Lexical Summary
rabats: To lie down, to rest, to crouch, to recline
Original Word:רָבַץ
Part of Speech:Verb
Transliteration:rabats
Pronunciation:rah-BAHTS
Phonetic Spelling:(raw-bats')
KJV: crouch (down), fall down, make a fold, lay, (cause to, make to) lie (down), make to rest, sit
NASB:lie down, lying, lay down, lies, rest, crouching, lead them to rest
Word Origin:[a primitive root]
1. to crouch (on all four legs folded, like a recumbent animal)
2. be implication, to recline, repose, brood, lurk, imbed
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
crouch down, fall down, make a fold, lay, cause to, make to lie down, make to rest, sit
A primitive root; to crouch (on all four legs folded, like a recumbent animal); be implication, to recline, repose, brood, lurk, imbed -- crouch (down), fall down, make a fold, lay, (cause to, make to) lie (down), make to rest, sit.
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origina prim. root
Definitionstretch oneself out, lie down, lie stretched out
NASB Translationcrouching (1), lay down (2), lead them to rest (1), lie down (15), lies (2), lies down (1), lying (3), lying down (1), rest (2), set (1), sitting (1).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
(Late Hebrew = Biblical Hebrew; Assyrian
rabâƒu,
lie, dwell;
rubƒu (in word-lists),
stall, also
womb (compare II. above); Arabic
lie down, on the breast, stretch oneself out,
Sabean CIS
iv. no. 5, 2;
lie stretched out, Syriac
, Christian-Palestinian Aramaic
recline at meals, Schw
Idioticon 87); —
Perfect3masculine singularGenesis 49:9, 3feminine singular consecutiveDeuteronomy 29:19,Ezekiel 19:2, etc.;Imperfect3masculine singularIsaiah 11:6;Isaiah 27:10; 3feminine singularNumbers 22:27; 3masculine pluralNumbers 11:7Numbers 14:30Zephaniah 2:7;Psalm 104:22; 3feminine pluralEzekiel 34:14;ParticipleExodus 23:5 3t.; feminineGenesis 49:25 2t.; masculine pluralGenesis 29:2; —lie down, lie: of domestic animals, assExodus 23:5 (E; under heavy burden),Numbers 22:27 (Jeremiah; in obstructed path),Genesis 49:14 (at ease; poetic, in simile); sheep, in repose,Genesis 29:2 (J),Isaiah 17:2;Zephaniah 2:14; figurative of peopleEzekiel 34:14; calf. in reposeIsaiah 27:10: of wild beasts, lion, in lair,Genesis 49:9 (poem in J; figurative),Psalm 104:22; = make lair, abodeEzekiel 19:2 (figurative), so ofIsaiah 13:21,Ezekiel 29:3 (figurative); leopard (with kid)Isaiah 11:6, compareIsaiah 11:7; = brood, of mother-birdDeuteronomy 22:6 (); of man, in reposeIsaiah 14:30;Job 11:19, compareZephaniah 2:7;Zephaniah 3:13 (figurative of flock perhaps implied, compareEzekiel 34:14 above); of the deep,Genesis 49:25;Deuteronomy 33:13; figurative of curseDeuteronomy 29:19 ( person); of sin,Genesis 4:7at the door sin makes its lair.
Imperfect3masculine singular suffixPsalm 23:2, 2masculine singularSongs 1:7, etc.;ParticipleIsaiah 54: pluralJeremiah 33:12; —cause to lie down, orlie, accusative of flock (for repose)Jeremiah 33:12, also (figurative)Psalm 23:2;Ezekiel 34:15; accusative of flock omittedIsaiah 13:10;Songs 1:7; oflaying stonesIsaiah 54:
Topical Lexicon
Meaning and Conceptual Scopeרָבַץ (rāḇaṣ) pictures the posture of an animal or person who has lowered the body to the ground. In Hebrew thought the act may convey (a) quiet rest, (b) readiness to spring, or (c) occupancy of a place. Context decides whether the nuance is peaceful security, threatening potential, or simple physical repose.
Distribution in Scripture
The verb appears about thirty times, chiefly in the Pentateuch, Prophets, and Psalms. Roughly half the occurrences are literal descriptions of livestock or wild beasts; the remainder are figurative, portraying moral, spiritual, or eschatological realities.
Literal Applications in Agricultural and Pastoral Settings
1. Care of domestic flocks:Genesis 29:2-3 describes sheep “lying around the well” awaiting water. Similar scenes recur inNumbers 32:24;Isaiah 65:10;Ezekiel 34:14-15, where God promises His people, “There they will lie down in a good grazing land.” The verb captures the shepherding ideal of satisfied animals stretched out in unthreatened rest.
2. Natural rhythms of wildlife:Psalm 104:22 notes that at sunrise the lions “withdraw and lie down in their dens,” whileProverbs 30:30 calls the lion that “retreats before nothing” a creature that both crouches and springs.
3. Tribal portraits: Jacob’s blessings employ the verb for Judah and Issachar. “He crouches; he lies down like a lion” (Genesis 49:9) highlights Judah’s regal power at rest yet ready, whereas Issachar is “lying down between the sheepfolds” (Genesis 49:14-15), suggesting sturdy endurance under burden.
Symbolism of Danger and Aggression
The earliest appearance,Genesis 4:7, warns Cain: “sin is crouching at your door.” The same verb that depicts a lion about to leap illustrates sin’s predatory nearness. Later, Balaam echoes Jacob: “He crouches, he lies down like a lion” (Numbers 24:9), portraying Israel as a formidable nation that may appear at ease yet is ready to defend itself.Ezekiel 19:2 applies the term to the lioness rearing whelps amid other lions, portraying the princes of Judah.
Metaphors of Rest, Security, and Covenant Blessing
Numerous prophets use רָבַץ to prophesy covenant peace:
•Isaiah 11:6 “The leopard will lie down with the goat,” picturing the reversal of natural hostility under Messiah’s reign.
•Isaiah 65:10 promises that Sharon and Achor will become “a resting place for herds.”
•Ezekiel 34 repeatedly links lying down with God’s shepherd-care: “I Myself will make them lie down” (Ezekiel 34:15).
• Jeremiah laments apostasy by noting the loss of such rest: “they have forgotten their resting place” (Jeremiah 50:6).
Ruin and Desolation Motif
Where judgment falls, the only occupants are animals that “lie down” in the ruins (Isaiah 13:20-21;Zephaniah 2:14). The verb here underscores utter desolation: human bustle has ceased, replaced by beasts at leisure in collapsed palaces.
Eschatological Images of Peaceful Dwelling
In the Messianic age predicated byIsaiah 11, predatory creatures recline beside former prey. The posture signals not merely cessation of violence but a radical transformation of nature itself—a foretaste ofRomans 8:21 liberation. The same hope underliesHosea 2:18, where a covenant with the beasts removes terror so that God’s people may “lie down in safety.”
Doctrinal and Devotional Insights
1. The posture of rest is God-given. True repose, whether for sheep or saints, flows from the Shepherd’s provision (Psalm 23, implied).
2. Sin’s posture imitates the predator’s crouch.Genesis 4:7 warns that moral compromise lurks at the threshold; vigilance is indispensable.
3. Kingdom security is both present and future. Believers enjoy spiritual rest now in Christ (Matthew 11:28-29) while anticipating the consummate peace where every threat will be neutralized (Hebrews 4:9-11;Revelation 7:17).
Implications for Ministry and Discipleship
• Shepherd leadership: Elders and pastors model the divine Shepherd by creating environments where God’s flock can “lie down,” free from spiritual predators and unnecessary disturbance (1 Peter 5:2-4).
• Spiritual warfare: Teachers must alert believers to sin’s crouching proximity, urging mastery through the Spirit (Galatians 5:16).
• Eschatological hope: Preaching should nurture longing for the day when creation’s groan is silenced and universal rest prevails.
• Compassionate outreach: Like Issachar, churches may bear burdens so that the weary find a safe place to recline—embodying the gospel’s restorative promise.
רָבַץ, therefore, traverses Scripture as a vibrant image of danger confronted, burdens borne, and rest bestowed. Through it the Lord discloses His shepherd heart, His warning against lurking sin, and His pledge to bring His people—and ultimately all creation—into secure, untroubled repose.
Forms and Transliterations
אַרְבִּיצֵ֔ם ארביצם הָרֹבֵ֖ץ הרבץ וְֽ֭רָבַצְתָּ וְרָ֤בְצָה וְרָבְצ֖וּ וְרָבְצ֨וּ וְרָבְצוּ־ וַתִּרְבַּ֖ץ ורבצה ורבצו ורבצו־ ורבצת ותרבץ יִרְבְּצ֣וּ יִרְבָּ֑ץ יִרְבָּ֑צוּ יִרְבָּ֖ץ יִרְבָּצ֔וּן יִרְבָּצֽוּן׃ יַרְבִּ֥צוּ יַרְבִּיצֵ֑נִי ירביצני ירבץ ירבצו ירבצון ירבצון׃ מַרְבִּ֤יץ מַרְבִּצִ֖ים מרביץ מרבצים רָבַ֧ץ רָבָ֑צָה רֹבְצִ֣ים רֹבֵ֑ץ רֹבֵ֖ץ רֹבֵץ֙ רֹבֶ֙צֶת֙ רֹבֶ֣צֶת רֹבֶ֥צֶת רבץ רבצה רבצים רבצת תִּרְבַּ֙צְנָה֙ תַּרְבִּ֣יץ תרביץ תרבצנה ’ar·bî·ṣêm ’arbîṣêm arbiTzem hā·rō·ḇêṣ hārōḇêṣ haroVetz mar·bi·ṣîm mar·bîṣ marbîṣ marbiṣîm marBitz marbiTzim rā·ḇā·ṣāh rā·ḇaṣ rāḇaṣ rāḇāṣāh raVatz raVatzah rō·ḇe·ṣeṯ rō·ḇə·ṣîm rō·ḇêṣ rōḇêṣ rōḇeṣeṯ rōḇəṣîm roeTzim roVetz roVetzet tar·bîṣ tarbîṣ tarBitz tir·baṣ·nāh tirbaṣnāh tirBatznah vattirBatz Veravatzta veRavetzah veravetzu wat·tir·baṣ wattirbaṣ wə·rā·ḇaṣ·tā wə·rā·ḇə·ṣāh wə·rā·ḇə·ṣū wə·rā·ḇə·ṣū- wərāḇaṣtā wərāḇəṣāh wərāḇəṣū wərāḇəṣū- yar·bî·ṣê·nî yar·bi·ṣū yarbîṣênî yarbiṣū yarbiTzeni yarBitzu yir·bā·ṣū yir·bā·ṣūn yir·bāṣ yir·bə·ṣū yirbāṣ yirbāṣū yirbāṣūn yirBatz yirBatzu yirbaTzun yirbəṣū yirbeTzu
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