rava · multiply, increase

What it means

rava (רָבָה) is a Hebrew word of the Bible that means “multiply, increase”.

Become many, increase in number or amount; multiply. In the causative form, make many, do much.

How to say it

Approximate pronunciation. Vowels sound as in Spanish (a as in father, e as in bed, i as in machine, o as in note, u as in rule); the syllable in bold is stressed. The voice is your device's.

Its senses in the Bible

1. To grow in number.
2. To make an amount larger, adding and adding.
3. Used to say 'in great quantity' or 'very much'.

From Brown-Driver-Briggs (1906)

Word study

Become many, increase; in the causative form, multiply. BDB defines it as to increase, in whatever respect.

• “Be fruitful and multiply” Genesis 1:22Genesis 1:28
• God multiplies someone's offspring Genesis 16:10
• Multiplying toil Genesis 3:16
• The people multiplying in Egypt Exodus 1:7Exodus 1:12
• What the king must not multiply Deuteronomy 17:16Deuteronomy 17:17
• As an adverb, “much”, “very” Genesis 15:1

Historical and cultural background

Deuteronomy 17:16-17 forbids the king to multiply horses, wives, silver and gold.

How we translate it

“Multiply” 60 times, “multiplied” 39, “many” 27, “much” 23, “increase” 15. It is translated “multiply”; with the infinitive that strengthens it, “greatly multiply” (Genesis 3:16; 16:10); used as an adverb, “much” or “very” (“your reward {will be} very great”, Genesis 15:1).

How it is translated

The words this translation uses for it, most frequent first.

• multiply ×60
• multiplied ×39
• many ×27
• much ×23
• increase ×15
• great ×12
• increases ×7
• more ×6
• multiplies ×6
• abundance ×5
• others ×31

Related words

Words of the same family, by Strong’s numbering.

Where it appears

• Genesis×29
• Exodus×11
• Leviticus×3
• Numbers×3
• Deuteronomy×20
• Joshua×3
• Judges×3
• 1 Samuel×6
• 2 Samuel×7
• 1 Kings×4
• 2 Kings×3
• 1 Chronicles×10
• 2 Chronicles×10
• Ezra×3
• Nehemiah×8
• Job×8
• Psalms×10
• Proverbs×11
• Ecclesiastes×19
• Isaiah×10
• Jeremiah×10
• Lamentations×2
• Ezekiel×20
• Daniel×2
• Hosea×7
• Amos×2
• Jonah×1
• Nahum×1
• Habakkuk×1
• Haggai×2
• Zechariah×2

• Genesis 1:22

  And Elohim blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let the birds multiply on the earth.”

• Genesis 1:28

  And Elohim blessed them, and Elohim said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every animal that creeps on the earth.”

• Genesis 3:16

  To the woman he said, “I will greatly multiply your toil and your pregnancies; with pain you will give birth to children; and toward your husband will be your desire, and he will rule over you.”

• Genesis 7:17

  And the flood was forty days on the earth; and the waters increased and lifted up the ark, and it rose above the earth.

• Genesis 7:18

  And the waters prevailed and increased greatly on the earth, and the ark moved on the surface of the waters.

• Genesis 8:17

  Every animal that is with you, of all flesh, birds and livestock and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, bring out with you, and let them swarm on the earth and be fruitful and multiply on the earth.”

• Genesis 9:1

  And Elohim blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.

• Genesis 9:7

  And you, be fruitful and multiply, swarm on the earth and multiply on it.”

• Genesis 15:1

  After these things the word of YHWH came to Abram in a vision, saying, “Do not be afraid, Abram; I am a shield to you; your reward will be very great.”

• Genesis 16:10

  The angel of YHWH said to her, “I will greatly multiply your offspring, so that it cannot be counted because of its multitude.”

• Genesis 17:2

  I will set my covenant between me and you, and I will multiply you exceedingly.”

• Genesis 17:20

  As for Ishmael, I have heard you; look, I will bless him and make him fruitful and multiply him exceedingly. He will father twelve chiefs, and I will make him into a great nation.

• Genesis 21:20

  Elohim was with the boy, and he grew up and lived in the wilderness and became an archer.

• Genesis 22:17

  that I will surely bless you and will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of the heavens and as the sand that is on the shore of the sea; and your offspring will possess the gate of its enemies.

• Genesis 26:4

  I will multiply your offspring as the stars of the heavens and will give to your offspring all these lands; and through your offspring all the nations of the earth will bless themselves,

• Genesis 26:24

  YHWH appeared to him that night and said, “I am the Elohim of Abraham your father. Do not be afraid, for I am with you, and I will bless you and multiply your offspring because of Abraham my servant.”

• Genesis 28:3

  May El Shaddai bless you and make you fruitful and multiply you, so that you become an assembly of peoples.

• Genesis 34:12

  Increase very much the bride-price and the gift you require of me, and I will give just as you say to me; only give me the young woman as a wife.”

• Genesis 35:11

  And Elohim said to him, “I am El Shaddai. Be fruitful and multiply; a nation and an assembly of nations will come from you, and kings will come out from your loins.

• Genesis 38:12

  Many days passed, and the daughter of Shua, Judah’s wife, died; and when Judah was comforted, he went up to his sheepshearers at Timnah, he and Hirah his friend the Adullamite.

• Genesis 41:49

  Joseph stored up grain like the sand of the sea, very much, until he stopped counting, for it was without number.

• Genesis 43:34

  Portions were carried to them from before him, and Benjamin’s portion was five times larger than the portions of all of them. They drank and became drunk with him.

• Genesis 47:27

  Israel lived in the land of Egypt, in the land of Goshen; they acquired possessions in it, and were fruitful and multiplied greatly.

• Genesis 48:4

  He said to me, ‘Look, I will make you fruitful and multiply you, and I will make you an assembly of peoples, and I will give this land to your offspring after you as an eternal possession.’

• Exodus 1:7

  But the sons of Israel were fruitful, swarmed, multiplied, and grew strong, very, very much, and the land was filled with them.

• Exodus 1:10

  Come, let us deal shrewdly with them, or they will multiply, and if war breaks out, they too will join those who hate us and fight against us and go up from the land.”

• Exodus 1:12

  But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and the more they spread out, and the Egyptians came to dread the sons of Israel.

• Exodus 1:20

  And Elohim dealt well with the midwives, and the people multiplied and grew very strong.

• Exodus 7:3

  But I will harden the heart of Pharaoh, and I will multiply my signs and my wonders in the land of Egypt.

• Exodus 11:9

  YHWH said to Moses, “Pharaoh will not listen to you, so that my wonders may be multiplied in the land of Egypt.”

• Exodus 16:17

  The sons of Israel did so, and they gathered, some much and some little.

• Exodus 16:18

  But when they measured it with the omer, the one who gathered much had nothing left over, and the one who gathered little had no lack; each gathered according to what he could eat.

• Exodus 30:15

  The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less than half a shekel, when giving the contribution of YHWH to make expiation for your lives.

• Exodus 32:13

  Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants, to whom you swore by yourself and said to them, ‘I will multiply your offspring like the stars of the heavens, and all this land that I have spoken of I will give to your offspring, and they shall inherit it forever.’”

• Exodus 36:5

  and they said to Moses, saying, “The people are bringing much more than enough for the service for the work that YHWH commanded to do it.”

• Leviticus 11:42

  Whatever goes on its belly, and whatever goes on all fours, or even whatever has many feet, among all the swarming things that swarm on the earth, you shall not eat them, for they are a detestable thing.

• Leviticus 25:16

  The more the years, the more you shall increase its price, and the fewer the years, the more you shall decrease its price; for it is a number of harvests that he is selling to you.

• Leviticus 26:9

  And I will turn to you and make you fruitful and multiply you, and I will establish my covenant with you.

• Numbers 26:54

  To the large you shall increase his inheritance, and to the small you shall reduce his inheritance; to each his inheritance shall be given according to those counted of him.

• Numbers 33:54

  You shall take as inheritance the land by lot according to your families; to the large you shall increase his inheritance, and to the small you shall reduce his inheritance; wherever the lot falls for him, that shall be his; according to the tribes of your fathers you shall take inheritance.

And 191 more times.