English · KJV
H7491

רָעַף

râʻaph /raw-af'/ Ask about this word
Roota primitive root
Meaningto drip
KJV usagedistil, drop (down).

Word Study

In depth

A plain-language study of râʻaph — the range of meaning it carries, how Scripture actually uses it, and where it points. Written for readers who don’t know the original language.

Core Meaning & Semantic Range

The Hebrew word râʻaph, represented by H7491, is a primitive root meaning to drip; distil, drop (down). It is a rare term, appearing only 5 times across 5 unique verses in the Bible. Its usage consistently portrays a gentle but profound descent of blessing or substance from a higher source.

Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis

Biblically, H7491 is used to illustrate the flow of divine provision from above. In the Psalms, God's paths are said to drop fatness H1880, covering the pastures H4999 of the wilderness H4057 with abundance Psalms 65:11-12. The word also carries a strong theological weight in Isaiah's prophecy, where the heavens H8064 are commanded to drop down and the skies H7834 to pour down righteousness H6664 Isaiah 45:8. This imagery is connected to God's creative wisdom, as it is by His knowledge H1847 that the clouds H7834 drop down the dew H2919 Proverbs 3:20 and distil moisture upon man H120 abundantly Job 36:28.

Related Words & Concepts

Several related words expand upon the imagery of descending blessings:

  • H7834 shachaq (cloud, small dust, heaven, sky): This word often identifies the source from which blessings distil. It appears alongside H7491 in verses describing clouds that drop down the dew Proverbs 3:20 and distil upon man Job 36:28.
  • H5140 nâzal (to drip, or shed by trickling): This verb is used in parallel with H7491 to emphasize the act of pouring or flowing from above. In Isaiah, the skies are to pour down H5140 righteousness, immediately following the command for the heavens to drop down Isaiah 45:8.
  • H1880 deshen (the fat; fatness, abundance): This noun represents the substance of the blessing that is dropped. In a vivid picture of prosperity, God's paths are described as they drop fatness Psalms 65:11.

Theological Significance

The theological weight of H7491 highlights several key themes:

  • Divine Abundance: The word H7491 is fundamentally linked to God's overflowing goodness. The imagery of paths that drop fatness H1880 Psalms 65:11 and clouds that distil abundantly H7227 upon man H120 Job 36:28 illustrates a theology of divine generosity that saturates creation.
  • Heavenly Source of Salvation: Its use in Isaiah 45:8 is a key theological statement. By commanding the heavens to drop down righteousness H6664, the text establishes that salvation H3468 and righteousness H6666 are not human achievements but divine gifts, created H1254 by the LORD H3068 and sent from above.
  • Order and Knowledge: The act of dripping or distilling is not random but a function of God's wisdom. It is "By his knowledge H1847" that "the clouds H7834 drop down H7491 the dew H2919" Proverbs 3:20, connecting God's provision to his sovereign and orderly control over creation.

Summary

In summary, râʻaph H7491 is a concise and evocative term for the descent of divine blessing. Though it appears only five times, its meaning is consistent: God is the source of all good things, which drip or distil from the heavens upon the earth. Whether describing the 'fatness' H1880 of abundant pastures Psalms 65:11 or the gift of 'righteousness' H6664 and 'salvation' H3468 Isaiah 45:8, the word illustrates a gentle, pervasive, and life-giving provision that originates solely with God.

How the KJV Renders It

Translation

Strong’s lists the renderings but not their weight. These are counted from the King James text of the tagged verses — the bar under each is how often the translators actually reached for it. Select one to filter the occurrences below.

Grammatical Forms

Morphology

In the Hebrew Old Testament, this word appears as a verb across 5 occurrences, inflected in 2 grammatical forms — each row is one form, and the bar is how often it is that form. Select any form to read what each part of its name means, and to filter the occurrence list to it.

  • יִרְעֲפוּ
  • הַרְעִיפוּ

Related Words

Related

Other entries the study above points to — each one is drawn from a reference it makes. Follow the trail to see how the words connect.

H1880 דֶּשֶׁן from דָּשֵׁן; the fat; abstractly fatness, i.e. (figuratively) abundance; specifically the (fatty) ashes of sacrifices; H4999 נָאָה from נָאָה; a home; figuratively, a pasture; habitation, house, pasture, pleasant place. H4057 מִדְבָּר from דָבַר in the sense of driving; a pasture (i.e. open field, whither cattle are driven); by implication, a desert; al H8064 שָׁמַיִם dual of an unused singular שָׁמֶה; from an unused root meaning to be lofty; the sky (as aloft; the dual perhaps alluding H7834 שַׁחַק from שָׁחַק; a powder (as beaten small); by analogy, a thin vapor; by extension, the firmament; cloud, small dust, heave H6664 צֶדֶק from צָדַק; the right (natural, moral or legal); also (abstractly) equity or (figuratively) prosperity; [idiom] even, ([

Theographic Context

Context

The people, places, and span of history the verses containing this word touch on — drawn from the theographic tagging of Scripture. Select any name to isolate its verses in the occurrence list.

Biblical Distribution

Distribution

Appears in 5 verses across 4 of the 39 books. Most frequent in Psalms (2 verses); never once in the other 35.

1
Job
2
Psalms
1
Proverbs
1
Isaiah

Every Occurrence

Concordance

Every verse where the word is tagged in the King James text. Filter by book, by the English word the translators chose, by grammatical form, or search within the verses.

Sources. Definition and numbering: James Strong, Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (1890). Morphology: STEPBible / Tyndale House (CC BY). Verse tagging: the King James text keyed to Strong’s numbers. Every count on this page is computed from the tagged corpus, not estimated.