HEBREW WORD STUDY – HEY, BE COOL – RAPAH – רפה Resh Pei Hei

Psalms 46:9-10: “He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth; he breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder; he burneth the chariot in the fire. (9) Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.

When I live in silence I always use Psalms 46:10: “Be still and know that I am God.” I always point out that one of the meanings of the Hebrew word rendered as still is silence. I am not wrong to use the word silence any more than some translations and paraphrases use the words stop fighting. Many translations walk in lock step with the KJV and use the word still. That is also correct. As a result some people ask “What is the correct English word?” The idea that there could be many English words for one Hebrew word is not even a consideration. Hence, they go back to the KJV arguing that God must have given us just one English translation, all the other translations do not reflect the true Word of God so we must be cautious and since the KJV is the tried and true verse it is the version that reflects the true intent of God to us. So I assume that the Spanish translation of the Bible, the French, Russian, Chinese, Arabic are all not the true Word of God only the privileged English speaking people have access to the true Word of God. Or maybe they believe the other languages also have their one and only version. I am not sure how they address that issue. But, there are people who still believe the earth is flat. Whooo! That was a nasty remark.

I know my father used to always hold up his KJV Scofield Reference Bible and say: “I know there are other translations out there and you can read them if you want, but for me I will stay with the Bible.” He just could not bring himself to say: “I will stay with the KJV translation.” To him the other translations were not the Bible. I guess when his one son became a Bible Translator and linguist with Wycliffe Bible Translators and his other son (your’s truly) was working on the NIV a major Bible translation that he finally conceded, that yeah, the KJV is just a translation.

I even remember the church I grew up in listening to my mother who served on the search committee for a new pastor say that one thing they tell all potential candidates is that they do not want a preaching saying: “In the Greek this means…” What the KJV said was enough it needs no improvement with all this Greek talk (few actually knew the Old Testament was written in Hebrew at that time). It is probably for that reason that I am very cautious to never say there is a mistranslation. For one thing I am not really qualified to say such a thing and the other is that I have enough linguistical background to know that translating from an ancient language into a modern language is a very difficult process. On top of that in the Biblical Hebrew you only have about 7,500 words compared to over a million words in English, so is it really out of line and off the reservation that it many take may English words to explain just one Hebrew word?

The word raphah is one such word. It means to be still, it also means to relax, be calm, take it easy, don’t fret, don’t fear, don’t worry, don’t get stressed out, don’t have a conniption. I am not sure what that means but my mother always used that word and I know it does not mean to be calm. It means all these things and much much more. Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance list at least 36 English words for raphah and keep in mind Strong’s in only exhaustive with a concordance, not a list of English to Hebrew words. Rabbi Hirsch, a Jewish 19^th Century linguist and Hebrew master adds more than a dozen other English words to this list. On top of that you have words like rapha’ which come from the same or similar Semitic root so you can add healing, loosening pain and physician to that list.

Then the poor translator looks at all these possible words and must decided on only one English word to put in the English translation. So how does he decide which English word is the right word. First let’s be clear, there is no right word only the best word and people with different backgrounds, culture, relationship with God will dispute what a translator claims is the best English word and for them it is not and maybe there is an English word that fits better in their own personal context.

In our Song of Solomon class I wanted to use the English word tryst for a particular Hebrew word and my ministry partner strongly objected. “Oh no you can’t use that word, that would be offensive to people.” To my mind and experience tryst was the best word to use. I used to love reading Gothic Romantic novels (stop laughing) and even Grace Livingston Hill a Christian writer named one of her books “The Tryst.” I always use the word when I go to the monastery on a silent retreat that I am going to my trysting place with God. Webster defines a tryst as an agreement between two lovers to meet. However, in 2006 there was a romantic play that debut in New York that was title Tryst and was a bit racy. So, I guess maybe for the sake of someone familiar with play I just can’t use that word in public. But in the privacy of God and I we use that word together like a couple preteens getting away with some racy language.

The context will automatically eliminate many possible English words. For instance God is not telling us to be weak, helpless, slack or lost all possible words for raphah. These words would just not fit the over all context, that we would associate with God instructing us. Then there is the specific context which in the prior verse we learn that God is going to end wars and bring peace. Now we get to the nitty gritty. I suppose that would not be an appropriate phrase as it is suggested its origins lies in slave ships and slaves were kept in the bottom of the ship. Of course, based on that we should never use the word picnic because that word originated with lynchings. You see how difficult translation can be?

So, getting to the basics, the context would suggest that when there is warfare or violence or any fearful situation God is saying raphah which is more than being still, more than stop fighting, more that relax, He is also saying, don’t fret, don’t worry, don’t get stressed out, don’t have a conniption and ———– fill in the blank with your own English words which best describe to not come unglued with riots take place, when pandemics happen or the presidential candidate of your choice does not win. Like “be cool brother.” Because you don’t have a dog in this fight, it is God’s fight, so just sit back and relax – raphah.

Before you dog lovers throw rocks at me let me point out that the phrase “No dog in this fight” really originated during World War I when planes were dog fighting. Yeah remotely related to dog fights but it really originated and refers to…oh what the heck, raphah means plain and simple “Don’t give a sh-t.”

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