Original Word: רֶפֶת
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: repheth
Pronunciation: reh'-feth
Phonetic Spelling: (reh'-feth)
KJV: stall
NASB: stalls
Word Origin: [probably from H7503 (רָפָה - fail)]

1. a stall for cattle (from their resting there)

stall

Probably from raphah; a stall for cattle (from their resting there) -- stall.

see HEBREW raphah

Word Origin
of uncertain derivation
Definition
stable, stall
NASB Translation
stalls (1).

[רֶ֫פֶת] noun [masculine] apparently stable, stall (Late Hebrew id.; √ dubious; Thes from רפף, compare Arabic enclosure for sheep and goats, but no satisfactory meaning of רפף known); — plural רְפָתִים Habakkuk 3:17 (for cattle).

רָץ see רוץ. [רַץ] see רצץ.

Definition and Scope

רֶפֶת designates a covered enclosure or stall prepared for domesticated cattle. While the noun appears only once in the Hebrew canon, its single occurrence provides a window into the agrarian economy of ancient Judah and the spiritual lessons derived from that economy.

Biblical Occurrence

Habakkuk 3:17 describes the most extreme agrarian collapse imaginable: “Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though the flock is cut off from the fold and there are no cattle in the stalls”. The word translated “stalls” is רֶפֶת. In the prophet’s escalating list, empty stalls form the climax—an emblem of total destitution, since cattle represented both wealth and future capacity to plow, thresh, and provide sacrificial animals.

Agricultural Significance in Ancient Israel

1. Economic Value: Cattle supplied meat, milk, hides, and labor for plowing (Deuteronomy 25:4; 1 Kings 19:19). An empty stall therefore signified not merely a dietary deficit but the loss of traction animals essential for future harvests.
2. Social Security: Herd size functioned as a tangible measure of wealth, inheritance, and dowry (Genesis 24:35; Job 1:3). To proclaim “no cattle in the stalls” was to confess the exhaustion of household securities.
3. Cultic Availability: Many offerings required bovine animals (Leviticus 1:2-3; Numbers 28:11). An empty cattle stall hinted at the suspension of regular sacrificial life, intensifying the sense of spiritual crisis.

Prophetic Context in Habakkuk

Habakkuk’s psalm (Habakkuk 3:1-19) juxtaposes national calamity with unwavering faith. By naming the empty רֶפֶת, the prophet highlights the costliest level of deprivation and then responds with praise: “Yet I will rejoice in the LORD; I will exult in the God of my salvation!” (Habakkuk 3:18). The stall thus becomes a silent witness to covenant trust that outlasts material loss.

Theological Symbolism

• Dependence on God: An unfilled stall reminds God’s people that agricultural prosperity ultimately lies in His favor (Deuteronomy 28:4).
• Judgment and Restoration: Empty stalls correspond to covenant curses (Deuteronomy 28:31) but also set the stage for promised renewal, when “the oxen and donkeys that work the ground will eat salted fodder” (Isaiah 30:24).
• Messianic Echo: The LXX renders various stable-related terms with φάτνη, the same Greek word used of the manger that cradled the incarnate Christ (Luke 2:7). Thus the desolate רֶפֶת of Habakkuk anticipates the humble setting in which ultimate salvation dawned.

Connections with Other Biblical Imagery

• Proverbs 14:4 notes, “Where there are no oxen, the manger is empty, but an abundant harvest comes through the strength of an ox”. Although a different Hebrew noun is used, the principle is the same: productivity requires provisioned stalls.
• Joel 1:17 pictures “storehouses in ruins, granaries broken down” as an aspect of locust judgment; Habakkuk’s empty stall completes that word-picture.
• Psalm 144:13-14 describes covenant blessing in terms of full barns and heavy sheep flocks; the reversed scene in Habakkuk underscores how far Judah had fallen from ideal blessing.

Practical and Ministry Applications

1. Faith Amid Loss: Believers may face seasons where the “stalls” of employment, provision, or ministry are empty. Habakkuk offers a template for worship that rises above crisis.
2. Stewardship: When God refills the stalls—literally or figuratively—His people are called to use renewed resources for His glory, remembering that abundance is a stewardship, not an entitlement.
3. Eschatological Hope: The vision of restored plenty in prophetic literature (Amos 9:13-15) assures the church that present deprivation is temporary; the Lord of the harvest will one day supply without measure.

Summary

רֶפֶת, though rare in Scripture, distills a broad biblical theology of dependence, judgment, and hope. The empty cattle stall of Habakkuk 3:17 reflects utter material collapse, yet also provides the backdrop for one of the greatest declarations of steadfast joy in God. Its testimony invites every generation to trust the Lord of provision, worship Him in lean times, and anticipate the fullness He has promised in Christ.

בָּרְפָתִֽים׃ ברפתים׃ bā·rə·p̄ā·ṯîm barefaTim bārəp̄āṯîmInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts