H7342 H7342
Wide, broad, spacious; idiomatically: proud (broad of heart), free (in a broad place), or greedy (wide of appetite).
This adjective describes physical breadth — a spacious land, a wide river, a thick wall — but Hebrew idiom extends it into vivid figurative territory. When paired with 'heart' or 'eyes' it connotes arrogance (Ps 101:5; Prov 21:4), and when paired with nephesh (appetite/soul) it points to insatiable greed (Prov 28:25). Psalm 119:45 uses the feminine as a substantive — 'in a broad place' — to express the psalmist's sense of moral freedom. Spanish 'ancha' and German cognates consistently render the spatial sense, while the idiomatic extensions require periphrasis in most target languages.
Senses
1. wide, broad, spacious — Physically wide, broad, or spacious, applied to land, walls, rivers, and other spatial referents. Exodus 3:8 and Nehemiah 9:35 describe the promised land as 'broad' (rachavat yadayim, lit. wide of hands/sides). Judges 18:10 and 1 Chronicles 4:40 use it of territory that is expansive and rich. In Nehemiah 3:8 and 12:38 it names a section of Jerusalem's wall (ha-chomah ha-rechavah, the Broad Wall). Job 11:9 uses it hyperbolically: God's wisdom is broader than the sea. 16×
AR["العَريضِ","الْعَرِيضَةُ","الْعَرِيضِ","واسِعَةٍ","واسِعَةُ","واسِعَةُ-","وَ-وَاسِعٌ","وَ-وَاسِعَةٍ","وَأَعْرَضُ","وَاسِعَةٌ","وَاسِعَةٍ","وَاسِعَةُ","وَاسِعَةِ","وَالْوَاسِعَةَ"]·ben["-চওড়ার","এবং-চওড়া","ও-বিশাল","চওড়া","চওড়ার","প্রশস্ত","বিস্তৃত"]·DE["[הרחבה]","[והרחבה]","[ורחבה]","[רחב]","[רחבי]","[רחבת]","broad","broad-von","und-spacious","weit-"]·EN["and-broad","and-broader","and-spacious","and-the-wide","broad","broad-of","broad-of-","on-both-sides","the-broad","wide","wide-of"]·FR["[הרחבה]","[רחבי]","[רחבת]","broad-de","broad-de-","et-large","et-spacious","et-ורחבה","la-place","large","רחב"]·heb["ה-רחבה","ו-ה-רחבה","ו-רחבה","רחב","רחבה","רחבי","רחבת"]·HI["और-चौड़ा","और-चौड़ी","और-फैली-हुई-है","और-बड़ा","चौड़ी","चौड़ी-के","चौड़े","बड़ा","विशाल"]·ID["cukup-luas","dan-lebih-lebar","dan-luas","dan-yang-lebar","lebar","luas","luas-","yang-lebar","yang-luas"]·IT["[והרחבה]","broad-di","broad-di-","e-e-broader","e-largo","e-spacious","la-piazza","largo","wide"]·jav["ingkang-amba","ingkang-wiyar","jembar","jembar-","lan-ingkang-wiyar","lan-wiyar","wiyar","wiyar-"]·KO["그-넓고","그-넓은","그리고-그-넓은","그리고-넓다","그리고-넓은","그리고-넓은-것-이-","넓다","넓도다","넓은","넓은-","넓은-의","틈-같이"]·PT["(de)-largura-de","a-espaçosa","e-a-larga","e-espaçosa","e-larga","e-mais-larga","espaçosa-de","larga","larga-de","largos-de","mas-amplo","o-Largo","o-largo"]·RU["глубокую","и-обширная","и-просторную","и-шире","просторная","просторной","просторную","широка","широкая","широкие","широкий","широких-","широкой"]·ES["ancha","ancha-de","ancha-de-","ancho","anchos-de","el-ancho","espaciosa-de","la-amplia","la-ancha","los-anchos","y-amplia","y-ancha","y-la-ancha","y-más-ancha"]·SW["Mpana","kugeni","mahali-pana","mipana","mpana","na-kipana","na-pana","ni-pana","pana","ulikuwa-mpana","yenye-nafasi-kubwa"]·TR["gedik-gibi","genislige","genisslikler","geniş","geniş-","geniştir","ve-geniş","ve-geniştir"]·urd["-چوڑی","اور-چوڑا","اور-چوڑی","اور-کشادہ","شگاف","وسیع-ہے","چوڑی","چوڑی-والی","چوڑے","کشادہ"]
2. proud, arrogant (broad of heart) — An idiomatic 'broad of heart/eyes' meaning proud, arrogant, or haughty. Psalm 101:5 declares that God will not tolerate the one who is 'broad of heart,' and Proverbs 21:4 pairs 'broad of heart' with 'haughty eyes' as hallmarks of sin. The spatial metaphor maps inner swelling onto outward expansion. Most translations render this periphrastically: Spanish 'ancho de corazón,' while English uses 'proud' or 'arrogant.' 3×
AR["وَ-الواسِعُ","وَ-رَحْبُ-","وَ-واسِع"]·ben["এবং-প্রশস্ত","এবং-বিস্তৃত"]·DE["[ורחב]","und-proud","und-weit"]·EN["and-proud","and-proud-of","and-wide"]·FR["et-large","et-ורחב"]·heb["ו-רוחב-","ו-רחב"]·HI["और-चौड़ा","और-चौड़ाई-"]·ID["dan-lebar","dan-luas"]·IT["e-e-proud-di","e-largo"]·jav["lan-ageng","lan-amba-saking","lan-wiyar"]·KO["그리고-넓은","그리고-넓은-"]·PT["e-arrogante","e-largo","e-orgulho-de-"]·RU["и-широкого","и-широкое","и-широта-"]·ES["y-ancho-de","y-ensanchamiento-de-"]·SW["na-moyo","na-pana","na-upana-"]·TR["ve-geniş","ve-kibri-"]·urd["اور-کشادگی-","اور-کشادہ"]
3. broad place (freedom, relief) — Used substantivally with the preposition be- to mean 'in a broad place,' signifying freedom from constraint or distress. Psalm 119:45 says 'I will walk in a broad place' (ba-rechavah), expressing the liberty that comes from keeping God's precepts. The spatial image of open ground becomes a metaphor for moral and spiritual freedom — the opposite of being hemmed in or restricted. 1×
AR["بِالرَّحْبَةِ"]·ben["-প্রশস্ততায়"]·DE["in-ein-broad-Ort"]·EN["in-a-broad-place"]·FR["dans-large"]·heb["ב-רחבה"]·ID["di-tempat-lapang"]·IT["largo"]·jav["ing-papan-jembar"]·KO["넓은-데-에서"]·PT["em-largura"]·RU["на-просторе"]·ES["en-anchura"]·SW["katika-nafasi"]·TR["geniş-yerde"]·urd["آزادی-میں"]
4. greedy, insatiable (wide of appetite) — An idiomatic 'wide of nephesh (soul/appetite)' meaning greedy or insatiable. Proverbs 28:25 warns that the one who is 'broad of appetite' stirs up strife. Here the spatial metaphor of expansiveness conveys an uncontrolled inner craving. Spanish uses 'ancho de ánimo' while most versions resort to 'greedy' or 'covetous' to capture the moral judgment embedded in the idiom. 1×
AR["رَحْبُ-"]·ben["বিস্তৃত-"]·DE["[רחב]"]·EN["wide-of"]·FR["רחב"]·heb["רחב-"]·HI["फैला-"]·ID["Serakah"]·IT["wide-di"]·jav["amba"]·KO["넘은"]·PT["Largo-de-"]·RU["широкий-"]·ES["Ancho-de-"]·SW["mwenye-tamaa-ya"]·TR["açgözlü-"]·urd["چوڑی"]
Related Senses
H5921a 1. upon, on, over (spatial) (5443×)H0413 1. directional: to, toward (5366×)H1121a 1. son, male offspring, descendant (4914×)H3808 1. simple negation (not) (4839×)H4428 1. king, human ruler (2518×)G1722 1. locative: in, within (2442×)H0776 1. land, country, territory (2323×)H1004b 1. house, dwelling, building (2015×)H6440 1. before, in front of (spatial) (1870×)G3756 1. not (negation particle) (1635×)H3027 1. physical hand (body part) (1596×)H1697 1. word, speech, utterance (1235×)H4480a 1. source or separation (1198×)H5892b 1. city, town (1093×)G1519 1. direction: into, to, toward (1061×)H3427 1. Qal: to dwell, inhabit (937×)G1537 1. from, out of (source/origin) (886×)H8034 1. Name (designation / identifier) (856×)H8033 1. There (locative adverb) (835×)G3361 1. subjective negation (not) (834×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
I. רָחָב21 adj. wide, broad;—abs. ר׳ Jb 30:14; cstr. רְחַב Pr 21:4 +; fs. רְחָבָה Ex 3:8 +; cstr. רַחֲבַת Gn 34:21 +; mpl. cstr. רַחֲבֵי Is 33:21;—wide, broad, spacious, of land Ex 3:8 (J), Ne 9:35, רַחֲבַת יָדַיִם, etc., Gn 34:21 + 6 times, v. יָד" dir="rtl" >יָד 3 d; ר׳ מִנִּי־יָם Jb 11:9 (of greatness of God, ‖ אֲרֻכָּה מֵאֶרֶץ); בָּֽרְחָבָה as subst. ψ 119:45 in a wide, roomy, space (fig.);…