârab** is a highly specific and rare term. Its sole appearance in scripture is in Job's lament, where it means **to wax warm** in a way that leads to disappearance. It is not just about heat, but about a process that causes something to **flow away**, serving as a powerful and poetic metaphor for the unreliability and transient nature of things that fail under pressure.
TRV