1. shades, departed spirits — The shades or ghosts of the dead dwelling in Sheol, the shadowy denizens of the underworld. Used in wisdom literature of those who descend to death (Prov 2:18 'the departed spirits', Prov 9:18, Prov 21:16), in prophetic texts of the dead being roused at the king of Babylon's descent to Sheol (Isa 14:9 'shades'), in Isaiah's resurrection oracle (Isa 26:14, 26:19 'the shades'), and in Psalms of the dead in Sheol (Ps 88:10 'the departed spirits'). Job 26:5 uses the form with the article (ha-repha'im) for the shades trembling beneath the waters. Cross-linguistically: arb consistently al-arwah ('the spirits'), deu 'Totengeister' ('spirits of the dead'), fra 'ombres' ('shadows'), hin 'mritak' ('the deceased'), kor 'jeugeun jadeul' ('the dead ones'), spa 'los muertos/sombras'. All represent the same core concept of the powerless dead in the netherworld, distinct from the ethnic group Rephaim (H7497). 8×
AR["الأَرْوَاحَ","الأَرْوَاحُ","الأَرْوَاحِ","الأَمْواتِ","الرَّفائيمُ"]·ben["-মৃতাত্মারা","প্রেতদের","প্রেতরা","প্রেতাত্মারা","মৃত","মৃতদের"]·DE["Totengeister","[הרפאים]","[רפאים]","der-departed-spirits"]·EN["dead","shades","the-Rephaim","the-departed-spirits","the-shades"]·FR["le-ombre","ombre","ombres"]·heb["ה-רפאים","רפאים"]·HI["प्रेतात्माएं","प्रेतात्माओं-को","मृतक","मृतकों-की","मृतकों-की-आत्माएँ","रपाईमों-को","रफाइम"]·ID["orang-orang-mati","roh-orang-mati","roh-roh-orang-mati"]·IT["[רפאים]","dead","il-departed-spirits","il-il-Rephaim","spiriti-dei-morti"]·jav["arwah","memedi","roh-pati","roh-pejah","roh-roh","tiyang-pejah"]·KO["레파임-들-이","레파임들을","레파임이","영들을","영들이","좽은-자-들","좽은-자-들-이","죽은-자들-의"]·PT["Os-refains","mortos","os-mortos","os-refaim","sombras"]·RU["мертвецы","мёртвых","рефаим","рефаимам -","рефаимы","тени"]·ES["Los-Refaim","a-los-refaim","los-muertos","muertos","refaim","sombras"]·SW["Wafu","la-wafu","mizimu","roho-za-wafu","wafu"]·TR["Refaim","Refaim'i","Refaimler","oluleri","ruhlar","ölüler","ölülere","ölülerin"]·urd["ارواح","روحیں","مردوں-کی","مردہ-رُوحوں-کو","مردہ-رُوحیں","مُردے"]
Senses
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† I. רְפָאִים 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).