---
title: רָעֵב — be hungry · The Tanakh dictionary
description: רָעֵב (7456), a word of Biblical Hebrew, used 13 times: be hungry. BDB 1906: vb. be hungry. With 2 verses in Hebrew, word for word and JPS 1917.
---

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# רָעֵב

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«רָעֵב» in the Tanakh dictionary: **be hungry** — how often it is used, MACULA's glosses, its meanings in the printed dictionaries and why they were chosen, and 2 verses in layers.

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**Used:** 13 times · **Key:** 7456 · **BDB:** רָעֵב

### Glosses

he.will.be.hungry (2); it.was.hungry (2); I.will.be.hungry (1)

### Meaning (OSHB)

be hungry [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1512/7456/#m1)

### Meaning (BDB 1906)

vb. be hungry [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1512/7456/#m2)

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**The whole BDB entry:** vb. be hungry (NH id. Hiph. and deriv.; Assyrian rûbatu, hunger; Arabic رَغُبَ be roomy, voracious, رَغِبَ desire vehemently; Ethiopic ርኅበ be hungry);— Pf. 3 ms. ר׳ Is 9:19; 44:12; 3 pl. רָעֵ֑בוּ ψ 34:11; Impf. 3 ms. יִרְעַב Is 8:21, 1 pl. נִרְעֵב Je 42:14, etc.;—be hungry Is 8:21 Gn 41:55 (E; of land, = have famine), Je 42:14 (לַלֶּחֶם), Is 49:10 (‖ צמא), 65:13 (‖ id.; opp. אכל), ψ 50:12 if I should be hungry (of י׳), Pr 6:30; 19:15. : allow one to hunger, subj. י׳: Impf. 3 ms. וַיַּרְעִבֶ֑ךָ Dt 8:3 (opp. וַיַּאֲכִֽלְךָ), יַרְעִיב נֶפֶשׁ Pr 10:3.

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Why these entries: BDB: headword, part of speech agrees, 13 of its verses cited, 1 words shared with the glosses, lists its Strong's number (3 candidates); OSHB: headword, part of speech agrees, 1 words shared with the BDB entry, 1 with the glosses (3 candidates)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every English meaning of «רָעֵב» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1512/7456/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.

### In the verses

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[Proverbs 19:15](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/PRO.19.15/)

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עַ֭צְלָה תַּפִּ֣יל תַּרְדֵּמָ֑ה וְנֶ֖פֶשׁ רְמִיָּ֣ה תִרְעָֽב׃

*Word for word:* laziness it.makes.fall deep.sleep and a.person of.slackness he.will.be.hungry

*JPS 1917:* Slothfulness casteth into a deep sleep; and the idle soul shall suffer hunger.

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[Proverbs 10:3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/PRO.10.3/)

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לֹֽא־יַרְעִ֣יב יְ֭הוָה נֶ֣פֶשׁ צַדִּ֑יק וְהַוַּ֖ת רְשָׁעִ֣ים יֶהְדֹּֽף׃

*Word for word:* not he.allows.to.hunger Yahweh \[the\].appetite of.\[the\].righteous and.\[the\] desire of.wicked.\[people\] he.rejects

*JPS 1917:* The LORD will not suffer the soul of the righteous to famish; but He thrusteth away the desire of the wicked.

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