What does רִיב · κρίνω mean in the Bible?
רִיב · κρίνω is a Hebrew phrase meaning "to plead a legal case or defend a cause".
Hebrew · H7378, G2919
רִיב
Properly, to toss , i.e. grapple ; mostly figuratively, to wrangle , i.e. hold a controversy ; (by implication) to defend · by implication, to try, condemn, punish
Reading a lexicon entry
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Words in this compound — expand to study each participant
רִיבH7378properly, to toss , i.e. grapple ; mostly figuratively, to wrangle , i.e. hold a controversy ; (by implication) to defend
Pronunciationriv
Escalation from physical grappling to legal/verbal dispute; often frames God's covenant lawsuit against Israel's unfaithfulness
Open lexicon entry →κρίνωG2919by implication, to try, condemn, punish
Pronunciationkrínō
Core judicial term encompassing mental assessment, decision-making, and God's final condemnation; ranges from opinion to verdict.
Open lexicon entry →What does רִיב (riv) mean in the Bible?
רִיב · κρίνω is a Hebrew phrase meaning "to plead a legal case or defend a cause".
Full entry for רִיב (H7378, G2919) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How many biblical occurrences are listed for H7378, G2919?
H7378, G2919 is connected to 70 lexical occurrence verses in the lexicon data.
Evidence Summary
Hebrew phrase. to plead a legal case or defend a cause
Source Gloss
to plead a legal case or defend a cause
Grammatical Forms
How the stem changes the meaning of this verb across the biblical text.
This verb appears through different tense, voice, mood, or stem patterns. Those forms help readers see how the action is presented in context.
Form groups1Aligned forms35
Qalbasic active stem — the word in its most common, direct sense35×
ImperfectIsa 50:8 · Isa 51:22 · Jer 50:34 · Job 13:19 · Job 23:6 · Judg 6:31 · Mic 7:9 · Prov 22:23 · Prov 23:11 · Ps 103:9 · Isa 49:25 · Isa 57:16 · Jer 2:9 · Jer 12:1 · Jer 2:2916×
Perfect1Sam 25:39 · Judg 11:25 · Gen 26:22 · Num 20:13 · Job 33:13 · Lam 3:586×
Sequential imperfectHos 2:4 · Isa 1:17 · Mic 6:1 · Prov 25:95×
JussiveHos 4:4 · Judg 6:31 · Judg 6:32 · Prov 3:305×
Participle activeIsa 45:9 · Jer 51:362×
Infinitive absoluteJer 50:341×
Word Origins
רִיב is a primitive root - no further derivation.