---
title: רְפָאִים — shades · The Tanakh dictionary
description: רְפָאִים (7496), a word of Biblical Hebrew, used 8 times: shades. BDB 1906: n.m. pl. shades, ghosts. With 2 verses in Hebrew, word for word and JPS 1917.
---

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# רְפָאִים

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«רְפָאִים» in the Tanakh dictionary: **shades** — 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:** 8 times · **Key:** 7496 · **BDB:** רְפָאִים²

### Glosses

\[the\].shades (4); shades (3); of.\[the\].shades (1)

### Meaning (OSHB)

shades [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1512/7496/#m1)

### Meaning (BDB 1906)

n.m. pl. shades, ghosts [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1512/7496/#m2)

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**The whole BDB entry:** n.m. Jb 26:5 pl. shades, ghosts (by most connected with above √, as sunken, powerless, ones, StaG. i. 420; Ph. רפאם);—Wisd. lit. and late, name of dead in Sheʾôl, c. art. הָר׳ Jb 26:5, elsewhere nearly = n.pr.: ר׳ Is 14:9 (in Sheʾôl), 26:14 (‖ מֵתִים), ψ 88:11 (‖ id.), Pr 2:18 (‖ מָוֶת), 9:18 (in עִמְקֵי שְׁאוֹל), קְחַל רְפָאִים 21:16; of righteous Isr. Is 26:19 earth shall cast forth ר׳ (‖ מֵתֶיךָ).

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Why these entries: BDB: headword, part of speech agrees, 8 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 (2 candidates)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every English meaning of «רְפָאִים» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1512/7496/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.

### In the verses

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[Job 26:5](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/JOB.26.5/)

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הָרְפָאִ֥ים יְחוֹלָ֑לוּ מִתַּ֥חַת מַ֝֗יִם וְשֹׁכְנֵיהֶֽם׃

*Word for word:* the shades they.are.made.to.tremble (from) under \[the\].waters and \[those which\].dwell.in.them

*JPS 1917:* The shades tremble beneath the waters and the inhabitants thereof.

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[Proverbs 21:16](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/PRO.21.16/)

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אָדָ֗ם תּ֭וֹעֶה מִדֶּ֣רֶךְ הַשְׂכֵּ֑ל בִּקְהַ֖ל רְפָאִ֣ים יָנֽוּחַ׃

*Word for word:* anyone \[who\].wanders from.\[the\] way of.insight in.\[the\] assembly of.\[the\].shades he.will.rest

*JPS 1917:* The man that strayeth out of the way of understanding shall rest in the congregation of the shades.

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