רְחוֹב (re.chov)
re.chov
street/plaza
H:N-FQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 35 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:N-F
Word Overview
The noun rechov refers to a broad, open space, typically understood as a street or plaza in an ancient city. Derived from the root for "width," it describes the wide thoroughfares where daily life unfolded. In the Hebrew Bible, these spaces are not merely empty gaps but active centers of community interaction, commerce, and public gathering.
Its usage often highlights the visibility and accessibility of events. For instance, Wisdom is depicted as calling out in the streets (Proverbs 1:20), emphasizing that divine instruction is available to everyone in the open marketplaces. Conversely, negative events like mourning or judgment are also placed in these public areas, such as when lamentations occur in the streets (Lamentations 4:18). The term appears frequently in historical books to describe assemblies, such as the gathering at the Water Gate in Nehemiah 8:1.
Translators usually render rechov as "street" or "broad place," capturing its physical breadth. While it can simply mean a road, the context often implies a significant public square where legal matters were settled or goods were sold. This concrete imagery grounds spiritual and social narratives in the tangible reality of ancient urban 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 rechov points to the broad, open thoroughfares of ancient cities where daily life unfolded. These were not empty gaps but active centers for commerce, legal matters, and community gathering. When Wisdom calls out in the street, it signals that divine instruction is accessible to everyone in public spaces.
In your own life, this imagery reminds you that faith is lived out in the open. Whether you are seeking guidance or offering support, your actions are visible to others. The Bible places both joyful assemblies and solemn judgments in these wide places, showing that God meets people where they are.
Consider how Nehemiah 8:1 describes the people gathering at the water gate. They came together to hear the Law, turning a public square into a place of spiritual renewal. This invites you to find moments of connection and learning in your own daily routines.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 35 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- in/ open places/ its4×
- in/ [the] open places of3×
- in/ [the] open place of3×
- in the/ open places3×
- the/ open space2×
- in/ open places/ our2×
- in/ [the] open square of2×
- in the/ open place2×
- and/ in/ open places/ its2×
- and/ in/ [the] open space of2×
- [the] open places2×
- [the] open place of2×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- בִּ/רְח֣וֹב3×
- רְח֣וֹב2×
- בָּ֝/רְחֹב֗וֹת2×
- בִּ/רְחֹבֹתֶ֑י/הָ2×
- בִּ/רְחֹב֖וֹת2×
- רְחוֹב֙1×
- רְחֹב֣וֹת1×
- רְ֝חֹב֗וֹת1×
- מֵ/רְחֹ֣ב1×
- לִ/רְח֥וֹב1×
- וּ/רְחֹב֤וֹת1×
- וּ/בָ֣/רְחֹב֔וֹת1×
Key Verses
-
Nehemiah 8:1
All the people gathered themselves together as one man into the wide place that was in front of the water gate; and they spoke to Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses, which Yahweh had commanded to Israel.
This verse shows the word used for a large public gathering where the people united to hear Scripture, highlighting the street as a center for spiritual instruction.
-
Proverbs 1:20
Wisdom calls aloud in the street. She utters her voice in the public squares.
Here Wisdom is personified as calling out in the street, emphasizing that divine guidance is available openly rather than hidden away.
-
Esther 6:11
Then Haman took the clothing and the horse, and arrayed Mordecai, and had him ride through the city square, and proclaimed before him, “Thus it shall be done to the man whom the king delights to honor!”
Haman is forced to honor Mordecai by riding through the city square, using the public space to reverse a plan of humiliation into one of royal favor.
-
Jeremiah 5:1
“Run back and forth through the streets of Jerusalem, and see now, and know, and seek in its wide places, if you can find a man, if there is anyone who does justly, who seeks truth, then I will pardon her.
God commands Jeremiah to search the wide places for someone who acts justly, showing that moral integrity must be visible in the community's public life.