Original Word: רָעַשׁ
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: ra`ash
Pronunciation: rah-ash
Phonetic Spelling: (raw-ash)
KJV: make afraid, (re-)move, quake, (make to) shake, (make to) tremble
NASB: shake, quaked, quake, quakes, shaken, shook, tremble
Word Origin: [a primitive root]

1. to undulate (as the earth, the sky, etc
2. also a field of grain), partic. through fear
3. specifically, to spring (as a locust)

make afraid, remove, quake, make to shake, make to tremble

A primitive root; to undulate (as the earth, the sky, etc.; also a field of grain), partic. Through fear; specifically, to spring (as a locust) -- make afraid, (re-)move, quake, (make to) shake, (make to) tremble.

Word Origin
a prim. root
Definition
to quake, shake
NASB Translation
leap (1), quake (4), quaked (5), quakes (3), quaking (1), shake (9), shaken (2), shook (2), tremble (2), wave (1).

[רָעַשׁ] verb quake, shake, intransitive (Late Hebrew = Biblical Hebrew, so Aramaic (rare), and (once) רְשְַׁ toss, rage (of sea); Arabic , usually , , (loan-word?), tremble, quiver, quake; compare perhaps Assyrian rêšu, exult); —

Qal Perfect3feminine singular רָעֲשָׁה Jeremiah 8:16; Jeremiah 49:21, רָעָ֑שָׁה Judges 5:4; Psalm 68:9; 3plural רָעֲשׁוּ Joel 2:10 +, etc. Imperfect3masculine singular יִרְעַשׁ Psalm 72:16, 3feminine plural תִּרְעַשְׁנָה Ezekiel 26:10, etc.; Participle plural רֹעֲשִׁים Jeremiah 4:24; — quake, shake, of earth Judges 5:4 = Psalm 68:9, 2 Samuel 22:8 ("" רגז) = Psalm 18:8 ("" id.), Psalm 77:19 (+ רגז), also Isaiah 13:13 (with עַלכֵּֿן, + מִמְּקוֺמוֺ, pregnantly; "" רָגַז), Jeremiah 51:29; with מִן causative Jeremiah 8:16; Jeremiah 10:10; Jeremiah 49:21; of מוֺסְדֵי אָ֑רֶץ Isaiah 24:18; of heavens Joel 2:10 (לִפְנֵי causative; "" רָגַז); heavens and earth Joel 4:16; mountains Jeremiah 4:24; Nahum 1:5 (מִן person causative ), Psalm 46:4 (ב causative ); walls Ezekiel 26:10 (מִן causative ); אִיִּים Ezekiel 26:15 (id.); מִגְרשׁוֺת Ezekiel 27:28 (ל causative ); הַסִּמִּים Amos 9:1; all living things Ezekiel 38:20 (מִמָּנַי causative ); of waving grain Psalm 72:16.

Niph`al נִרְעֲשָׁה הָאָרֶץ Jeremiah 50:46 is made to quake (מִקּוֺל).

Hiph`il Perfect2masculine singular הִרְעַשְׁתָּה Psalm 60:4; 1singular הַרְעַשְׁתִּי Ezekiel 31:16; ׳וְהִר consecutive Haggai 2:7; Imperfect2masculine singular suffix 3 masculine singular (הֲ)תַרְעִישֶׁנּוּ Job 39:20; Participle מַרְעִישׁ Isaiah 14:16 2t.; —

1 cause to quake, subject ׳י, with accusative of heavens, earth, nations, etc., Haggai 2:6,7,21, compare Psalm 60:4; nations + מִקּוֺל Ezekiel 31:16; subject man, with accusative of kingdoms Isaiah 14:16 ("" מַרְגִּיז).

2 cause (horse) to spring, leap (like locust), man subject, Job 39:20.

Overview

רָעַשׁ depicts violent shaking, quaking, or trembling—whether of the physical earth, the created order, or the human heart. The verb (about thirty times) and its cognate noun often appear in moments when the Lord intervenes dramatically in history, revealing His sovereign rule and calling His people to reverent awe.

Distribution of Usage

1. Natural or cosmic upheaval (Psalm 18:7; Isaiah 13:13).
2. Military panic and national collapse (1 Samuel 14:15; Jeremiah 50:46).
3. Theophanic revelation—God draws near (1 Kings 19:11; Nahum 1:5).
4. Eschatological promise and hope (Haggai 2:6-7; Ezekiel 38:19).
5. Personal agitation or dread (Job 39:24; Psalm 99:1).

Physical Phenomena: Earthquakes and Cosmic Shaking

The most common setting is literal seismic disturbance. David testifies, “Then the earth shook and quaked; the foundations of the mountains trembled; they were shaken because He burned with anger” (Psalm 18:7; compare 2 Samuel 22:8). Such quakes are not random but expressly linked to divine wrath or deliverance. Isaiah broadens the scope: “Therefore I will make the heavens tremble, and the earth will be shaken from its place at the wrath of the LORD of Hosts” (Isaiah 13:13). The same vocabulary undergirds later prophetic visions of a final, universal convulsion (Haggai 2:6-7; Ezekiel 38:19-20; Joel 2:10).

Divine Theophany and Judgment

In the ministries of Moses and Elijah, earthquake accompanies revelation. Elijah experiences “an earthquake” on Horeb (1 Kings 19:11), yet perceives that the LORD is free to speak beyond the spectacular. The shaking at Sinai (implied by the verb in Psalm 68:8) similarly announces Yahweh’s holiness and the unapproachable purity of His law. Prophets employ רָעַשׁ to portray judgment on both Israel and the nations: mountains quake (Isaiah 5:25), fortified cities totter (Amos 1:1), and imperial Babylon collapses so violently that “the earth will quake and the nations will tremble when the LORD takes vengeance” (Jeremiah 10:10).

National and Military Upheaval

Earthshaking turmoil mirrors political catastrophe. When Jonathan attacks the Philistine garrison, “the earth quaked, and panic spread in the camp” (1 Samuel 14:15). Jeremiah pictures the downfall of Babylon: “At the sound of Babylon’s capture the earth quakes; the cry is heard among the nations” (Jeremiah 50:46). רָעַשׁ thus conveys the terror that accompanies the disintegration of human power structures under God’s hand.

Human Response: Fear, Worship, Repentance

The trembling of creation elicits trembling in people. Nahum’s oracle asks, “Who can stand before His indignation? The mountains quake before Him and the hills melt away” (Nahum 1:5-6). Psalm 99:1 moves from cosmic to liturgical response: “The LORD reigns; let the peoples tremble… the earth is shaken.” Proper reverence is the intended outcome; those who refuse to fear Him will be shaken out like chaff (Haggai 2:22).

Eschatological Hope

While רָעַשׁ is frequently an image of dread, it also underlies promises of redemption. Haggai hears the Lord say, “I will shake all the nations, and they will come with all their treasure, and I will fill this house with glory” (Haggai 2:7). Hebrews 12:26-27 cites this verse to announce the final removal of all that is shakable, leaving an unshakable kingdom secured by the finished work of Christ. Matthew records earthquakes at both the Crucifixion and Resurrection (Matthew 27:51-54; 28:2), signaling that the decisive eschatological shaking has begun in Jesus’ death and triumph.

Historical Note: The Earthquake in Uzziah’s Day

Amos dates his prophecy “two years before the earthquake” (Amos 1:1), and Zechariah recalls how the inhabitants “fled from the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah” (Zechariah 14:5). Archaeological strata in eighth-century Judean sites exhibit widespread destruction consistent with a major quake, lending concrete support to the biblical witness and illustrating how רָעַשׁ can mark watershed moments in covenant history.

Ministry Implications

1. Proclamation: רָעַשׁ urges preachers to proclaim God’s moral governance of history—nations rise and fall at His voice.
2. Pastoral care: In seasons of societal upheaval, believers find stability not in unshaken circumstances but in an unshakable kingdom.
3. Worship: Corporate liturgy should retain a sense of awe; even New Covenant worship is approached “with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire” (Hebrews 12:28-29).
4. Evangelism: Earthly convulsions provide opportunities to point to the greater shaking still to come and to invite repentance before the Day of the Lord.

Summary

רָעַשׁ threads through Scripture as the sound and motion of divine visitation. From the trembling mountains of Sinai to the global upheaval foreseen by prophets, from the terror in Philistine camps to the cross-shaking at Calvary, the word testifies that creation itself responds to its Creator. Those who heed the warning find refuge in the One whose kingdom cannot be shaken; those who ignore it will one day experience a shaking from which there is no escape.

הְֽ֭תַרְעִישֶׁנּוּ הִרְעַ֣שְׁתִּי הִרְעַ֣שְׁתָּה הרעשתה הרעשתי התרעישנו וְהִרְעַשְׁתִּי֙ וְיִרְעֲשׁ֣וּ וְרָעֲשׁ֖וּ וְרָעֲשׁ֣וּ וְתִרְעַ֥שׁ וַֽיִּרְעֲשׁ֖וּ וַתִּרְעַ֣שׁ וַתִּרְעַ֥שׁ וַתִּרְעַ֨שׁ ׀ וַתִּרְעַשׁ֙ והרעשתי וירעשו ורעשו ותרעש יִֽרְעֲשֽׁוּ־ יִרְעֲשׁ֖וּ יִרְעַ֣שׁ ירעש ירעשו ירעשו־ מַרְעִ֔ישׁ מַרְעִ֖ישׁ מַרְעִישׁ֙ מרעיש נִרְעֲשָׁ֖ה נרעשה רָעֲשָׁ֖ה רָעֲשׁ֖וּ רָעֲשׁ֣וּ רָעָ֔שָׁה רָעָ֨שָׁה ׀ רֹעֲשִׁ֑ים רעשה רעשו רעשים תִּרְעַ֙שְׁנָה֙ תִּרְעַ֣שׁ תרעש תרעשנה hə·ṯar·‘î·šen·nū həṯar‘îšennū Hetarishennu hir‘aštāh hir‘aštî hir·‘aš·tāh hir·‘aš·tî hirAshtah hirAshti mar‘îš mar·‘îš marIsh nir‘ăšāh nir·‘ă·šāh niraShah rā‘ăšāh rā‘āšāh rā‘ăšū rā·‘ă·šāh rā·‘ā·šāh rā·‘ă·šū raAshah raaShu rō‘ăšîm rō·‘ă·šîm roaShim tir‘aš tir‘ašnāh tir·‘aš tir·‘aš·nāh tirAsh tirAshnah vaiyiraShu vattirAsh vehirashTi veraaShu vetirAsh veyiraShu wat·tir·‘aš wattir‘aš way·yir·‘ă·šū wayyir‘ăšū wə·hir·‘aš·tî wə·rā·‘ă·šū wə·ṯir·‘aš wə·yir·‘ă·šū wəhir‘aštî wərā‘ăšū wəṯir‘aš wəyir‘ăšū yir‘aš yir‘ăšū yir‘ăšū- yir·‘ă·šū yir·‘ă·šū- yir·‘aš yirAsh yirashuInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts