רֶ֫גֶב (re.gev)
re.gev
clod
H:N-MQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 2 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:N-M
Word Overview
The Hebrew noun regev refers specifically to a clod or lump of earth. It denotes a tangible piece of soil, often implying the heavy, solid nature of ground that has not yet been broken up by farming tools. In the biblical text, it serves as a concrete image for the physical material of the earth itself.
This word appears in only two verses, both within the book of Job. In Job 3:6 and 41:27 (in some translations), it describes the darkness or chaos associated with the earth’s depths, contrasting the solid, heavy clod with light or air. The usage highlights the raw, unrefined state of creation before order is imposed.
Its rarity in Scripture underscores its role as a specific visual detail rather than a theological term. Translators typically render it as "clod" or "lump," preserving the sense of weight and earthiness that distinguishes it from more general words for dirt or soil.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word regev describes a heavy clod of earth that has not yet been broken up by the plow. It is a tangible, solid piece of soil, representing the raw and unrefined state of the ground before human labor shapes it. This image reminds us that creation begins in a form that is dense and unyielding, waiting for order to emerge.
In Job 38:38, God uses this picture to ask when dust forms into masses and clods stick together. It highlights the power required to bring structure out of chaos. For your faith, this suggests that even when life feels heavy or unformed, there is a Creator who understands the weight of the earth and the process of making it fruitful.
Job 21:33 offers a different perspective, noting how the clods of the valley are sweet to those who return to the dust. This connects our physical origin to our final rest. It invites us to see the earth not just as dirt, but as the material from which we came and to which we will return, grounding our lives in humility and hope.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 2 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- and/ [the] clods1×
- [the] clods of1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- רִגְבֵ֫י1×
- וּ/רְגָבִ֥ים1×
Key Verses
-
Job 38:38
when the dust runs into a mass, and the clods of earth stick together?
God uses this word to describe the physical process of soil clumping together, illustrating His power over the raw materials of creation.
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Job 21:33
The clods of the valley will be sweet to him. All men will draw after him, as there were innumerable before him.
The text mentions how sweet the clods are to the one who dies, linking the heavy earth to the finality of human mortality.