רְעָבוֹן (re.a.von)
re.a.von
famine
H:N-MQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 3 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:N-M
Word Overview
The Hebrew noun re’aḇôn denotes a severe state of hunger or famine, describing a critical lack of food that threatens survival. Unlike general terms for appetite, this word carries the weight of scarcity and distress, pointing to a situation where sustenance is dangerously insufficient.
With only three occurrences in the Bible, its usage is concentrated in specific narratives of crisis. It appears in Genesis 41:54 during Joseph’s account of the seven years of famine that gripped Egypt, illustrating the word’s connection to widespread, historical disaster. It also surfaces in Psalm 107:5, where travelers are described as famished and their souls faint within them, highlighting the physical toll of such deprivation.
This term underscores the vulnerability of human life when basic needs are unmet. By focusing on the intensity of the need rather than simple hunger, it sets the stage for divine provision or judgment. The rarity of its occurrence suggests that biblical authors reserved this specific vocabulary for moments of extreme necessity, making the relief from re’aḇôn particularly significant in those texts.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word re’avon describes a severe famine, a time when food is so scarce that survival itself is at stake. Unlike ordinary hunger, this term points to a deep crisis where basic needs are dangerously unmet. In Genesis, Joseph’s family faced this reality as they sought grain to sustain their households during years of drought.
Yet even in such desperate circumstances, the biblical narrative often highlights God’s provision. Psalm 37:19 reminds us that those who trust in the Lord will not be put to shame when evil comes, and in days of famine they will have plenty. This word invites us to look beyond our current lack to the One who sustains life.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 3 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- [the] hunger of2×
- famine1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- רַעֲב֥וֹן2×
- רְעָב֣וֹן1×
Key Verses
-
Genesis 42:19
If you are honest men, then let one of your brothers be bound in your prison; but you go, carry grain for the famine of your houses.
This verse shows Joseph testing his brothers by linking their honesty to taking grain for the famine, revealing how re’avon drives human decisions and relationships.
-
Genesis 42:33
The man, the lord of the land, said to us, ‘By this I will know that you are honest men: leave one of your brothers with me, and take grain for the famine of your houses, and go your way.
Here the Egyptian lord uses the phrase 'famine of your houses' to confirm the brothers’ sincerity, showing how scarcity exposes truth in times of crisis.
-
Psalms 37:19
They shall not be disappointed in the time of evil. In the days of famine they shall be satisfied.
This promise assures believers that divine satisfaction comes even in days of famine, offering hope when physical needs are critically low.