H7379 — רִיב (riyb)¶

Core Data¶

Strong's: H7379
Original: רִיב
Transliteration: riyb
Pronunciation: reeb
Part of Speech: Masculine noun
Root: רִיב (riyb) H7378 — to contend, plead, strive
Occurrences: 59 unique verses (61 tokens) across 17 books
First Occurrence: Gen 13:7 — "And there was a strife between the herdmen of Abram's cattle and the herdmen of Lot's cattle"
Hapax Legomenon: No

Lexicon Definition¶

Or רִב rib; from H7378; a contest (personal or legal): adversary, cause, chiding, contend(-tion), controversy, multitude (from the margin), pleading, strife, strive(-ing), suit.

Translation Distribution (KJV)¶

Translation	Count	%
strife/a strife	8	13.6%
cause (my/thy/their/his/your/the/a)	19	32.2%
controversy (a/the/for the/of/also a)	12	20.3%
strivings (from the)	3	5.1%
contention/into contention	2	3.4%
suit (any)	1	1.7%
chiding (the)	1	1.7%
pleadings (to the)	1	1.7%
adversary (mine)	1	1.7%
Other	11	18.6%

The dominant translation cluster is "cause" (32%), reflecting the legal-case sense. "Controversy" (20%) captures the formal dispute sense. "Strife" (14%) reflects interpersonal conflict.

Distribution by Book¶

Book	Count	Per 100 Verses
Micah	2	1.9
Habakkuk	1	1.8
Lamentations	2	1.3
Proverbs	12	1.3
Hosea	2	1.0
Deuteronomy	5	0.5
2 Samuel	3	0.4
Jeremiah	6	0.4
Isaiah	5	0.4
Exodus	4	0.3
Psalms	7	0.3
Job	3	0.3
Judges	1	0.2
1 Samuel	2	0.2
2 Chronicles	2	0.2
Genesis	1	0.1
Ezekiel	1	0.1

Proverbs has the highest raw count (12, 20% of all uses), reflecting wisdom literature's concern with quarrels and litigation. The prophets (Jeremiah, Isaiah, Hosea, Micah) collectively account for 15 uses (25%), predominantly in YHWH's covenant-lawsuit (riyb pattern). Absent from the Pentateuchal legal codes of Leviticus and Numbers despite its legal sense.

Semantic Categories¶

1. Legal Case / Lawsuit¶

The formal legal cause brought before a judge or before God for adjudication. - Exo 23:3 — "Neither shalt thou countenance a poor man in his cause." - Exo 23:6 — "Thou shalt not wrest the judgment of thy poor in his cause." - Deu 25:1 — "If there be a controversy between men, and they come unto judgment, that the judges may judge them" - 2Sa 15:2 — "when any man that had a controversy came to the king for judgment"

2. God Pleading / Vindicating a Cause¶

YHWH or God acting as advocate, taking up the legal case of the oppressed or the psalmist. - 1Sa 25:39 — "Blessed be the LORD, that hath pleaded the cause of my reproach" - Psa 43:1 — "Judge me, O God, and plead my cause against an ungodly nation" - Psa 119:154 — "Plead my cause, and deliver me: quicken me according to thy word" - Lam 3:58 — "O Lord, thou hast pleaded the causes of my soul; thou hast redeemed my life"

3. YHWH's Covenant Lawsuit¶

The prophetic riyb pattern: God brings a formal legal complaint against Israel or the nations for covenant violation. - Hos 4:1 — "the LORD hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land" - Hos 12:2 — "The LORD hath also a controversy with Judah" - Mic 6:2 — "Hear ye, O mountains, the LORD'S controversy, and ye strong foundations of the earth: for the LORD hath a controversy with the inhabitants thereof" - Jer 25:31 — "the LORD hath a controversy with the nations, he will plead with all flesh"

4. Interpersonal Strife / Quarrel¶

Conflict between persons or groups, without explicit legal-court framing. - Gen 13:7 — "there was a strife between the herdmen of Abram's cattle and the herdmen of Lot's cattle" - Jdg 12:2 — "I and my people were at great strife with the children of Ammon" - Psa 55:9 — "I have seen violence and strife in the city" - Deu 1:12 — "How can I myself alone bear your cumbrance, and your burden, and your strife?"

5. Wisdom on Avoiding Contention¶

Proverbs uses riyb to counsel against quarrelsomeness and the dangers of litigation. - Pro 17:14 — "The beginning of strife is as when one letteth out water: therefore leave off contention, before it be meddled with" - Pro 20:3 — "It is an honour for a man to cease from strife: but every fool will be meddling" - Pro 26:17 — "He that passeth by, and meddleth with strife belonging not to him, is like one that taketh a dog by the ears" - Pro 26:21 — "As coals are to burning coals, and wood to fire; so is a contentious man to kindle strife"

6. Vengeance / Recompense¶

Riyb as the controversy that occasions divine judgment and vindication. - Isa 34:8 — "the day of the LORD'S vengeance, and the year of recompences for the controversy of Zion" - Jer 50:34 — "Their Redeemer is strong; the LORD of hosts is his name: he shall throughly plead their cause" - Jer 51:36 — "I will plead thy cause, and take vengeance for thee"

Common Collocations¶

Word	Strong's	Co-occurrences	Typical Pattern
יְהֹוָה (Yehovah)	H3068	20x (34%)	"the LORD hath a controversy" / "plead my cause, O LORD"
אִישׁ (iysh)	H376	12x (20%)	"a man of strife" / "every man which hath a suit"
רִיב (riyb verb)	H7378	12x (20%)	Cognate pairing: "plead my cause" (verb + noun)
מִשְׁפָּט (mishpat)	H4941	10x (17%)	"controversy... judgment" — legal proceedings pair
שָׁפַט (shaphat)	H8199	9x (15%)	"judge between" parties in a riyb
גָּאַל (gaal)	H1350	4x (7%)	"redeemer... plead their cause" — advocacy pattern
אֱלֹהִים (elohiym)	H430	6x (10%)	"judge me, O God, and plead my cause"

Word Family / Cognates¶

H7378 רִיב (riyb) — root verb: to contend, plead, strive (59v). The verbal form of the same root; often appears alongside the noun in cognate-accusative constructions ("plead my cause").

Synonyms (SDBH)¶

H4941 מִשְׁפָּט (mishpat) — judgment, verdict, case (406v). Broader than riyb: covers the verdict/ruling itself, not just the contention brought.
H1779 דִּין (diyn) — judgment, cause (17v). Narrower legal term for the formal judgment/case; overlaps with riyb but emphasizes the adjudication rather than the dispute.
H4066 מָדוֹן (madown) — contention, strife (11v). Focuses on quarrelsomeness as a character trait; Proverbs-dominant.

Easily Confused Words¶

Word	Strong's	Shared Translation	Key Difference
מָדוֹן (madown)	H4066	"strife" (4v)	madown = habitual quarrelsomeness/brawling; riyb = a specific dispute or legal case
דִּין (diyn)	H1779	"cause" (1v)	diyn = the verdict/judgment rendered; riyb = the legal contention brought before a judge
מִשְׁפָּט (mishpat)	H4941	"cause" (6v)	mishpat = verdict, ordinance, custom; riyb = the dispute/lawsuit itself
מַצָּה (matstsah)	H4683	"strife" (1v)	matstsah = quarrel/debate (3v total, rare); riyb = broader legal and interpersonal contention

Semantic Domain¶

Conflict — alongside H340 ʼoyeb (enemy), H341 ʼoyeb (enemy)
Enemies — alongside H3401 yariyb (adversary), H3402 yariyb (adversary)

LXX Mapping¶

Greek Equivalent	Co-occurrences	PMI Score	Notes
κρίσις (krisis) G2920	29	20.28	Primary equivalent — "judgment/decision"
ἀντιλογία (antilogia) G485	9	17.35	"Dispute, contradiction" — captures the contention sense
μάχη (mache) G3163	8	16.53	"Battle, fight, controversy" — captures the conflict sense
κρίνω (krino) G2919	15	14.26	"To judge" — verbal rendering of the noun
δίκη (dike) G1349	6	13.83	"Justice, right, punishment"
ἀντίδικος (antidikos) G476	4	12.56	"Opponent in a lawsuit" — captures the adversary sense

The LXX translators most frequently rendered riyb with krisis (judgment/decision), collapsing the distinction between the dispute (riyb) and the judgment (mishpat) that Hebrew maintains. Secondary renderings preserve more of the contention sense (antilogia, mache).