אֲרֻבָּה (a.rub.bah)
a.rub.bah
window
H:N-FQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 9 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:N-F
Word Overview
The noun arubbah refers to a window or an opening in a wall, often described as having a lattice or grate. In the Hebrew Bible, it appears nine times, most notably in Genesis 7:11 and Isaiah 5:26. The word does not simply mean a hole; it implies a constructed aperture designed for light, air, or observation.
A distinctive feature of this term is its association with ventilation or smoke escape. Some scholars suggest that in certain contexts, particularly in ancient Near Eastern architecture, arubbah could refer to a chimney-like opening where smoke from an indoor fire would exit the building. This usage highlights the practical, everyday reality of life in biblical times.
The word carries theological weight when used metaphorically. In Isaiah 5:26, God calls nations from afar "from the end of the earth," and the image of arubbah is invoked to describe how He will whistle for them, as if calling through a window or opening. This suggests that divine communication or judgment can come from unexpected directions, piercing through the barriers of human life.
In Genesis 7:11, the phrase "the windows of heaven" (arubbot hashamayim) is used to describe the floodwaters. Here, arubbah is not a physical window but a metaphorical one, suggesting that the sky itself has openings through which God releases the waters. This usage underscores the power and sovereignty of God over nature.
The term arubbah, therefore, bridges the mundane and the divine. It describes a common architectural feature while also serving as a powerful symbol for divine action and communication. Its presence in key biblical narratives reminds readers that God’s work often intersects with the ordinary details of human life.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The Hebrew word arubbah simply means window, but in Scripture it often opens onto something much larger than a view. It describes an opening designed for light, air, or observation, yet it frequently serves as a metaphor for how God interacts with our world. Whether it is the rain falling through the windows of heaven or smoke rising from a chimney, these images ground divine action in the physical reality of daily life.
For your faith, this word reminds us that God’s blessings and judgments are not abstract concepts. They come through real openings into our lives. In Malachi 3:10, God invites us to test Him by promising to open the windows of heaven, pouring out such abundance that there is no room to contain it. This promise assures us that His provision is tangible and overwhelming.
Even in times of judgment or hardship, like the flood in Genesis or the warnings in Isaiah, the imagery of windows shows that God remains sovereign over nature. He controls what comes in and what goes out. We can trust that He uses these openings to teach, to provide, or to correct, always with a purpose that aligns with His character.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 9 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- windows3×
- and/ [the] floodgates of2×
- openings/ their1×
- in the/ windows1×
- from/ a window1×
- [the] windows of1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- אֲרֻבּוֹת֙2×
- מֵ/אֲרֻבָּֽה\׃1×
- וַֽ/אֲרֻבֹּ֖ת1×
- וַ/אֲרֻבֹּ֥ת1×
- בָּ/אֲרֻבּֽוֹת\׃1×
- אֲרֻבֹּתֵי/הֶֽם\׃1×
- אֲרֻבּ֤וֹת1×
- אֲרֻבּ֣וֹת1×
Key Verses
-
Genesis 7:11
In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of the great deep burst open, and the sky’s windows opened.
This verse uses the plural form to describe the floodwaters pouring through the sky's windows, emphasizing God's sovereign control over nature during judgment.
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Malachi 3:10
Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house, and test me now in this,” says Yahweh of Armies, “if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there will not be enough room for.
Here the word appears in a promise of abundant blessing, where God offers to open the windows of heaven so that His provision overflows beyond human capacity.
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II Kings 7:2
Then the captain on whose hand the king leaned answered the man of God, and said, “Behold, if Yahweh made windows in heaven, could this thing be?” He said, “Behold, you will see it with your eyes, but will not eat of it.”
The captain’s skeptical question highlights the miraculous nature of the coming deliverance, treating the idea of divine provision through heavenly windows as impossible yet true.