7456. raeb
Lexical Summary
raeb: hungry, hunger, suffer hunger

Original Word: רָעֵב
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: ra`eb
Pronunciation: rah-AYV
Phonetic Spelling: (raw-abe')
KJV: (suffer to) famish, (be, have, suffer, suffer to) hunger(-ry)
NASB: hungry, hunger, suffer hunger, famished, gets hungry
Word Origin: [a primitive root]

1. to hunger

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
suffer to famish, be, have, suffer, hunger

A primitive root; to hunger -- (suffer to) famish, (be, have, suffer, suffer to) hunger(-ry).

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
a prim. root
Definition
to be hungry
NASB Translation
famished (1), gets hungry (1), hunger (3), hungry (6), suffer hunger (2).

Brown-Driver-Briggs
רָעֵב verb be hungry (Late Hebrew id. Hiph`il and derivatives; Assyrian rûbatu, hunger; Arabic be roomy, voracious, desire vehemently; Ethiopic be hungry); —

Qal Perfect3masculine singular ׳ר Isaiah 9:19; Isaiah 44:12; 3plural רָעֵ֑בוּ Psalm 34:11; Imperfect3masculine singular יִרְעַב Isaiah 8:21, 1plural נִרְעַב Jeremiah 42:14, etc.; — be hungry Isaiah 8:21; Genesis 41:55 (E; of land, = have famine), Jeremiah 42:14 (לַלֶּחֶם), Isaiah 49:10 ("" צמא), Isaiah 65:13 ("" id.; opposed to אכל), Psalm 50:12 if I should be hungry (of ׳י), Proverbs 6:30; Proverbs 19:15.

Hiph`il allow one to hunger, subject ׳י: Imperfect3masculine singular וַיַּרְעִבֶ֑ךָ Deuteronomy 8:3 (opposed to וַיַּאֲִ˜כלְךָ), יַרְעִיב נֶפֶשׁ Proverbs 10:3.

Topical Lexicon
Overview

The term רָעֵב is the ordinary Hebrew verb meaning “to hunger” or “to be hungry,” and by extension the adjective “hungry.” Appearing seventeen times in the Old Testament, it moves fluidly between literal physical need, the social reality of poverty, God-given discipline, and an eschatological promise that hunger will one day cease. Scripture treats hunger as a theological signpost: it exposes human dependence, tests covenant fidelity, and summons God’s people to compassionate action.

Occurrences and Literary Setting

Genesis 41:55 anchors the word in Egypt’s seven-year famine. Joseph’s wisdom under God turns the people’s cry, “Go to Joseph and do whatever he tells you,” into a typological picture of divine provision amid worldwide hunger.
Deuteronomy 8:3 links wilderness hunger with the lesson that “man does not live on bread alone” but on every word from God.
• The book of Job (5:5; 22:7; 24:10) uses hunger to highlight social injustice: the hungry harvest another man’s field while going unfed, or they are denied bread by the wealthy.
• Wisdom literature warns that sloth and moral folly lead to hunger (Proverbs 19:15), yet promises that “the LORD does not let the righteous go hungry” (Proverbs 10:3).
• Multiple passages in Isaiah (8:21; 9:20; 44:12; 49:10; 65:13) frame hunger within judgment and restoration. Notably, Isaiah 49:10 looks ahead: “They will not hunger or thirst, nor will scorching heat or sun beat down on them; for He who has compassion on them will guide them and lead them beside springs of water.”
Jeremiah 42:14 records Judah’s fear of dying “by the sword, famine, and plague,” illustrating how the threat of hunger shaped national decisions.

Historical Background

Famine and chronic hunger were constant threats in the agrarian Near East. Rain cycles, locust plagues, and invading armies could devastate crops, and storehouses were limited. Ancient law codes and the Torah built in protections—gleaning rights, triennial tithes for the poor, and Sabbath year rest—to mitigate hunger. When these safeguards were ignored, prophets indicted the nation.

Theological Themes

Provision and Dependence

Hunger drives humanity to seek God. In Psalm 34:10, David declares, “The young lions go lacking and hungry, but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.” Physical need underscores divine sufficiency.

Discipline and Testing

Deuteronomy 8:3 shows that God sometimes allows hunger to test faith and to train His people to rely on His word. The wilderness experience made Israel aware of its frailty, preparing the nation for settled life in the land.

Justice and Compassion

Job 22:7 condemns withholding bread from the hungry, while Proverbs 25:21 commands generosity: “If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat.” Scripture thus makes feeding the hungry a mark of righteousness and even of love for one’s enemy.

Judgment

Isaiah 8:21 portrays a people roaming “famished and enraged” because of covenant rebellion. Hunger becomes a curse when God’s word is rejected.

Eschatological Hope

Isaiah 49:10 anticipates the Messianic age when no one will hunger. Revelation echoes this promise (although outside the Hebrew corpus), confirming the future removal of hunger in God’s kingdom.

Wisdom and Ethical Instruction

Proverbs repeatedly contrasts the diligent with the sluggard. Hunger motivates labor (Proverbs 6:30), yet laziness “brings a man into deep sleep, and an idle soul will suffer hunger” (Proverbs 19:15). The righteous steward resources wisely so that neither he nor his neighbor suffers want.

Ministry Application

Practical Care

Believers are called to mirror God’s generosity. Meeting physical hunger—locally through food pantries, globally through relief work—constitutes tangible obedience to the biblical mandate.

Spiritual Hunger

Physical hunger functions as an analogy for the heart’s longing for righteousness. Jesus’ beatitude, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,” assumes the Old Testament background and promises ultimate satisfaction.

Gospel Witness

Just as Joseph became the mediator of bread for the nations, the Church proclaims Christ, the living bread. Acts of mercy validate this message, demonstrating that in Christ both physical and spiritual hunger are addressed.

Use in Worship and Devotion

Psalm 50:12 reminds worshipers of God’s self-sufficiency: “If I were hungry, I would not tell you, for the world is Mine, and the fullness thereof.” Adoration flows from recognizing that God feeds His people yet needs nothing from them. The believer responds with gratitude, trust, and open-handed service.

Study Questions

1. How does Deuteronomy 8:3 inform Jesus’ response to temptation in Matthew 4:4?
2. What social structures in ancient Israel sought to prevent chronic hunger, and how might the Church parallel them today?
3. Compare the temporary relief from hunger in Genesis 41 to the permanent relief promised in Isaiah 49:10. How does this shape Christian hope?

Conclusion

Throughout Scripture, רָעֵב serves as both a stark reminder of human vulnerability and a canvas on which God paints His faithfulness, justice, and redemptive purpose. Physical hunger alerts us to deeper spiritual realities, driving us to the One who alone satisfies every need, now and forever.

Forms and Transliterations
אֶ֭רְעַב ארעב וְרָעֵ֑בוּ וְרָעֵ֔ב וַיַּרְעִבֶךָ֒ וַתִּרְעַב֙ וּ֝מֵרָעֵ֗ב וּ֝רְעֵבִ֗ים וירעבך ומרעב ורעב ורעבו ורעבים ותרעב יִרְעַ֜ב יִרְעָ֙בוּ֙ יִרְעָֽב׃ יַרְעִ֣יב ירעב ירעב׃ ירעבו ירעיב נִרְעָ֖ב נרעב רָ֘עֵ֤ב רָעֵ֣ב רָעֵב֙ רעב תִּרְעָ֔בוּ תִרְעָֽב׃ תרעב׃ תרעבו ’er‘aḇ ’er·‘aḇ Erav nir‘āḇ nir·‘āḇ nirAv rā‘êḇ rā·‘êḇ raEv ṯir‘āḇ tir‘āḇū tir·‘ā·ḇū ṯir·‘āḇ tirAv tirAvu ū·mê·rā·‘êḇ ū·rə·‘ê·ḇîm ūmêrā‘êḇ umeraEv ūrə‘êḇîm ureeVim vaiyariveCha vattirAv veraEv veraEvu wat·tir·‘aḇ wattir‘aḇ way·yar·‘i·ḇe·ḵā wayyar‘iḇeḵā wə·rā·‘ê·ḇū wə·rā·‘êḇ wərā‘êḇ wərā‘êḇū yar‘îḇ yar·‘îḇ yarIv yir‘aḇ yir‘āḇ yir‘āḇū yir·‘ā·ḇū yir·‘aḇ yir·‘āḇ yirAv yirAvu
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Englishman's Concordance
Genesis 41:55
HEB: וַתִּרְעַב֙ כָּל־ אֶ֣רֶץ
NAS: of Egypt was famished, the people
KJV: of Egypt was famished, the people
INT: was famished all the land

Deuteronomy 8:3
HEB: וַֽיְעַנְּךָ֮ וַיַּרְעִבֶךָ֒ וַיַּֽאֲכִֽלְךָ֤ אֶת־
NAS: He humbled you and let you be hungry, and fed
KJV: And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed
INT: humbled you be hungry and fed manna

Job 5:5
HEB: אֲשֶׁ֤ר קְצִיר֨וֹ ׀ רָ֘עֵ֤ב יֹאכֵ֗ל וְאֶֽל־
INT: after harvest famish devour out

Job 22:7
HEB: עָיֵ֣ף תַּשְׁקֶ֑ה וּ֝מֵרָעֵ֗ב תִּֽמְנַֽע־ לָֽחֶם׃
INT: to the weary have given famish have withheld bread

Job 24:10
HEB: בְּלִ֣י לְב֑וּשׁ וּ֝רְעֵבִ֗ים נָ֣שְׂאוּ עֹֽמֶר׃
INT: without clothing famish take the sheaves

Psalm 34:10
HEB: כְּ֭פִירִים רָשׁ֣וּ וְרָעֵ֑בוּ וְדֹרְשֵׁ֥י יְ֝הוָ֗ה
NAS: do lack and suffer hunger; But they who seek
KJV: do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek
INT: the young lack and suffer seek the LORD

Psalm 50:12
HEB: אִם־ אֶ֭רְעַב לֹא־ אֹ֣מַר
NAS: If I were hungry I would not tell
KJV: If I were hungry, I would not tell
INT: If were hungry not tell

Proverbs 6:30
HEB: נַ֝פְשׁ֗וֹ כִּ֣י יִרְעָֽב׃
NAS: himself when he is hungry;
KJV: to satisfy his soul when he is hungry;
INT: himself when is hungry

Proverbs 10:3
HEB: לֹֽא־ יַרְעִ֣יב יְ֭הוָה נֶ֣פֶשׁ
NAS: will not allow the righteous to hunger, But He will reject
KJV: of the righteous to famish: but he casteth away
INT: not to hunger the LORD the soul

Proverbs 19:15
HEB: וְנֶ֖פֶשׁ רְמִיָּ֣ה תִרְעָֽב׃
NAS: And an idle man will suffer hunger.
KJV: and an idle soul shall suffer hunger.
INT: man and an idle will suffer

Proverbs 25:21
HEB: אִם־ רָעֵ֣ב שֹׂ֭נַאֲךָ הַאֲכִלֵ֣הוּ
INT: If famish your enemy give

Isaiah 8:21
HEB: וְהָיָ֨ה כִֽי־ יִרְעַ֜ב וְהִתְקַצַּ֗ף וְקִלֵּ֧ל
NAS: out that when they are hungry, they will be enraged
KJV: and hungry: and it shall come to pass, that when they shall be hungry, they shall fret
INT: become when are hungry will be enraged and curse

Isaiah 9:20
HEB: עַל־ יָמִין֙ וְרָעֵ֔ב וַיֹּ֥אכַל עַל־
NAS: [what is] on the right hand but [still] are hungry, And they eat
INT: on the right but are hungry eat on

Isaiah 44:12
HEB: כֹּח֔וֹ גַּם־ רָעֵב֙ וְאֵ֣ין כֹּ֔חַ
NAS: He also gets hungry and his strength
INT: his strong also gets fails and his strength

Isaiah 49:10
HEB: לֹ֤א יִרְעָ֙בוּ֙ וְלֹ֣א יִצְמָ֔אוּ
NAS: They will not hunger or thirst, Nor
KJV: They shall not hunger nor thirst;
INT: Nor hunger Nor thirst

Isaiah 65:13
HEB: יֹאכֵ֙לוּ֙ וְאַתֶּ֣ם תִּרְעָ֔בוּ הִנֵּ֧ה עֲבָדַ֛י
NAS: will eat, but you will be hungry. Behold,
KJV: shall eat, but ye shall be hungry: behold, my servants
INT: will eat you will be hungry Behold my servants

Jeremiah 42:14
HEB: וְלַלֶּ֥חֶם לֹֽא־ נִרְעָ֖ב וְשָׁ֥ם נֵשֵֽׁב׃
NAS: of a trumpet or hunger for bread,
KJV: of the trumpet, nor have hunger of bread;
INT: bread No hunger there will stay

17 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 7456
17 Occurrences


’er·‘aḇ — 1 Occ.
nir·‘āḇ — 1 Occ.
rā·‘êḇ — 3 Occ.
ṯir·‘āḇ — 1 Occ.
tir·‘ā·ḇū — 1 Occ.
ū·mê·rā·‘êḇ — 1 Occ.
ū·rə·‘ê·ḇîm — 1 Occ.
way·yar·‘i·ḇe·ḵā — 1 Occ.
wat·tir·‘aḇ — 1 Occ.
wə·rā·‘êḇ — 1 Occ.
wə·rā·‘ê·ḇū — 1 Occ.
yar·‘îḇ — 1 Occ.
yir·‘āḇ — 2 Occ.
yir·‘ā·ḇū — 1 Occ.

7455
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