Rapha, “To heal,” Strong’s H7495

The first occurrence

So Abraham prayed to God; and God healed Abimelech, his wife, and his female servants. Then they bore children. Gen 20:17

The primitive root

Strong’s H7495, רפא rapha,  a primitive verb meaning, “to heal.” The ancient pictographs are resh + pey + aleph.

resh ר = head of man (head, first, top, beginning, man)
pey פ, ף = mouth (open, blow, scatter, edge)
aleph א = ox head (strength, power, leader)

Gesenius’ Hebrew Lexicon says that it means, “to sew together, to mend.” The parable is of a man (resh) with an open wound (pey, as an opening of the body), who needs his wound mended by someone learned enough or powerful enough (aleph) to make him whole again.

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