Word Study for H7515 (רָפַשׂ)

râphas /raw-fas'/ Ask about this word

Roota primitive root

Meaningto trample, i.e. roil water

KJV usagefoul, trouble.

Word Study

In depth

A plain-language study of râphas — 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 râphas, represented by H7515, is a primitive root used to mean to trample, i.e. roil water; foul, trouble. It appears 3 times across 3 unique verses in the Bible. The word consistently describes the act of spoiling or contaminating something, particularly a source of water, through disruptive agitation.

Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis

In its biblical usage, H7515 illustrates concepts of chaos and corruption. In a lamentation against the king of Egypt, Pharaoh is depicted as a great creature in the seas who "fouledst" the rivers with his feet, a metaphor for his disruptive and destructive influence on the nations Ezekiel 32:2. The term is also used in a rebuke against the corrupt shepherds of Israel, who not only took the best pastures and deep waters for themselves but would then "foul" the remaining water with their feet for the rest of the flock Ezekiel 34:18. In Proverbs, the word is used metaphorically, comparing a righteous man who gives way to the wicked to a "troubled" fountain and a corrupt spring Proverbs 25:26.

Related Words & Concepts

Several related words help clarify the meaning and context of H7515:

H1804 dâlach (to roil water; trouble): This word is used in parallel with râphas to describe the initial disturbance of the waters by Pharaoh before he fouls them, emphasizing the chaotic action Ezekiel 32:2.
H7429 râmaç (to tread upon): This term appears alongside râphas to describe the actions of the selfish shepherds, who "tread down" the pastures just as they foul the water, linking the two destructive acts Ezekiel 34:18.
H4131 môwṭ (to waver; by implication, to slip, shake, fall): This word describes the righteous man "falling down" before the wicked, which is the direct cause of the fountain becoming troubled, or fouled Proverbs 25:26.
H7843 shâchath (to decay, i.e. (causatively) ruin): In Proverbs, this word describes the spring as "corrupt," which is the resulting state of a fountain that has been "troubled" by the fall of the righteous Proverbs 25:26.

Theological Significance

The theological weight of H7515 is centered on the consequences of selfish and corrupt actions.

Destructive Arrogance: As seen with Pharaoh, the act of fouling the waters symbolizes how a proud, tyrannical power can bring chaos and ruin to others, actively spoiling their resources Ezekiel 32:2.
Selfish Leadership: The word is used to condemn leaders who, after satisfying their own needs, deliberately spoil what is left for those under their care, illustrating a profound failure of responsibility Ezekiel 34:18.
Moral Contamination: The comparison of a fallen righteous man to a troubled fountain demonstrates how moral compromise can corrupt a source of purity, rendering it useless and harmful to the community that depends on it Proverbs 25:26.

Summary

In summary, H7515 conveys a potent image of contamination. While its literal definition relates to roiling water, its scriptural applications are deeply metaphorical. The word moves beyond a simple physical act to represent the destructive impact of tyranny, the selfishness of corrupt leaders, and the contaminating effect of moral failure. Râphas illustrates how a single selfish action can spoil a vital resource for many.

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 3 occurrences, inflected in 3 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.

נִרְפָּשׂ
תִּרְפֹּס
תִּרְפֹּשׂוּ

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 3 verses across 2 of the 39 books. Most frequent in Ezekiel (2 verses); never once in the other 37.

Proverbs

Ezekiel

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.