רָוַח (ra.vach)
ra.vach
be wide
H:VQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 3 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:V
Word Overview
The Hebrew verb ravach means to be wide or spacious, but in Scripture it describes a physical and emotional experience: breathing easily after being constricted. It appears only three times, yet each instance captures a moment of sudden relief from pressure. In 1 Samuel 14:28, Jonathan speaks of his strength returning as he tastes honey, describing the sensation as ravach—a loosening of the tightness in his limbs.
The word’s root sense of "width" translates into the feeling of an expanded chest or a relaxed mind. When Jeremiah uses it in 45:3, he asks God for ravach, pleading for relief from the overwhelming distress that feels like a crushing weight. The imagery is visceral; it is not merely abstract comfort, but the physical ease that comes when a burden is lifted and space returns to the body.
Translators often render this as "relief" or "breath," though these English words can feel soft compared to the Hebrew’s concrete imagery of expansion. The sources highlight that ravach contrasts sharply with the tightness of anxiety or oppression. It marks the transition from being squeezed by circumstances to finding room to breathe again, a simple but profound description of human respite.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word ravach describes the physical sensation of expansion after constriction. It is not an abstract idea but a bodily experience of breathing easily when pressure lifts. When anxiety tightens the chest or circumstances feel crushing, this term points to the moment space returns. It captures the relief of a burden removed and the mind loosening from its grip.
In Jeremiah 45:3, the prophet cries out for this very relief, asking God to make room for him when distress feels overwhelming. This prayer acknowledges that human strength often runs out, leaving us feeling squeezed by life's demands. We do not need to manufacture our own peace; we can ask for the expansion that only God provides.
This promise invites you to bring your heaviness to Him. When you feel constricted by worry or fatigue, remember that God offers true spaciousness. He does not just offer comfort but a genuine loosening of the tightness that holds you back. Rest in the hope that He makes room for your soul.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 3 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- spacious1×
- and/ it was relief1×
- and/ it may be relieved1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- מְרֻוָּחִ֑ים1×
- וְ/רָוַ֤ח1×
- וְ/יִֽרְוַֽח\־1×
Key Verses
-
Job 32:20
I will speak, that I may be refreshed. I will open my lips and answer.
Elihu uses this word to describe the urgent need to speak out, showing that relief comes through honest expression rather than silence.
-
Jeremiah 22:14
who says, ‘I will build myself a wide house and spacious rooms,’ and cuts out windows for himself, with a cedar ceiling, and painted with red.
The contrast here highlights how human attempts at self-expansion fail, unlike the divine relief sought in prayer.