StrongerBible

ru'a

רוּעַ

HebrewH7321shout, make a joyful noise, ...

Appears 44 times · tap a cell to see the verses

Num 10:7Num 10:9Jos 6:5Jos 6:10 (3×)Jos 6:16Jos 6:20 (2×)Jdg 7:21Jdg 15:141Sa 4:51Sa 10:241Sa 17:201Sa 17:522Ch 13:122Ch 13:15 (2×)Ezr 3:11Ezr 3:13Job 30:5Job 38:7Psa 41:11(12)Psa 47:1(2)Psa 60:8(10)Psa 65:13(14)Psa 66:1Psa 81:1(2)Psa 95:1Psa 95:2Psa 98:4Psa 98:6Psa 100:1Psa 108:9(10)Isa 15:4Isa 16:10Isa 42:13Isa 44:23Jer 50:15Hos 5:8Jol 2:1Mic 4:9Zec 9:9
Root family
Word studyroo-AHverb

What ru'a means

to raise a loud, ringing shout: a mass cry let out together, whether as a war cry, a roar of triumph, or a burst of joy

TranslatabilityPartialCertaintyStrong

This is the verb for a big, communal noise: a crowd or an army opening its throat all at once. The shout is always loud and public, and it is usually made by many voices together, so English often reaches for phrases like "raise a shout," "sound the alarm," or "make a joyful noise."

What the shout means depends entirely on the moment. The same blast can rally soldiers for battle, warn a city of danger, hail a new king, or erupt as praise in worship. The act is one and the same: a sudden, full-voiced roar. The feeling behind it, fear, fury, triumph, or joy, is supplied by the setting, not by the word itself.

Because the verb names the sound rather than the emotion, the same word can sit on opposite sides of a scene. An army shouts as it attacks, and the people inside the walls shout in alarm. A crowd roars for its king, and a worshiping congregation roars before its God. The senses below sort these settings out, but they all share this one ringing, collective cry.

Nuances

1ato raise the war cry, or to sound the alarm: the roar an army lets out going into battle, or the cry that warns of danger
Num 10:7Num 10:9Jos 6:5Jos 6:10 (3×)Jos 6:16Jos 6:20 (2×)Jdg 7:21Jdg 15:141Sa 17:201Sa 17:522Ch 13:122Ch 13:15 (2×)
1bto shout in triumph, or to acclaim a king: the roar that hails a ruler or celebrates victory over an enemy
1Sa 4:51Sa 10:24Psa 41:11(12)Psa 60:8(10)Psa 108:9(10)Zec 9:9
1cto shout for joy, especially before God: the jubilant roar of worship and celebration
Ezr 3:11Ezr 3:13Psa 47:1(2)Psa 65:13(14)Psa 66:1Psa 81:1(2)Psa 95:1Psa 95:2Psa 98:4Psa 98:6Psa 100:1Isa 44:23
1dto cry out in dismay, or to shout against someone: a loud cry of distress or a hostile outcry
Job 30:5Isa 15:4

What scholars say about ru'a

The standard lexica (HALOT, BDB) treat רוע as a single verb, attested chiefly in the hiphil, meaning "to raise a shout, give a blast," with the contextual values of war cry/alarm, shout of triumph or acclamation, and cry of joy (often cultic). The act denoted is a loud, usually collective vocal blast; the affective coloring (martial, triumphal, jubilant, or, less often, distressed) is determined by context rather than carried by the root. The cognate noun תרועה ("shout, blast, alarm") shares this range and is frequently paired with trumpet signals. TDOT (s.v. רוע) likewise analyzes the verb as denoting an acclamatory shout whose setting spans the battlefield, the enthronement of a king, and the worship of the divine king. A small group of occurrences (Isa 15:4; Job 30:5) shade toward a cry of dismay or a hostile shout against someone; scholars generally take these as the same verb in a negative setting rather than a separate root.

Sources

  • HALOT, s.v. רועlexicon
  • BDB, s.v. רועlexicon
  • TDOT, s.v. רוע (rûaʿ)theological-dictionary

All attested forms of רוּעַ

hiphil imperative 2mp

הָרִיעוּ

Jos 6:10, Jos 6:16, Psa 47:1, Psa 66:1, Psa 81:1, Psa 98:4, Psa 98:6, Psa 100:1

hiphil consecutive-imperfect 3mp

וַיָּרִיעוּ, וַיָּרִעוּ

Jos 6:20, Jdg 7:21, 2Ch 13:15, Job 38:7, 1Sa 4:5, 1Sa 10:24, 1Sa 17:52

hiphil imperfect 3mp

יָרִיעוּ

Jos 6:5, Job 30:5, Isa 15:4

hiphil consecutive-perfect 2mp

וַהֲרִיעֹתֶם, וַהֲרֵעֹתֶם

Jos 6:10, Num 10:9

hiphil imperfect 2mp

תָרִיעוּ

Num 10:7, Jos 6:10

hiphil imperfect 3ms

יָרִיעַ

Psa 41:11, Isa 42:13

hiphil infinitive-construct construct

הָרִיעַ

2Ch 13:12, 2Ch 13:15

hiphil perfect 3cp

הֵרִיעוּ

Jdg 15:14, Ezr 3:11

hiphil cohortative 1cp

נָרִיעָה

Psa 95:1

hiphil consecutive-imperfect 3ms

וַיָּרַע

Jos 6:20

hiphil consecutive-perfect 3cp

וְהֵרֵעוּ

1Sa 17:20

hiphil imperative 2fs

הָרִיעִי

Zec 9:9

hiphil imperfect 1cp

נָרִיעַ

Psa 95:2

hiphil imperfect 2fs

תָרִיעִי

Mic 4:9

hiphil participle m p absolute

מְרִיעִים

Ezr 3:13

hithpael imperative 2fs

הִתְרֹעָעִי

Psa 60:8

hithpael imperfect 1cs

אֶתְרוֹעָע

Psa 108:9

hithpael imperfect 3mp

יִתְרוֹעֲעוּ

Psa 65:13

pual imperfect 3ms

יְרֹעָע

Isa 16:10