riv · contend, quarrel

What it means

riv (רִיב) is a Hebrew word of the Bible that means “contend, quarrel”.

Contend in words, quarrel, dispute; bring a case; also defend someone's cause.

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 fight with words.
2. To argue a cause; YHWH accuses his people.

From Brown-Driver-Briggs (1906)

Word study

To quarrel, dispute in words; and, in a legal sense, to contend at law: to defend or bring a case before a judge. Its noun is רִיב (dispute, case, H7379), and from the same root is מְרִיבָה (Meribah, quarreling).

• Quarreling over water Genesis 26:20Exodus 17:2Numbers 20:3
• Arguing, reproaching Genesis 31:36Nehemiah 13:11
• Contending for Baal? (Jerubbaal) Judges 6:31
• Pleading the cause of the weak Isaiah 1:171 Samuel 24:15Proverbs 22:23
• YHWH contends: with his people or for them Psalms 35:1Isaiah 3:13Psalms 103:9

Historical and cultural background

Gideon received the name Jerubbaal because his father said: “If he is a god, let him contend for himself” (Judges 6:31-32). The waters of Meribah got their name from this root, because there the people quarreled with Moses (Exodus 17:2, 7).

How we translate it

“Contend” 31 times, “contends” 2 and “I contended” 4 (Nehemiah 13:11); “quarreled” 6 and “quarrel” 4 in disputes between persons (Exodus 17:2); “plead” 7 or “defend” when it is on someone's behalf (“plead {the cause of} the widow”, Isaiah 1:17; 1 Samuel 24:15). In Judges 6 the play with the name Jerubbaal can be seen through “contend”.

How it is translated

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

• contend ×31
• plead ×7
• quarreled ×6
• I contended ×4
• quarrel ×4
• contends ×2
• You have pleaded ×1
• am pleading ×1
• case ×1
• court ×1
• others ×9

Related words

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

Where it appears

• Genesis×4
• Exodus×3
• Numbers×2
• Deuteronomy×1
• Judges×8
• 1 Samuel×4
• Nehemiah×4
• Job×8
• Psalms×5
• Proverbs×5
• Isaiah×8
• Jeremiah×7
• Lamentations×1
• Hosea×4
• Amos×1
• Micah×2

• Genesis 26:20

  The herdsmen of Gerar quarreled with the herdsmen of Isaac, saying, “The water is ours.” So he called the name of the well Esek, because they had contended with him.

• Genesis 26:21

  They dug another well, and they quarreled over it too, so he called its name Sitnah.

• Genesis 26:22

  He moved on from there and dug another well, and they did not quarrel over it; so he called its name Rehoboth, and said, “For now YHWH has made room for us, and we will be fruitful in the land.”

• Genesis 31:36

  Then Jacob became angry and quarreled with Laban. Jacob answered and said to Laban, “What is my transgression? What is my sin, that you have hotly pursued me?

• Exodus 17:2

  The people quarreled with Moses and said, “Give us water to drink.” Moses said to them, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test YHWH?”

• Exodus 21:18

  When men quarrel and a man strikes his neighbor with a stone or with his fist, and he does not die but is confined to bed,

• Numbers 20:3

  And the people quarreled with Moses and said, “If only we had expired when our brothers expired before YHWH!

• Numbers 20:13

  These are the waters of Meribah, where the sons of Israel quarreled with YHWH, and he showed himself holy among them.

• Deuteronomy 33:8

  And of Levi he said, “Your Thummim and your Urim belong to your faithful man, whom you tested at Massah, with whom you contended at the waters of Meribah;

• Judges 6:31

  Joash said to all who stood around him, “Are you going to contend for Baal? Or are you going to save him? Whoever contends for him shall be put to death by morning. If he is a god, let him contend for himself, because someone has torn down his altar.”

• Judges 6:32

  So on that day he called him Jerubbaal, saying, “Let Baal contend with him, because he tore down his altar.”

• Judges 8:1

  The men of Ephraim said to him, “What is this thing you have done to us, not calling us when you went to fight against Midian?” And they contended with him with force.

• Judges 11:25

  And now, are you really any better than Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab? Did he ever contend with Israel, or did he ever fight against them?

• Judges 21:22

  And it shall be, when their fathers or their brothers come to quarrel with us, that we will say to them, ‘Show us favor regarding them, for we did not take for each man his wife in the war; for you did not give them to them; otherwise now you would be guilty.’”

• 1 Samuel 2:10

  YHWH: those who contend with him will be shattered; against them he will thunder in the heavens. YHWH will judge the ends of the earth; he will give strength to his king and lift high the horn of his anointed.”

• 1 Samuel 15:5

  Saul came to the city of Amalek and lay in ambush in the wadi.

• 1 Samuel 24:15

  May YHWH be judge and judge between me and you, and may he see and defend my cause and judge me free from your hand.”

• 1 Samuel 25:39

  David heard that Nabal had died, and he said, “Blessed be YHWH, who has defended the cause of my insult at the hand of Nabal, and has held back his servant from evil; and the evil of Nabal YHWH has returned on his own head.” David sent and spoke to Abigail to take her to himself as wife.

• Nehemiah 5:7

  My heart deliberated within me, and I contended with the nobles and with the officials and said to them, “You are lending at interest, each to his brother.” And I convened against them a great assembly,

• Nehemiah 13:11

  So I contended with the officials and said, “Why is the house of Elohim abandoned?” And I gathered them and set them in their place.

• Nehemiah 13:17

  So I contended with the nobles of Judah and said to them, “What is this evil thing that you are doing, profaning the day of the Sabbath?

• Nehemiah 13:25

  And I contended with them and cursed them and struck some men of them, and pulled out their hair, and made them swear by Elohim: “You shall not give your daughters to their sons, nor take any of their daughters for your sons or for yourselves.

• Job 9:3

  If he wished to contend with him, he could not answer him one in a thousand.

• Job 10:2

  I will say to Eloah: Do not declare me wicked; let me know why you contend with me.

• Job 13:8

  Will you show partiality to him? Or for El will you contend?

• Job 13:19

  Who is he who will contend with me? For now I would be silent and expire.

• Job 23:6

  Would he contend with me in the greatness of his strength? No; surely he would pay attention to me.

• Job 31:13

  If I despised the right of my male slave or my female slave in their case with me,

• Job 33:13

  Why do you contend against him, for to all his words he does not answer?

• Job 40:2

  “Will the one who corrects contend with Shaddai? Let the one who argues against Eloah answer this.”

• Psalms 35:1

  Of David. Contend, YHWH, with those who contend with me; fight against those who fight me.

• Psalms 43:1

  Judge me, Elohim, and contend for my case against a nation not faithful; from the man of deceit and injustice bring me to safety.

• Psalms 74:22

  Rise up, Elohim; plead your case; remember your reproach from the fool all the day.

• Psalms 103:9

  He will not always contend, nor forever will he bear a grudge.

• Psalms 119:154

  Plead my cause and redeem me; according to your saying give me life.

• Proverbs 3:30

  Do not contend with anyone without cause, if he has not done you harm.

• Proverbs 22:23

  for YHWH will plead their case, and will rob the soul of those who rob them.

• Proverbs 23:11

  for their redeemer is strong; he will plead their case against you.

• Proverbs 25:8

  Do not go out to court hastily, lest— what will you do in the end of it, when your neighbor puts you to shame?

• Proverbs 25:9

  Plead your case with your neighbor, and do not reveal another’s secret;

And 27 more times.