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
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×)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×)H7200 1. Qal: to see, perceive (1257×)H1697 1. word, speech, utterance (1235×)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×)
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).