רָהַב

From the study of Isaiah 3:5

Range of meaning

To storm at, press, assail, or behave boisterously or aggressively. The root is rare, with four generally recognized occurrences, so its range is not fully certain. In a good sense it can mean being emboldened (Psalm 138:3).

Against the English

KJV and WEB: 'behave himself proudly'. BSB: 'rise up against'. ESV: 'insolent'. NASB: 'storm against'. NLT: 'insult'. YLT: 'Enlarge themselves'. Those that focus on attitude or words make the action smaller than the verb suggests. NASB comes closest to the force of the word.

How it drifted

'Behave himself proudly' was a reasonable 1611 attempt, but today it sounds like a bad attitude rather than aggressive pushing.

Used elsewhere in the period

Proverbs 6:3 uses it of pressing your fellow (re'a) hard over a rash pledge. Song of Songs 6:5 uses it of eyes that overwhelm. Psalm 138:3 uses it of God making someone bold. A related noun, Rahab, names the raging sea monster of Isaiah 30:7 and 51:9 and Job 9:13 and 26:12. An Akkadian word meaning 'to rage' is often compared, though lexicons differ on how far the connection goes.

From the study of Proverbs 6:3

Range of meaning

To storm, press, act boisterously or insolently, or to overwhelm. Isa 3:5: the youth will 'storm against' the elder. Ps 138:3: 'you made me bold'. Song 6:5: 'your eyes overwhelm me'. The related noun Rahab names the chaos sea-monster ('Storm/Arrogance', Job 26:12; Isa 51:9).

Against the English

BSB/WEB 'press your plea'; NASB 'importune' or 'plead urgently'; ESV 'plead urgently'; NIV 'give your neighbor no rest'; KJV 'make sure'; YLT 'strengthen'. KJV and YLT follow the 'make bold/strong' sense of Ps 138:3.

How it drifted

KJV 'make sure thy friend' is Early Modern English for something like 'secure' or 'bind fast' (its margin has 'so shalt thou prevail with thy friend'). To a modern ear it sounds like 'check on your friend', which loses the forcefulness.

Used elsewhere in the period

HALOT s.v. רהב: 'to press, storm against, assail'. The word's link to the chaos-monster name Rahab shows how strong it is.

From the study of Psalm 138:3

Range of meaning

The root means acting stormily, boisterously or aggressively; pressing hard on someone; storming at someone. In the basic stem: 'the youth will storm against the elder' (Isa 3:5, insolence) and 'go, press hard on your neighbour' (Prov 6:3, urgent, pushy pleading). In the causative stem, which appears only twice: 'turn your eyes from me, for they overwhelm / unsettle me' (Song 6:5), and here, 'you made me bold / stirred me up'. The related noun rahav means 'arrogance, storming'. As a name, Rahab is the chaos sea monster that God crushed (Job 9:13; 26:12; Ps 89:10; Isa 51:9), also used as a nickname for Egypt (Ps 87:4; Isa 30:7). Rahab the woman of Jericho is spelled with a different letter and is unrelated.

Against the English

KJV and WEB use the bland 'strengthened' or 'encouraged', which loses the root's sense of surging, forceful energy. BSB, NIV and NASB use 'emboldened / made bold', which is closer. ESV's wording 'you increased' seems to reflect the proposed change to a different verb (rbh, 'multiply').

How it drifted

The verb is rare and its usual sense ('to be arrogant, to storm') sounds odd when God does it to a worshipper. Translators have therefore softened it, and early translators may have read a different verb.

Used elsewhere in the period

BDB lists 'act stormily, boisterously, arrogantly' for the basic stem, and 'disturb, alarm' (Song 6:5) and 'make bold' (Ps 138:3) for the causative. HALOT gives similar senses. In Ben Sira and later Hebrew the root keeps the sense of pressing or overpowering. The Septuagint renders it πολυωρέω, 'treat with much care', apparently reading a different root.