Hebrew word · H7491

רָעַף

yir'afu

to drip

Ra'af: to drip or trickle, used of dew and light rain (Proverbs 3:20; Job 36:28). Nazal: to flow or stream, used of running water (Exodus 15:8; Psalm 78:16; Song of Songs 4:16).

Appears 5 times in 5 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

1) to trickle, drip

1a) (Qal) to trickle, drip

1b) (Hiphil) to trickle

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 Isaiah 45:8

Range of meaning

Ra'af: to drip or trickle, used of dew and light rain (Proverbs 3:20; Job 36:28). Nazal: to flow or stream, used of running water (Exodus 15:8; Psalm 78:16; Song of Songs 4:16).

Against the English

Some versions use one rain verb for both ('rain', 'shower'). The Hebrew moves from dripping to streaming, from dew to downpour.

Used elsewhere in the period

Proverbs 3:20 has the same pair: 'the skies (shechaqim) drip (yir'afu) dew'. Deuteronomy 32:2 likewise pictures God's words falling like rain and dew.

From the study of Psalm 65:11

Range of meaning

To drip, trickle or shower down. It is used of clouds and skies giving dew or rain (Prov 3:20; Job 36:28; Isa 45:8, "Drip down, O heavens, from above").

Against the English

KJV and NASB keep "drop/drip." BSB, NIV and ESV say "overflow," which conveys the abundance but loses the rain picture that the verb carries.

Used elsewhere in the period

Isa 45:8 pairs it with the heavens pouring down righteousness. Job 36:28 uses it for clouds "dripping" on mankind. The Septuagint here paraphrases with "will be filled."

Where it appears

Job · 1

  1. Job 36:28 יִ֝רְעֲפ֗וּ they drip

    which the clouds pour out and shower abundantly on mankind.

Psalms · 2

  1. Psalm 65:11 יִרְעֲפ֥וּן they drip !

    You crown the year with Your bounty, and Your paths overflow with plenty.

    Here: "They drip." The same verb describes clouds dripping dew or rain (Prov 3:20; Job 36:28). The ongoing verb form, with an extra emphatic -n ending, gives the sense of "keep dripping, drip and drip." Verse 12 picks up the same verb.

  2. Psalm 65:12 יִ֭רְעֲפוּ they drip

    The pastures of the wilderness overflow; the hills are robed with joy.

Proverbs · 1

  1. Proverbs 3:20 יִרְעֲפוּ־ they dripped

    By His knowledge the watery depths were broken open, and the clouds dripped with dew.

Isaiah · 1

  1. Isaiah 45:8 הַרְעִ֤יפוּ drip down

    Drip down, O heavens, from above, and let the skies pour down righteousness. Let the earth open up that salvation may sprout and righteousness spring up with it; I, the LORD, have created it.

    Here: A command to the heavens: 'let it trickle down!' The verb is used of dew and gentle rain dripping from the sky (Proverbs 3:20). The picture is soft, steady watering, not a storm.

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