יָרֵב

From the study of Hosea 5:13

Range of meaning

As vowelled in the Masoretic text, it looks like "king Yarev." Yarev resembles a verb form of riv, "to contend, bring a lawsuit, quarrel," so the phrase could mean "the contending king" or "King Pick-a-Fight." Divided as malki rav, it means "great king." The -i would be an old connecting vowel found elsewhere in Hebrew poetry, and rav means "great."

Against the English

KJV and WEB print "King Jareb" as if it were a personal name. BSB and most modern versions have "the great king." YLT has "a warlike king."

How it drifted

The KJV treated it as a proper name, following the Greek "Iarim" tradition. Readers ever since have assumed a historical king named Jareb, though no such Assyrian ruler is attested.

Used elsewhere in the period

"Great king" (šarru rabû) was a standard title of Assyrian kings in their inscriptions. Hebrew echoes it in 2 Kings 18:19, 28: "the great king, the king of Assyria." The same consonants appear in Hosea 10:6, where the calf idol is carried to Assyria "as tribute to the great king." The Septuagint reads "Iarim" (Greek copies vary). The Vulgate has regem ultorem, "avenging king," taking it from riv.

From the study of Hosea 10:6

Range of meaning

In its form this is a verb or adjective from rîb, 'to contend, quarrel, bring a lawsuit': 'he contends'. The phrase melek yārēb occurs only here and in Hos 5:13.

Against the English

KJV and older NASB: 'King Jareb', a proper name. YLT: 'a warlike king'. BSB, WEB and most modern versions: 'the great king'.

How it drifted

The KJV followed the Hebrew vowel tradition and treated the word as a name. Since the 19th century, comparison with Assyrian royal titles has led most scholars to read a title instead.

Used elsewhere in the period

Assyrian kings called themselves šarru rabû, 'great king'. Hebrew reflects the title in 2 Kgs 18:19, 'the great king, the king of Assyria', and Aramaic has mlk rb. With the consonants split differently, mlky rb reads malkî rab, 'the great king', with an old connecting -î ending. The Septuagint transliterates it as Iarim (Ιαριμ). The Vulgate renders 'avenging king' (rex ultor), taking the word from rîb. No king named Jareb appears in any Assyrian king list.