Original Word: רֶשֶׁף
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: resheph
Pronunciation: reh'-shef
Phonetic Spelling: (reh'-shef)
KJV: arrow, (burning) coal, burning heat, + spark, hot thunderbolt
NASB: flashes, plague, bolts of lightning, flaming
Word Origin: [from H8313 (שָׂרַף - burned)]

1. a live coal
2. by analogy lightning
3. (figuratively) an arrow, (as flashing through the air)
4. specifically, fever

arrow, burning coal, burning heat, spark, hot thunderbolt

From saraph; a live coal; by analogy lightning; figuratively, an arrow, (as flashing through the air); specifically, fever -- arrow, (burning) coal, burning heat, + spark, hot thunderbolt.

see HEBREW saraph

Word Origin
from an unused word
Definition
flame
NASB Translation
bolts of lightning (1), flaming (1), flashes (2), plague (2), sparks* (1).

I. רֶ֫שֶׁף noun masculine^{Habakkuk 3:5} flame, fire-bolt; — absolute ׳ר Deuteronomy 32:24 +; plural רְשָׁפִים Psalm 78:48, construct ׳רִשְׁפֵ Psalm 76:4, רִשְׁמֵּי Songs 8:6; suffix רְשֶׁפֶיהָ Songs 8:6; —

1 flame: אֵשׁ ׳ר ׳ר Songs 8:6 its flames (that is of אַהֲבָה, קִנְאָה) are flames of fire; ׳בְּנֵי ר Job 5:7 = sparks; ׳ר = pointed flame of lighting Psalm 78:48 ("" בָּרָד); קָ֑שֶׁת ׳ר Psalm 76:4 Sharp flames of the bow, figurative for arrows.

2 fire-bolt of ׳יְ brining pestilence and death, Deuteronomy 32:24 (compare Dr; "" קֶטֶב מְרִירִי), Habakkuk 3:5 ("" דֶּבֶר).

Meaning and Imagery

The word רֶשֶׁף gathers together pictures of fierce, uncontrolled heat—lightning, fiery arrows, burning coals, and even raging pestilence. In Scripture these images serve as living metaphors for the intensity of divine judgment, the inevitability of human suffering, and, strikingly, the ardor of covenant love.

Occurrences and Contextual Nuances

1. Deuteronomy 32:24 – In the Song of Moses, resheph joins famine and plague in the list of covenant curses: “They will be wasted from hunger, ravaged by pestilence and bitter plague; I will send the fangs of beasts against them, with the venom of vipers that slither in the dust”. Here the term personifies a lethal emissary unleashed because of Israel’s unfaithfulness, underscoring the seriousness of covenant breach.

2. Job 5:7 – Eliphaz observes, “Yet man is born to trouble as surely as sparks fly upward”. The upward–soaring sparks (resheph) visualize the inevitability of human affliction in a fallen world, strengthening Job’s theme that hardship is woven into the human condition.

3. Psalm 76:3 – In a hymn celebrating the Lord’s victory, “There He shattered the flaming arrows, the shield and sword and weapons of war”. The fiery missiles (resheph) are broken by God, magnifying His superiority over every hostile power.

4. Psalm 78:48 – During the narration of the Egyptian plagues, “He abandoned their cattle to hail and their livestock to bolts of lightning”. Resheph functions as heaven-sent lightning striking Egypt’s animals, displaying God’s ability to wield natural forces in covenant defense of His people.

5. Song of Solomon 8:6 – Twice in this verse resheph is used of love’s fiery strength: “For love is as strong as death, its jealousy as unrelenting as Sheol. Its flashes are flashes of fire, a blazing flame”. What earlier signified deadly plague is now transfigured into the holy blaze of covenant love—an intentional paradox revealing that true love must be as intense and undefeatable as the gravest forces known to man.

6. Habakkuk 3:5 – In the prophet’s theophany, “Plague went before Him, and pestilence followed in His steps”. Resheph follows the Lord like an attendant, portraying judgment as the advance guard of divine glory when God arises to vindicate His people.

God’s Sovereign Control over Destructive Forces

Throughout the Old Testament, resheph never operates independently. Whether embodied in lightning, disease, weaponry, or passion, it moves only at God’s command. He unleashes it in judgment (Deuteronomy 32:24), restrains and shatters it in deliverance (Psalm 76:3), turns it against oppressors (Psalm 78:48), and redeems its imagery in covenant love (Song of Solomon 8:6). The Scriptures therefore teach that even the most frightening forces remain subordinate to the Lord’s righteous purposes.

Resheph and Covenant Blessings and Curses

Resheph figures prominently in covenant contexts, echoing the blessings-and-curses pattern of Leviticus and Deuteronomy. Its presence signals that obedience brings protection from the fiery plague, while rebellion invites it. This thread binds together Moses’ warning song, the historical lesson of the Egyptian plagues, and the prophetic vision of Habakkuk. The consistency reinforces the trustworthy character of God’s covenant dealings with His people.

Pastoral Application

For preaching and teaching, resheph offers vivid language for God’s holiness and the seriousness of sin. It warns against complacency, yet simultaneously comforts the believer: the same God who sends resheph also quenches it and even transforms it into the glowing flame of marital love. In spiritual warfare, the image parallels “the flaming arrows of the evil one” (Ephesians 6:16), encouraging reliance on the “shield of faith.”

Christological and Eschatological Overtones

At the cross, Christ bore every form of divine judgment, including the fiery wrath symbolized by resheph. His resurrection shattered the ultimate flaming arrows, securing a future where “no longer will there be any curse” (Revelation 22:3). In eschatological perspective, resheph anticipates the final purging fire that precedes the new heavens and new earth, ensuring that righteousness, not plague, will dwell forever.

Summary

Resheph threads through Scripture as a multifaceted emblem of destructive heat—judgment against sin, inevitable human trouble, divine vindication, and passionate love. Its controlled deployment by the Lord confirms His absolute sovereignty, His faithfulness to covenant promises, and His power to transmute judgment into redemptive blessing for those who trust Him.

לָרְשָׁפִֽים׃ לרשפים׃ רְשָׁפֶ֕יהָ רִשְׁפֵּ֕י רִשְׁפֵי־ רֶ֖שֶׁף רֶ֝֗שֶׁף רשף רשפי רשפי־ רשפיה lā·rə·šā·p̄îm lārəšāp̄îm lareshaFim rə·šā·p̄e·hā re·šep̄ rəšāp̄ehā rešep̄ reshaFeiha Reshef riš·pê riš·p̄ê- rishfei rishPei rišpê rišp̄ê-Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts