In listing out prominent words of narratives in the prophets I came across this interesting pattern based on the Hebrew parent root רב :
| The Sun Sets at the End of the Journey in the Arabian Desert West | |||
| #7227 adj | רַב rab, רַבָּ֔ה rabbah | “abundant, many” | Gen. 7:11 (the deep of the abundant) |
| #7231 verb | רַבב rabab | “to become many” | “those who hate me” Psalm 25:19, Psalm 3:1, 38:19, 69:4, Jer. 46:20-24; “transgressions/apostasies” Jer. 5:6, 14:7 |
| #7228 noun | רַב rab | “archer” | Job 16:13, Jer. 50:29 |
| #7232 verb | רַבב rabab | “to shoot or multiply (actively)” | Psalm 18:4 |
| #6150 verb | עָרַב arab | “become evening, grow dark” | Can’t tell the difference between light and dark |
| #6148 verb | עָרַב arab | “to exchange, give in pledge, braid, mix” | Ezra 9:2, Psalm 106:35 |
| #6154 noun | עֵרֶב areb | “mixed people” | Exodus 12:38 |
| #6152 noun | עֲרָב arab | “Arabia” | 1 Kin. 10:15, 2 Chron. 9:14, Isa. 21:13, Jeremiah 25:24, Eze. 27:21 |
| #6153 noun | עֶרֶב ereb | “evening, sunset” | Psalm 90:6 |
| #4628 noun | מַעֲרָב maarab | “the West” | Isaiah 45:6, Psalm 107:3 (the prefix ma- usually indicates a formal name. |
| #2724 noun | חָרָבָה charabah | “desert” | Gen. 7:22, Ex. 14:21, Josh. 3:17, 4:18, 2 Kin. 2:8 |
| #6158 noun | עֹרֵב oreb | “raven” | Gen. 8:7, Lev. 11:15, 1 Kin. 17:4-6, Job 38:41, Ps. 147:9, Prov. 30:17, Songs 5:11, Isa. 34:11 |
| #2717 verb | חָרַב charab | “to desolate, lay waste” | Gen. 8:13, Isa. 34:10, Jer. 2:12, Eze. 26:2 |
| #699 noun | אֲרֻבָּה arubbah | “lattice window” or “floodgate” | Gen. 7:11, 8:2, Isa. 24:18, Hos. 13:3 |
| #7241 noun | רָבִיב rebibim | “abundant showers” | Ps. 72:6, Jer. 3:3, 14:2, Micah 5:7 “the remnant” |
| #6161 noun | עֲרֻבָּה arubbah | “a pledge” | Prov. 17:18 |
| #7257 verb | רָבַץ rabats | “to crouch down” (as an animal) | Gen. 4:7, 29:2, 49:9,14; Num. 22:27, Isa. 13:21 |
| #7251 verb | רָבַע raba | “to square” | |
| #7253 noun | רָבַע reba | “a fourth part” | |
| #702 | אַרְבַּע arba | “four” | |
| #7250 noun | רָבַע raba | “mate” as with an animal | Lev. 18:23, 19:19, 20:16 only |
For more on Hebrew two-letter parent roots: 2letterlookup.com, Gesenius Stems and Roots, Bi-literal origin of roots.
We can see from this “word tree” where the words “Arab” and “Arabia” come from.
What are we to make of the obvious “Arabia” designation to the entire theme? Why is it also used to mean the west and sunset, when Arabia was never west of Israel, but was and is to the east?
It also shows up in the NT Pauline letters as an important cryptic designation of a
“woman’s” abode:
“She is mount Sinai in Arabia….” Gal. 4