The word was used heavily in the 1980s/1990s to describe what horny teenage boys would do to take advantage of teenage girls at tea dances/functions whenever the DJ dimmed the lights and started playing sentimental music to slow-dance to.
On a more serious note though, "raba" is actually the Hebrew word for "multiply" and it appears twice in Gen 22:17, when God told Abraham that "in blessing I will bless you, and in multiplying I will multiply you". In fact, the word "barak", which is Hebrew for "blessing" also appears twice.
Our church has taught us well. Pastor Prince and Pastor Lian have mentioned in their sermons before about how the Hebrew language is fascinating, in that the way to place strong emphasis on any adjective is to use that word twice, and how we should look out for such occurrences whenever we read the Bible.
We see the double use of the word "mut" appearing in Gen 2:17, when God told Adam and Eve they will "surely die" after they had partaken of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, viz:
So too in Isa 40:30, where "kasal" appears twice, in describing how the young men of the world would "utterly fall" (in contrast to those who wait patiently upon the Lord as indicated in the verse following that):
And yet again in Isa 26:3, where "shalom" appears twice, talking about how those whose mind is focused on God will have "perfect peace", viz:
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Anyway, back to the topic of "raba raba" and "barak barak". In Ps Prince's sermon last Sunday, he gave us a glimpse into what the theme for 2026 is going to be when he shared on Heb 6:14 (which quotes from Gen 22:17).
I am eagerly looking forward to its unveiling this coming Sunday because it has to do with persistent prayer, and the manifestation of multiplied blessings that God has in store for us as New Covenant believers. Amen?
P.S. Came across another passage! The double usage of the Hebrew word "sama" in Deut 28:1 has been translated into "harken diligently".
1 comment:
Amen Amen
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