Hebrew word · H7464

רֵעָה

vera'iti

companion

The feminine form of reaʿ ('neighbor, friend, fellow'): a woman's companion or close friend.

Appears 3 times in 3 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

female companion, companion, attendant (of maidens)

Abridged from Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Psalm 45:14

Range of meaning

The feminine form of reaʿ ('neighbor, friend, fellow'): a woman's companion or close friend.

Against the English

'Companions' (most versions) is accurate. NLT's 'bridesmaids' gives the role but loses the sense of friendship.

Used elsewhere in the period

Judges 11:37–38: Jephthah's daughter goes out with her companions (reʿotay), also young unmarried women. Its relative raʿyah ('my darling, my companion') is used repeatedly in the Song of Songs.

From the study of Judges 11:38

Range of meaning

Female companion, friend, peer. It is the feminine of rea' ('neighbour, fellow'), a person one belongs with socially. It appears in the plural for a young woman's attendants or companions (Ps 45:14, 'her companions' in a royal wedding; compare Judg 11:37).

Against the English

'Friends' (BSB, YLT) and 'companions' (KJV, WEB) are both accurate. Neither shows that these are probably her unmarried peers, the same girls who would have been part of her wedding party.

Used elsewhere in the period

In Psalm 45:14–15 the bride is led to the king with 'virgins, her companions' (betulot ... re'oteyha) following her. There the same pairing of words describes a wedding procession.

Where it appears

Judges · 2

  1. Judges 11:37 וְרֵעוֹתָֽי׃ and companions my

    She also said to her father, “Let me do this one thing: Let me wander for two months through the mountains with my friends and mourn my virginity.”

  2. Judges 11:38 וְרֵ֣עוֹתֶ֔יהָ and companions her

    “Go,” he said. And he sent her away for two months. So she left with her friends and mourned her virginity upon the mountains.

    Here: Her girlfriends, young women of her own age and stage of life. They share her mourning, and this points ahead to the women's yearly custom in verse 40.

Psalms · 1

  1. Psalm 45:14 רֵעוֹתֶ֑יהָ [female] companions her

    In colorful garments she is led to the king; her virgin companions are brought before you.

    Here: "Her companions." This stands alongside "maidens" and says the same people are her friends and ladies-in-waiting. They are personal attendants who belong to her household, not hired extras.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.