Lexical Summary
rib: Dispute, controversy, contention, lawsuit, quarrel
Original Word:רִיב
Part of Speech:Noun Masculine
Transliteration:riyb
Pronunciation:reeb
Phonetic Spelling:(reeb)
KJV: + adversary, cause, chiding, contend(-tion), controversy, multitude (from the margin), pleading, strife, strive(-ing), suit
NASB:strife, case, dispute, cause, contentions, complaint, quarrel
Word Origin:[fromH7378 (רִיבּ רוּב - contend)]
1. a contest (personal or legal)
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
adversary, cause, chiding, contention, controversy, multitude, pleading, strife,
Or rib {reeb}; fromriyb; a contest (personal or legal) -- + adversary, cause, chiding, contend(-tion), controversy, multitude (from the margin), pleading, strife, strive(-ing), suit.
see HEBREWriyb
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originfrom
ribDefinitionstrife, dispute
NASB Translationadversary (1), case (11), cause (9), complaint (2), contend (1), contention (1), contentions (3), controversy (1), dispute (11), disputes (1), indictment (1), lawsuit (1), plea (1), plead his case (1), quarrel (2), strife (13), suit (2).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
62Isaiah 1:23 ; — absolute
Genesis 13:7 +,
Exodus 23:2 +; construct
Exodus 17:7 +; suffix
1 Samuel 24:16 +,
Job 31:13 (or infinitive?), etc.; plural
Deuteronomy 17:8; construct
2 Samuel 22:44 2t.,
Job 13:6; —
strife, quarrel: ,Exodus 17:7 (J),Deuteronomy 1:12, about pasturageGenesis 13:7 (J; =Genesis 13:8), in GeneralProverbs 15:18;Proverbs 17:14;Proverbs 20:3;Proverbs 26:17,21;Proverbs 30:33, +Habakkuk 1:3, soProverbs 17:1; figurativeJob 33:19 Kt (Qr , i.e. q. v. );Psalm 31:21, compareIsaiah 58:4;Proverbs 18:6;Jeremiah 15:10 (+ ). 2. of public hostilities2 Samuel 22:44 =Psalm 18:44, compareJudges 12:2,Isaiah 41:11; ""Psalm 55:10.
39 especiallydispute, controversy, case at law:Exodus 23:2,3,6 (E),Deuteronomy 21:5 (+),Deuteronomy 25:1;2 Samuel 15:2,4 ("" ), + 10 t., + (of )Hosea 4:1;Hosea 12:3;Micah 6:2 (twice in verse);Jeremiah 25:31;Ezekiel 44:24;Lamentations 3:36; as accusative of congnate meaning with verb,case, causeMicah 7:9;Jeremiah 50:34 8t. (see √
), +1 Samuel 25:39,Lamentations 3:58;Deuteronomy 17:8matters of controversy;Deuteronomy 19:17dispute as to guilt;Job 31:35 =accuser.plea:Proverbs 18:17,Job 13:6pleadings of my lips.
Topical Lexicon
Range of Meaning and General Themeרִיב depicts every level of conflict, from a neighborly quarrel to a formal court case and, supremely, to the covenant lawsuit Yahweh brings against His people and the nations. It therefore touches the horizontal plane of human relationships and the vertical plane of divine-human accountability.
Occurrences and Literary Distribution
About sixty-one appearances span narrative (Genesis through Kings), legal material (Exodus–Deuteronomy), wisdom literature (Job, Psalms, Proverbs), and the prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Hosea, Micah, Habakkuk). The term’s spread affirms that wherever sin, injustice, or misunderstanding arise, God addresses them.
Civil and Criminal Litigation in the Torah
Israel’s civil life assumed that disputes would surface, but God provided righteous mechanisms for resolution:
•Exodus 23:2-3, 6 outlines courtroom integrity: “When you testify in a lawsuit, do not pervert justice by siding with the crowd… You shall not deny justice to the poor in their lawsuits.”
•Deuteronomy 25:1 pushes judges toward impartiality.
•Deuteronomy 17:8-13 brings the most difficult רִיב to the sanctuary courts, rooting jurisprudence in worship.
These passages show that justice is an act of theology; wrong judgments misrepresent God.
Strife among Families and Neighbors
Early narrative uses stress the everyday character of רִיב.Genesis 13:7 reports, “So there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram’s livestock and the herdsmen of Lot’s livestock.” The solution—peaceful separation—foreshadows New Testament exhortations to pursue peace. Isaac’s well-conflicts (Genesis 26:20-22) likewise portray patient forbearance as the path to blessing.
Judges, Kings, and National Disputes
Judges 11:12-27 records Jephthah’s diplomatic “case” with Ammon, blending international relations with covenant history. Absalom manipulates personal grievances to steal Israel’s heart (2 Samuel 15:2-6), warning leaders never to exploit legitimate complaints for self-promotion.
The Prophetic ‘Rib’ Pattern: Yahweh’s Covenant Lawsuit
In prophetic literature רִיב becomes a technical term for God’s litigation against covenant breakers:
• “Hear, O mountains, the indictment of the Lord… for the Lord has a case against His people” (Micah 6:2).
•Hosea 4:1; 12:2;Isaiah 3:13;Jeremiah 25:31; 51:36;Habakkuk 1:4 all frame judgment oracles as courtroom proceedings.
The pattern highlights God’s moral governance: He gathers witnesses (heaven and earth), reads the charges (idolatry, oppression), renders verdicts (exile, calamity), yet holds out restoration for repentance.
Appeals for Divine Advocacy in the Psalms
Sufferers turn רִיב into prayer:
• “Awake and rise to my defense, to my cause, my God and my Lord!” (Psalm 35:23).
• “Defend my cause and redeem me; revive me according to Your word” (Psalm 119:154).
Believers entrust unresolved injustice to the heavenly court, confident that “He will defend the afflicted among the people” (Psalm 72:4, thematic).
Wisdom for Conflict Resolution
Proverbial teaching assumes disputes but sets guardrails:
• “The first to state his case seems right until another comes and cross-examines him” (Proverbs 18:17).
• “Do not rush to court, or what will you do in the end when your neighbor humiliates you? Argue your case with your neighbor directly” (Proverbs 25:8-9).
• Meddling in another’s רִיב invites harm (Proverbs 26:17).
Wisdom urges restraint, private dialogue, and truth-seeking—principles directly transferable to church discipline and pastoral counseling.
Theological Significance
1. God is Judge: Every human רִיב ultimately arrives at His bar (Jeremiah 25:31).
2. Covenant accountability: Israel’s privileges brought heightened scrutiny; so does the church’s (1 Peter 4:17).
3. Redemption through advocacy: God not only judges; He “pleads the cause of His people” (Jeremiah 51:36). His role anticipates Christ the Advocate.
Practical Ministry Implications
• Encourage believers to exhaust private reconciliation before litigation (Matthew 18:15-17 reflectsProverbs 25:8-9).
• Model impartiality in church leadership, rememberingDeuteronomy 1:17—“Do not show partiality in judgment; hear both small and great alike.”
• Preach the prophetic רִיב passages to expose cultural sins and call for repentance grounded in the finished work of Christ.
• Offer pastoral comfort from the Psalms to those facing unjust accusations, directing them to the One who “pleads the cause of the afflicted.”
Foreshadowing of Christ and New Testament Connections
Isaiah’s Servant “will faithfully bring forth justice” (Isaiah 42:3); Jesus embodies that promise, settling the deepest רִיב—humanity’s enmity with God—through the cross. Paul pictures the courtroom outcome: “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). Meanwhile believers are called, “as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone” (Romans 12:18), extinguishing lesser quarrels in light of the greater reconciliation already secured.
Thus רִיב reminds every generation that conflicts, whether personal or cosmic, must be resolved in righteousness. Scripture presents God as both the perfect Judge and the gracious Advocate who, in Messiah, brings every lawsuit to a just and saving conclusion.
Forms and Transliterations
בְּרִיב֑וֹ בְּרִיב֔וֹ בְּרִיבֽוֹ׃ בְרִ֑יב בריב בריבו בריבו׃ הָרִ֖יב הָרִ֥יב הריב וְלָרִ֑יב וְרִ֖ב וְרִ֣יב וְרִ֥יב וְרִֽיבְכֶֽם׃ וְרִב֖וֹת וְרֹ֖וב ולריב ורב ורבות ורוב וריב וריבכם׃ לְרִ֤יב לְרִ֥יב לְרִיבִֽי׃ לריב לריבי׃ מֵרִ֑יב מֵרִ֥יב מֵרִ֪יבֵ֫י מֵרִיבֵ֖י מריב מריבי רִ֗ב רִ֗יב רִ֛יב רִ֣יב רִ֣יב ׀ רִ֤יב רִ֥יב רִ֦יב רִ֨יב רִ֭יבִי רִֽיבְכֶ֖ם רִֽיב׃ רִיב֙ רִיב֩ רִיבִ֔י רִיבִ֗י רִיבִֽי׃ רִיבִי֙ רִיבֵ֔ךְ רִיבֵ֥י רִיבֶ֑ךָ רִיבֶֽךָ׃ רִיבָ֑ם רִיבָ֣ם רִיבֹ֖ת רב ריב ריב׃ ריבי ריבי׃ ריבך ריבך׃ ריבכם ריבם ריבת bə·rî·ḇōw ḇə·rîḇ ḇərîḇ bərîḇōw beriVo hā·rîḇ hārîḇ haRiv lə·rî·ḇî lə·rîḇ lərîḇ lərîḇî leRiv leriVi mê·rî·ḇê mê·rîḇ mêrîḇ mêrîḇê meRiv meriVei rî·ḇām rî·ḇê rî·ḇe·ḵā rî·ḇə·ḵem rî·ḇêḵ rî·ḇî rî·ḇōṯ riḇ rîḇ rîḇām rîḇê rîḇêḵ rîḇeḵā rîḇəḵem rîḇî rîḇōṯ Riv riVam rivChem riVech riVecha riVei riVi riVot velaRiv veRiv veRiveChem veriVot veRov wə·lā·rîḇ wə·rî·ḇə·ḵem wə·ri·ḇō·wṯ wə·riḇ wə·rîḇ wə·rō·wḇ wəlārîḇ wəriḇ wərîḇ wərîḇəḵem wəriḇōwṯ wərōwḇ
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