Hebrew · Strong's H7341
רֹחַב
(RO-chav)
noun, masculine
This noun refers to the horizontal extent of something from side to side, indicating its width or breadth.
The Hebrew noun רֹחַב (rochav) primarily denotes physical width or breadth. It is commonly used in measurements and descriptions of architecture and geography throughout the Old Testament. Its semantic range is largely literal, describing the dimension across an object or space. While primarily concrete, it can occasionally carry a more expansive, though still spatial, sense akin to "largeness" or "expanse."
Biblically, רֹחַב frequently appears in contexts related to construction, especially in detailed accounts of the tabernacle, temple, and the New Temple vision in Ezekiel. These precise measurements underscore God's meticulous design and the order inherent in sacred spaces. Beyond architectural settings, it describes the breadth of geographical features or the general vastness of a place. The term emphasizes the physical extent, often alongside length and height, to give a complete picture of an object's or area's dimensions.
Common English renderings
- breadth
- broad
- largeness
- thickness
- wideness
Key verses
"And the house which king Solomon built for Jehovah, the length thereof was threescore cubits, and the breadth thereof twenty cubits, and the height thereof thirty cubits."
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"And he made the altar of incense of acacia wood: a cubit was the length thereof, and a cubit the breadth thereof, foursquare; and two cubits was the height thereof; the horns thereof were of one piece with it."
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"By the breath of God ice is given; And the breadth of the waters is straitened."
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"For he built the house of the forest of Lebanon; the length thereof was a hundred cubits, and the breadth thereof fifty cubits, and the height thereof thirty cubits, upon four rows of cedar pillars, with cedar beams upon the pillars."
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"And the screen for the gate of the court was the work of the embroiderer, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen: and twenty cubits was the length, and the height in the breadth was five cubits, answerable to the hangings of the court."
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"And by the border of Judah, from the east side unto the west side, shall be the oblation which ye shall offer, five and twenty thousand reeds in breadth, and in length as one of the portions, from the east side unto the west side: and the sanctuary shall be in the midst of it."
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