Original Word: רְוָיָה
Part of Speech: Noun Feminine
Transliteration: rvayah
Pronunciation: reh-vah-YAH
Phonetic Spelling: (rev-aw-yaw')
KJV: runneth over, wealthy
NASB: abundance, hearts, overflows
Word Origin: [from H7301 (רָוָה - fill)]

1. satisfaction

runneth over, wealthy

From ravah; satisfaction -- runneth over, wealthy.

see HEBREW ravah

Word Origin
from ravah
Definition
saturation
NASB Translation
abundance (1), hearts (1), overflows (1).

רְוָיָה noun feminine saturation (Lag^{BN 51, 150}); — absolute ׳כּוֺסִי ר Psalm 23:5 (figurative), i.e. is well-filled Ges^{§ 141c}; in General ׳לָר Psalm 66:12, but Vrss and most modern לָֽרְוָחָה to (a place of) relief.

רוהגה see רָהָגָּה sub. רהג.

רוח (√ of following; probably breathe, blow (see Gerber⁴⁶); compare Syriac breathe; Arabic be windy; Ethiopic flabello ventilare, ventulum facere; Arabic breath, wind, spirit, soul, spirit; Late Hebrew רוּחַ, Aramaic רוּחָא, wind, breath, spirit; also Late Hebrew רֵיחַ, Aramaic רֵיחָא, , all odour; Late Hebrew רִיחַ, רוּחַ (usually Hiph`il), ᵑ7 Syriac Aph`el, all smell).

Summary of Meaning

רְוָיָה portrays a state of overflowing fullness—whether the literal cup brimming in hospitality or the figurative abundance that follows divine deliverance. The term assumes not mere sufficiency but an excess that manifests God’s gracious character.

Old Testament Usage

1. Psalm 23:5 – “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.” Here, רְוָיָה is visualized at the shepherd’s banquet table. David’s overflowing cup illustrates covenant security in the face of hostility. The abundance flows from the Host, emphasizing protection and fellowship rather than the removal of enemies.
2. Psalm 66:12 – “You let men ride over our heads; we went through fire and water, but You brought us into abundance.” After refining trials, the community is ushered into רְוָיָה. The word punctuates a climactic reversal: oppression to overflow. The psalmist underlines corporate testimony—God leads His covenant people from testing to plenty, reaffirming His faithfulness through generations.

Theological Significance

Abundance in Scripture is fundamentally relational. רְוָיָה elevates blessing beyond material measure to the experience of God Himself. In both psalms, overflowing follows intimacy—David’s personal communion and Israel’s collective worship. The image anticipates later revelation of life “to the full” (John 10:10) and rivers of living water for believers (John 7:38), locating רְוָיָה within a canonical thread of divine generosity.

Historical Context

Ancient Near Eastern banquets symbolized alliance. An overflowing cup at the host’s table guaranteed the guest’s wellbeing. Likewise, post-exilic worshipers singing Psalm 66 remembered exodus-style deliverance, interpreting current hardships through the lens of past salvation. רְוָיָה therefore functioned as liturgical affirmation: the God who once led through Red Sea and wilderness still opens spacious places.

Practical Ministry Application

• Pastoral care—Psalm 23 offers a model of God’s sustaining presence amid threat; ministries of visitation and communion mirror the overflowing cup by embodying hospitality to the afflicted.
• Worship leading—Psalm 66 encourages testimony services, where congregants recount trials and celebrate God’s abundant outcome.
• Stewardship teaching—רְוָיָה warns against scarcity mind-sets; generosity flows from confidence in God’s limitless supply (2 Corinthians 9:8).
• Counseling—Believers battered by “fire and water” can anchor hope in a God who ultimately brings them into spacious abundance, reframing suffering as a prelude to overflow.

Christological and Eschatological Dimensions

The Messianic Shepherd of Psalm 23 finds fulfillment in Jesus Christ, who anoints with the Spirit (Luke 4:18) and offers the cup of the new covenant (Luke 22:20). Eschatologically, the overflowing imagery echoes the marriage supper of the Lamb (Revelation 19:9), where abundance becomes everlasting reality.

Related Concepts

• Divine Hospitality – Genesis 18:1-8; Matthew 22:1-14
• Fullness of Joy – Psalm 16:11
• Abundant Life – John 10:10
• Spiritual Saturation – Ephesians 3:19

Key Verses

Psalm 23:5; Psalm 66:12

לָֽרְוָיָֽה׃ לרויה׃ רְוָיָֽה׃ רויה׃ lā·rə·wā·yāh LarevaYah lārəwāyāh rə·wā·yāh revaYah rəwāyāhInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts