What does נֶפֶשׁ · רָעֵב mean in the Bible?
נֶפֶשׁ · רָעֵב is a Hebrew phrase meaning "hungry soul, hungry person, needy appetite".
Hebrew · H5315, H7457
נֶפֶשׁ רְעֵבָה
Properly, a breathing creature , i.e. animal of (abstractly) vitality ; used very widely in a literal, accommodated or figurative sense (bodily or mental) · hungry (more or less intensely)
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What this page is: Each lexicon entry shows the original Hebrew or Greek word behind the English translation: its meaning, its range of use, and where it appears in Scripture.
Strong's number: The Strong's code (H- or G-) is the standard reference number for this word. It connects this entry to chapter and passage language tabs.
Where it appears: The witness passages show where this word is used in context. Click any to open the study page for that passage.
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Words in this compound — expand to study each participant
נֶפֶשׁ H5315 properly, a breathing creature , i.e. animal of (abstractly) vitality ; used very widely in a literal, accommodated or figurative sense (bodily or mental)
Pronunciation nafsho
Vitality or lifeforce of a creature; ranges from physical breath to desire, appetite, and personal identity or selfhood.
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רָעֵב H7457 hungry (more or less intensely)
Pronunciation rāʿēb
Hunger as physical deprivation, often signaling divine judgment or abandonment in covenantal contexts
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What does נֶפֶשׁ רְעֵבָה (nefesh re'evah) mean in the Bible?
נֶפֶשׁ · רָעֵב is a Hebrew phrase meaning "hungry soul, hungry person, needy appetite".
Full entry for נֶפֶשׁ רְעֵבָה (H5315, H7457) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How many biblical occurrences are listed for H5315, H7457?
H5315, H7457 is connected to 777 lexical occurrence verses in the lexicon data.
Evidence Summary
Hebrew phrase. hungry soul, hungry person, needy appetite
Strong's H5315, H7457
Lexical occurrences 777 verses Source Gloss
hungry soul, hungry person, needy appetite
Grammatical Forms
How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.
Word Origins
נֶפֶשׁ רְעֵבָה is built from this root:
Cross-Language Connections
Greek words that correspond to or develop the meaning of this Hebrew word in the New Testament.
Sources
MorphGNT Strong's Dictionary XML — CC0 1.0 Public Domain
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible (morphhb/OSHB) — CC BY 4.0
Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon — CC BY 4.0
Berean Standard Bible (BSB) source-word alignment - CC0 Public Domain