Joshua 18:27 — Word Study
WLCוְרֶ֥קֶם וְיִרְפְּאֵ֖ל וְתַרְאֲלָֽה׃
BSARekemReqem [a place of healing] IrpeelYirpᵉʼêl△ [God will heal] TaralahTarʼălâh△ [reeling, a city in Benjamin]
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| וְרֶ֥קֶם | and Rekem | Conjunction, noun proper |
| וְיִרְפְּאֵ֖ל | and Irpeel | Conjunction, noun proper |
| וְתַרְאֲלָֽה׃ | and Taralah | Conjunction, noun proper |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | Rekem, Irpeel, Taralah, |
| KJV | And Rekem, and Irpeel, and Taralah, |
| ASV | and Rekem, and Irpeel, and Taralah, |
| YLT | and Rekem, and Irpeel, and Taralah, |
| WEB | Rekem, Irpeel, Taralah, |
| BBE | And Rekem and Irpeel and Taralah |
Where they part company is in the names of the cities — see How Translations Differ.
The verse consists of a single main clause listing the cities, emphasizing their collective identity.
5 commentators on this verse
Gill, Jamieson, Poole, Ellicott & more — read them ›
clause
The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
2 of 3 occur nowhere else in the Old Testament — words chosen on purpose.
Bars are logarithmic — אֵת, the commonest word in the Hebrew Bible, stands about 11,000 times, so a linear scale would leave everything else invisible. Click a row to open that word.
Deep Study — Joshua 18:27
Sections marked generated are written from the data on this page rather than by a named author. Everything else — the lexicon entries, the cross references, the manuscript readings, the counts — is quoted from its source unchanged.
Context — The Cities of Benjamingenerated
Joshua 18:27 lists Rekem, Irpeel, and Taralah as part of the cities allocated to the tribe of Benjamin. This verse is part of a larger section detailing the inheritance of the tribes of Israel as they settled in the Promised Land, emphasizing the geographical and cultural significance of these locations.
Cross References
The Key Word — רֶקֶם, ve.Re.kemgenerated
The first city mentioned is רֶקֶם (Rekem), a proper noun that refers to a specific place. The name is associated with the concept of 'variegation' or 'colorful', suggesting a place of diversity or beauty. It is also noted that Rekem is a name found in other contexts in the Bible, including a man from the tribe of Manasseh.
Next is יִרְפְּאֵל (Irpeel), meaning 'God will heal'. This name reflects a divine connection, indicating the city's significance as a place of healing within the tribe of Benjamin. The name combines elements that imply both healing and divinity.
Finally, תַּרְאֲלָה (Taralah) means 'reeling', possibly indicating a city that is difficult to access. Each of these names contributes to the understanding of the land and its historical context.
How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated
In this study, the verse is read in the Berean Standard Bible, which uses the names as they appear in the original Hebrew.
Sentence Structuregenerated
The verse consists of a simple list of three proper nouns, each introduced by the conjunction וְ (and). This structure emphasizes the collective identity of the cities as part of the inheritance of the tribe of Benjamin.
The noun phrases are straightforward, with each city name standing alone as a significant location in the territory of Benjamin.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
The Septuagint translates רֶקֶם as φιρα, יִרְפְּאֵל as καφαν, and תַּרְאֲלָה as θαρεηλα. These choices reflect a direct correspondence with the Hebrew names while adapting them to the Greek language.
The translation choices indicate a similar understanding of these places, though the Greek names may carry different connotations or associations in the Hellenistic context.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Joshua 18:27 lists three cities: Rekem, Irpeel, and Taralah. Each name has a specific meaning: Rekem is associated with healing, Irpeel means 'God will heal', and Taralah refers to a city that is hard to reach. These cities are part of the territory given to the tribe of Benjamin.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
Rekem means 'variegation' or 'colorful' and refers to a specific place in the territory of Benjamin.
Irpeel means 'God will heal' and reflects the city's connection to healing.
Taralah means 'reeling' and possibly indicates a city that is difficult to access.
These cities are part of the inheritance of the tribe of Benjamin, highlighting the historical and geographical significance of the land in the biblical narrative.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- What can the meanings of these city names teach us about the culture and values of the people in biblical times?
- How do the names of places in the Bible reflect the history and geography of the land?
- In what ways do the cities mentioned in this verse connect to the larger narrative of the Israelites' settlement in the Promised Land?
- What significance do you find in the names that relate to healing, such as Irpeel, in the context of biblical themes?
Commentators on this verse — 5 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Joshua 18:27 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire BibleAnd Rekem, and Irpeel, and Taralah. Of these cities there is no mention made elsewhere.
Read John Gill on Joshua 18 →Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's CommentaryAnd Rekem, and Irpeel, and Taralah, Rekem - perhaps Ain Karim, near Kulonieh (Motza). Irpeel - i:e., what God heals (Gesenius). Its position has not been discovered. Taralah , [Septuagint, Thareeela] - not yet identified.
Read Robert Jamieson on Joshua 18 →Matthew Poole1624–1679Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy BibleMizpeh, near Ramah, in the same mountain where Silo was. There were divers other cities of that name.
Read Matthew Poole on Joshua 18 →Charles John Ellicott1819–1905Ellicott's Commentary for English ReadersTHE OF .(11-28) The lot of the tribe of the children of Benjamin.—It can have been by no accident that their lot came forth “between Judah and Joseph.” No wiser method could have been devised to secure an united Israel than thus to make Benjamin the link between the two most powerful and naturally rival tribes. In the story of Joseph, the brethren are reconciled through the mutual affection of Judah and Joseph for Benjamin as their father’s youngest and best-loved son. The position thus given to Benjamin under Joshua was still further developed by circumstances. The tribe was almost exterminated in the time of the judges; the survivors were united in marriage with women of Ephraim and…
Read Charles John Ellicott on Joshua 18 →CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges27. 7. Rekem unknown. 8. Irpeel, Lieut. Conder thinks that this may be recognised in the modern Râfât, N. of El Jib, being the same from which the name Rephaim is derived. 9. Taralah is unrecognised.
Read Cambridge on Joshua 18 →The verse in English, compared — 17 translations, and where they part company
Every translation on this page is a decision someone had to make and commit to. Read down a column and you see one translator's judgement; read across a row and you see the range the Greek actually allows. The BSB is the wording the rest of this page is measured against, so it is listed first.
Modern formal
Rekem, Irpeel, Taralah,
Rekem, Irpeel, Taralah,
Rekem, Irpeel, Taralah,
Rekem, Irpeel, Taralah,
Tyndale line
And Rekem, and Irpeel, and Taralah,
and Rekem, and Irpeel, and Taralah,
and Rekem, and Irpeel, and Taralah;
And Rekem, and Irpeel, and Taralah,
And Rekem, and Irpeel, and Taralah,
Strictly literal
and Rekem, and Jirpeel, and Tharalah,
and Rekem, and Irpeel, and Taralah,
and Rekem, and Irpeel, and Taralah,
And Rekem, and Yirpeel, and Taralah,
Rekem, Irpeel, Taralah,
From the Latin
And Recem, Jarephel and Tharela,
Simplified
Rekem, Irpeel, Taralah,
And Rekem and Irpeel and Taralah
Counted from the translations carried on this site, not from a survey of every English Bible. A rendering shared by many versions is usually inherited rather than independently arrived at — the Tyndale line in particular runs through most of them.
The sentence as the grammar sees it — from the MACULA Hebrew treebank
This is not our own analysis: it is the scholarly syntax tree for the verse, showing how the clause actually holds together.
Boxes are the grammarian's groupings — clause, noun phrase, prepositional phrase.
The four witnesses to this verse — Masoretic, Septuagint, Samaritan, Qumran
The Masoretic Text lists the names as וְרֶ֥קֶם וְיִרְפְּאֵ֖ל וְתַרְאֲלָֽה׃. The Septuagint matches all three words, showing agreement between these ancient witnesses on the names of the cities.
וְרֶ֥קֶם וְיִרְפְּאֵ֖ל וְתַרְאֲלָֽה׃
3 of the 3 words are matched. This is the word-by-word correspondence, not the Septuagint's own sentence — its word order and its articles are its own.
Four traditions, not one. “On the leather” means the letters physically survive on the scroll, as against letters an editor has supplied to fill a hole in it — a restoration is a scholar’s reading, not a reading of the manuscript. Words in [square brackets] are supplied; the notes count them apart from what survives.
The map of this verse — what each word keeps company with
This is a map of two things, both counted rather than judged. Company kept: which words stand within three words of each of these, anywhere in the Hebrew Bible — the thicker the line, the more often the pair meet compared with chance. Built from: the words a word is made out of, taken from its own Strong’s entry. It is not a map of meaning: nothing here claims two words mean the same thing. Click any circle to see the numbers behind it.
Lexicons — every word in Joshua 18:27
One dossier per word, with every reference work grouped by kind — Hebrew lexicons, morphology, Bible dictionaries, topical chains and the English of the translators themselves. The verse sits at the head of each block with the word under study lit, so you never lose your place. The panel above gives the short answer; this is the long one, and it is the part of the page worth indexing.
Every entry below is the lexicographer's own text. On the Hebrew: Brown-Driver-Briggs entire and its gloss set, Strong's Hebrew Dictionary, and Tyndale House's Translators Brief lexicon. Where a cell says a work has no entry, that work genuinely has none for this word.
רֶ֫קֶם (Reqem) refers to a variety of meanings, primarily as a proper noun. It denotes a king of Midian, a man from the tribe of Judah, and a town in Benjamin. The term is associated with 'variegation' and appears in contexts related to individuals and locations in the Old Testament, including mentions in Numbers and Chronicles.
רֶ֫קֶם n.pr.
m.
a king of Midian
a ‘son’ of Hebron
name in Gilead
loc. in Benj.
base
H7552 רֶ֫קֶם
7552 Reqem reh'-kem
from 7551; versi-color; Rekem, the name of a place in
Palestine, also of a Midianite and an Israelite:--Rekem.
see HEBREW for 07551
רֶ֫קֶם (re.qem) — Rekem.
A man living at the time of Egypt and Wilderness, first mentioned at Num.31.8
§ Rekem = "variegation"
one of the 5 kings of Midian killed by the Israelites
רֶ֫קֶם (re.qem) — Rekem.
§ Rekem = "variegation"
n pr m a town in Benjamin
רֶ֫קֶם (re.qem) — Rekem.
A man of the tribe of Judah living at the time of Divided Monarchy, first mentioned at 1Ch.2.43;
son of: Hebron (H2275I);
brother of: Korah (H7141J), Tappuah (H8599A) and Shema (H8087);
father of: Shammai (H8060H)
§ Rekem = "variegation"
one of the 4 sons of Hebron and the father of Shammai
רֶ֫קֶם (re.qem) — Rakem.
A man of the tribe of Manasseh living at the time of Divided Monarchy, only mentioned at 1Ch.7.16;
son of: Sheresh (H8329);
brother of: Ulam (H0198)
§ Rekem = "variegation"
a Manassite, son of Machir by Maachah his wife
Conj | N-proper — Conjunction · noun properHC/Npl
re'-kem (rekem, "friendship"):
(1) One of the five kings of Midian slain by the Israelites under Moses (Nu 31:8; Jos 13:21 (Codex Vaticanus Rhobok; Codex Alexandrinus Rhokom)). Like his companions, he is called a "king" in Numbers, but a "prince" or "chieftain" in the passage in Josh. The two references are hardly related; both are based on an earlier tradition.glish Language, 398). the Revised Version (British and American) has, however, retained the older word, at least in the margin, in all passages in which it is found in the King James Version): According to Hebrew psychology the reins are the seat of the deepest emotions and affections of man, which God alone can fully know. Thus the Revised Version (British and American) has substituted "heart" for "reins" in the text of
Rekem
Embroidered; variegated. (1.) One of the five Midianite kings whom the Israelites destroyed (Num. 31:8).
(2.) One of the sons of Hebron (1 Chr. 2:43, 44).
(3.) A town of Benjamin (Josh. 18:27).
one of the towns of the allotment of Benjamin. (Joshua 18:27) Its existing site is unknown.
vain pictures; divers picture
יִרְפְּאֵל (Yirp'el) refers to a location in Benjamin, specifically a city mentioned in Joshua 18:27. The name translates to "God will heal," combining elements that imply healing and divinity. The entries consistently identify it as a geographical term without significant disagreement.
יִרְפְּאֵל n.pr.loc. in Benj., Jos 18:27
ref
H3416 יִרְפְּאֵל
3416 Yirp'el yir-peh-ale'
from 7495 and 410; God will heal; Jirpeel, a place in
Palestine:--Irpeel.
see HEBREW for 07495
see HEBREW for 0410
יִרְפְּאֵל (yir.pe.el) — Irpeel.
§ Irpeel = "God will heal"
a city in Benjamin
Conj | N-proper — Conjunction · noun properHC/Npl
ur'-pe-el, ir'-pe-el (yirpe'el): An unidentified city in Benjamin (Jos 18:27). It may possibly be represented by Rafat, a ruin to the North of el-Jib, the ancient Gibeon.
(God heals), one of the cities of Benjamin. (Joshua 18:27) No trace has yet been discovered of its situation.
the health, medicine, or exulting of God
→ A city of the tribe of Benjamin Jos 18:27
תַּרְאֲלָה (Tar'alah) refers to a location in Benjamin, mentioned in Joshua 18:27. The name is associated with the meaning 'reeling.' The entries indicate that it is likely derived from another Hebrew word, but they do not provide further details on its etymology.
תַּרְאֲלָה n.pr.loc. in Benjamin Jos 18:27
ref
H8634 תַּרְאֲלָה
8634 Tar'alah tar-al-aw'
probably for 8653; a reeling; Taralah, a place in
Palestine:--Taralah.
see HEBREW for 08653
תַּרְאֲלָה (tar.a.lah) — Taralah.
§ Taralah = "reeling"
a city in the territory of Benjamin
Conj | N-proper — Conjunction · noun properHC/Npl
tar'-a-la (tar'alah; Codex Vaticanus Thareela; Codex Alexandrinus Tharala): A town in the territory of Benjamin named between Irpeel and Zelah (Jos 18:27). Eusebius, Onomasticon (s.v. "Therama") simply says it was in the tribe of Benjamin. In the times of Eusebius and Jerome, therefore, the site was already lost, and has not since been covered.
(reeling), one of the towns in the allotment of Benjamin. (Joshua 18:27)
searching out slander, or strength
→ A city in the territory of the tribe of Benjamin Jos 18:27