H7565 H7565
Flame, fiery bolt, or pestilence; from the burning coals of love to divine plague-arrows and lightning shafts.
An evocative Hebrew word rooted in the imagery of fire. In Song of Songs 8:6 it describes love's flames -- 'its reshef-flashes are flashes of fire' -- where Spanish 'brasas' (embers) and Hindi 'angāre' (coals) beautifully convey the consuming heat of passion. In Deuteronomy 32:24 and Habakkuk 3:5 it becomes a terrifying divine agent -- pestilence and plague marching before God, recalling the Canaanite deity Resheph. The Psalms deploy it for lightning bolts and fiery arrows raining down in judgment (Ps 76:3; 78:48). Job 5:7 gives us the memorable 'sons of resheph' -- sparks that fly upward, a metaphor for the inevitability of human trouble.
Senses
1. flame, burning coal, fire — Flame, burning coal, or spark -- visible fire in its elemental form. Song of Songs 8:6 piles resheph upon resheph to describe love's all-consuming blaze. Job 5:7 uses 'sons of resheph' (sparks) as a proverb for trouble's inevitability. Spanish 'brasas/chispa' (embers/spark) and French 'flamme' capture the concrete fire imagery. (Song 8:6; Job 5:7) 3×
AR["الشَّرارِ", "جَمْرَاتُ", "جَمْرَاتُهَا"]·ben["অগ্নিশিখার", "তার-শিখা", "শিখা"]·DE["[רשף]", "[רשפי]", "[רשפיה]"]·EN["flame", "flames-of", "its-flames"]·FR["flamme", "flammes", "ses-flammes"]·heb["רשף", "רשפי", "רשפיה"]·HI["अंगारे-उसके", "चिनगारी-के", "जलन"]·ID["Nyalanya", "api", "nyala"]·IT["flame", "flames-of", "its-flames-sua"]·jav["kembang-api", "latu", "latu-piyambakipun"]·KO["그-불꽃들-이", "불꽃들-이라", "불꽃의"]·PT["chamas-de", "faísca", "suas-chamas"]·RU["искры", "искры-её"]·ES["brasas-de", "chispa", "sus-brasas"]·SW["miali", "miali-yake", "moto"]·TR["alevleri", "kıvılcımın"]·urd["اس-کے-شعلے", "شعلے", "چنگاری-کے"]
2. plague, pestilence, fever — Plague, pestilence, or fever -- a destructive force sent by God, echoing the Canaanite plague-deity Resheph. In Deuteronomy 32:24 it appears alongside bitter destruction; in Habakkuk 3:5 pestilence and resheph march before God in theophanic judgment. Spanish 'plaga/fiebre' and Hindi 'bukhār' (fever) show how translators oscillate between disease and supernatural devastation. (Deut 32:24; Hab 3:5) 2×
AR["الطَّاعُونُ", "الْحُمَّى"]·ben["জ্বর", "মহামারীর"]·DE["Plage", "[רשף]"]·EN["plague"]·FR["flamme", "plaie"]·heb["רשף"]·HI["ज्वाला", "बुखार-से"]·ID["penyakit-demam", "penyakit-sampar"]·IT["[רשף]", "piaga"]·jav["panas", "sesakit"]·KO["불-이", "열병(접)"]·PT["febre", "praga"]·RU["горячкой", "пламя"]·ES["fiebre", "la-plaga"]·SW["homa", "mwako"]·TR["salgının", "yakıcı-ateş"]·urd["بخار", "وبا-سے"]
3. lightning bolt, fiery arrow, thunderbolt — Lightning bolt or fiery arrow -- a projectile of divine fire used as a weapon. Psalm 78:48 pairs it with hail as instruments of judgment on Egypt, while Psalm 76:3 describes God breaking the 'resheph of the bow' -- the flaming shafts of warfare. Spanish 'relámpagos/rayos' (lightning/bolts) and English 'fiery shafts' both emphasize the weapon-like, projectile quality. (Ps 76:3; 78:48) 2×
AR["سِهَامَ-", "لِلصَوَاعِقِ"]·ben["জ্বলন্ত-তীর-", "বিদ্যুতের-কাছে"]·DE["der-fiery-shafts-von-", "zu-Blitz-bolts"]·EN["the-fiery-shafts-of-", "to-lightning-bolts"]·FR["flamme", "à-flamme"]·heb["ל-רשפים", "רשפי-"]·HI["बिजलियों-को", "रिश्पे-"]·ID["anak-panah-api-", "kepada-petir"]·IT["[לרשפים]", "[רשפי]"]·jav["dhateng-kilat", "panah-panah-latu-"]·KO["번개들-에게", "불화살들-의"]·PT["aos-raios", "as-flechas"]·RU["молнии", "молниям"]·ES["a-los-rayos", "relámpagos-de-"]·SW["kwa-radi", "mishale-ya"]·TR["ateşli-okları", "yıldırımlara"]·urd["جلتے-تیر", "لِ-بجلیوں"]
Related Senses
H3808 1. simple negation (not) (4839×)G1722 1. locative: in, within (2442×)H1004b 1. house, dwelling, building (2015×)G3756 1. not (negation particle) (1635×)H7200 1. Qal: to see, perceive (1257×)H4480a 1. source or separation (1198×)H5892b 1. city, town (1093×)G4771 2. you (singular address) (1077×)G1519 1. direction: into, to, toward (1061×)H3427 1. Qal: to dwell, inhabit (937×)H8085 1. Qal: hear, perceive aurally (921×)G1537 1. from, out of (source/origin) (886×)H8034 1. Name (designation / identifier) (856×)G3361 1. subjective negation (not) (834×)G1909 1. on, upon (spatial surface) (757×)H0859a 1. you (2nd person masculine singular pronoun) (743×)H0369 1. existential negation: there is not (738×)H5869a 1. in the eyes/sight of (evaluative) (734×)H5650 1. Servant, attendant, subject (723×)H0408 1. prohibitive negation do-not (712×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† I. רֶ֫שֶׁף n.m. Hb 3:5 flame, fire-bolt;—abs. ר׳ Dt 32:24 +; pl. רְשָׁפִים ψ 78:48, cstr. רִשְׁפֵי 76:4, רִשְׁפֵּי Ct 8:6; sf. רְשָׁפֶיהָ v 6;— 1. flame: ר׳ ר׳ אֵשׁ Ct 8:6 its flames (sc. of אַהֲבָה, קִנְאָה) are flames of fire; בְּנֵי ר׳ Jb 5:7 = sparks; ר׳ = pointed flame of lightning ψ 78:48 (‖ בָּרָד); ר׳ קָ֑שֶׁת 76:4 sharp flames of the bow, fig. for arrows. 2. fire-bolt of י׳, bringing pestilence and death, Dt 32:24 (cf. Dr; ‖ קֶטֶב מְרִירִי), Hb 3:5 (‖ דֶּבֶר).