Original Word: עָרִיף
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: `ariyph
Pronunciation: ah-REEF
Phonetic Spelling: (aw-reef')
KJV: heaven
NASB: clouds
Word Origin: [from H6201 (עָרַף - drop)]

1. the sky (as dropping at the horizon)

heaven

From araph; the sky (as dropping at the horizon) -- heaven.

see HEBREW araph

Word Origin
from araph
Definition
a cloud
NASB Translation
clouds (1).

[עָרִיף] noun [masculine] cloud; — plural suffix בַּעֲרִיפֶיהָ Isaiah 5:30 (Perles^{JQ 1899, 689} proposes בְּעַד יָפְיָהּ, referring suffix to ארץ, and compare Psalm 139:11).

Hebrew Term and Imagery

A rare noun that evokes a sky so saturated with storm-cloud darkness that daylight itself is swallowed, leaving a landscape under an oppressive, dripping gloom.

Biblical Occurrence

Isaiah 5:30: “If one looks at the land, there is only darkness and distress; even the light is obscured by clouds.”

Contextual Setting

Isaiah’s six “woes” (Isaiah 5:8-25) indict Judah for greed, revelry, moral inversion, pride, corrupt justice, and spiritual apathy. Verses 26-30 unveil the foreign army God summons as His rod. The roar of the sea, the charge of lions, and the final word עָרִיף seal the scene: no refuge, no horizon, no light—only storm-laden judgment.

Theological Themes

1. Withdrawal of divine favor—light forfeited through covenant breach (compare Psalm 27:1; Isaiah 60:1-3).
2. Inevitable judgment—dark clouds symbolize the inescapability of God’s discipline.
3. Hope beyond gloom—later prophecies (Isaiah 9:2; 60:2) promise Messianic light that dispels the very darkness pictured by עָרִיף.

Historical and Cultural Background

Ancient peoples associated thick clouds with divine activity or ominous fate. Isaiah harnesses that shared dread, framing the Assyrian onslaught (circa 734-701 B.C.) as the LORD’s storm. What pagans deemed arbitrary weather Judah must recognize as covenant repercussions.

Intertextual Parallels

Thick darkness at Sinai (Exodus 19:16), the Day of the LORD (Joel 2:2; Zephaniah 1:15), and apocalyptic forecasts (Matthew 24:29; 2 Peter 2:17) echo the motif. Though עָרִיף itself is unique, its imagery threads through Scripture, linking historical judgment to eschatological climax.

Prophetic and Ministry Significance

• Warn before the clouds roll in; silence is complicity (Ezekiel 33:1-7).
• Expose sin that obscures personal and corporate light (Ephesians 5:11-14).
• Announce the Messiah who endured midday darkness (Matthew 27:45) so that believers may “walk in the light” (1 John 1:7).

Practical Application

1. Self-examination—unconfessed sin gathers clouds over spiritual sight.
2. Corporate vigilance—churches must read cultural skies and speak truth before darkness deepens.
3. Eschatological readiness—live as “children of day” (1 Thessalonians 5:5), anticipating the final dispelling of all storm-cloud gloom in the New Jerusalem (Revelation 22:5).

Summary

Though appearing only once, עָרִיף distills the moment when divine judgment renders daylight useless, foreshadowing both national calamity and the ultimate Day of the LORD. Its gloom magnifies God’s holiness, yet by contrast also showcases the conquering brilliance of His promised salvation.

בַּעֲרִיפֶֽיהָ׃ בעריפיה׃ ba‘ărîp̄ehā ba·‘ă·rî·p̄e·hā baariFeihaInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts