H4808 H4808
Meribah (place of strife where Israel contended with God over water); also common noun: strife, contention, quarrel
Derived from the root rîv ('to contend, strive'), this word appears both as a proper noun and a common noun. As a place name, Meribah marks the location(s) where Israel quarreled with God over water in the wilderness, most memorably at Meribah-Kadesh where Moses struck the rock (Deut 32:51; Ps 95:8). As a common noun it simply means 'strife' or 'contention,' as when Abraham urges Lot, 'Let there be no strife between me and you' (Gen 13:8). The multilingual evidence confirms the split: translations uniformly transliterate the place name while rendering the common noun with native words for quarrel or dispute.
Senses
1. Meribah (place name) — The proper noun Meribah, designating the wilderness site(s) where Israel tested God by quarreling over water. Psalm 95:8 warns 'Do not harden your hearts as at Meribah,' and Ezekiel 47:19 and 48:28 use 'the waters of Meribah-Kadesh' as a boundary marker. Translations across languages consistently transliterate rather than translate: Spanish Meribá, French Mériba, German Merivah, confirming its fixed status as a geographic proper name. 5×
AR["كَ-مَرِيبَةَ", "مَريبة", "مَرِيبَةِ", "مَرِيبُوتِ"]·ben["মরীবার", "মরীবার-মতো", "মরীবোথের"]·DE["Meribah-von", "Merivah", "[מריבות]", "[מריבת]", "wie-bei-Merivah"]·EN["Meribah-of", "Merivah", "Merivat", "Merivot", "as-at-Merivah"]·FR["Meribah-de", "Mériba", "comme-Mériba", "dispute"]·heb["כ-מריבה", "מריבה", "מריבות", "מריבת"]·HI["जैसे-मरीबा", "मरीबा", "मरीबाह-के", "विवाद-के"]·ID["Meriba", "seperti-di-Meriba"]·IT["Meribah-di", "[כמריבה]", "[מריבות]", "[מריבת]", "da-difendi"]·jav["Meriba", "Meribat", "kados-ing-Meriba", "padu"]·KO["다투의(접)", "메리바", "메리바-처럼", "메리바의", "므리바"]·PT["Meribat-de-", "Meribá-de", "como-em-Meribá", "de-Meribá"]·RU["Меривот", "Меривы", "как-в-Мериве"]·ES["Meribá", "Meribá-de", "como-Merivá"]·SW["Meriba", "Meriba-ya", "kama-Meriba"]·TR["Meriva", "Meriva'nın", "Meriva-gibi"]·urd["جھگڑے-کے", "جیسے-مریبہ-میں", "مریبات", "مریباہ-کے", "مریبوت"]
2. strife, contention, quarrel — The common feminine noun meaning strife, contention, or quarrel between persons. In Gen 13:8, Abraham says to Lot 'let there be no merîvāh between me and you,' and in Num 27:14 the construct form merîvat hā'ēdāh ('the strife of the congregation') describes the people's rebellion at Kadesh. Spanish renders contienda, French querelle, German Streit, all common nouns for dispute, distinguishing this sense clearly from the proper-name usage. 2×
AR["خِصَامٌ", "فِي-مَرِيبَةِ"]·ben["বিবাদ", "বিবাদে"]·DE["Streit", "in-strife-von"]·EN["in-strife-of", "strife"]·FR["dans-strife-de", "querelle"]·heb["ב-מריבת", "מריבה"]·HI["झगड़े-में", "झगद"]·ID["dalam-pemberontakan", "perselisihan"]·IT["in-strife-di", "strife"]·jav["ing-padudon", "pasulayan"]·KO["다투-에서", "다툴이"]·PT["contenda", "em-contenda-de"]·RU["в-распре", "ссоры"]·ES["contienda", "en-contienda-de"]·SW["katika-ugomvi-wa", "ugomvi"]·TR["-çekişmesinde", "kavga"]·urd["جھگڑا", "جھگڑے-میں"]
Related Senses
G3588 1. definite article (18298×)H0853 1. definite direct object marker (10915×)G2532 1. (8312×)H3068 1. YHWH (the divine name) (6522×)H0834a 1. relative pronoun (who/which/that) (4839×)H3808 1. simple negation (not) (4839×)H3588a 1. causal: because, for (3498×)G1161 1. and (2806×)H3478 1. Israel (proper name and nation) (2507×)G1722 1. locative: in, within (2442×)H1004b 1. house, dwelling, building (2015×)G4771 1. you (plural address) (1853×)G3756 1. not (negation particle) (1635×)H1931 1. personal pronoun he/she/it (1431×)H4480a 1. source or separation (1198×)G3739 1. relative pronoun who/which/that (1149×)H5892b 1. city, town (1093×)H1732 1. David (proper name) (1075×)G1519 1. direction: into, to, toward (1061×)H2088 1. this, this one (demonstrative) (1059×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† I. מְרִיבָה n.f. strife, contention;—abs. מ׳, of quarrel between herdsmen Gn 13:8 (J); cstr. מְרִיבַת הָעִֽדָה, of people’s strife with Moses at Kadesh Nu 27:14 (P), cf. ii. מ׳ 2.