רחף

בראשית א:ב
וְהָאָ֗רֶץ הָיְתָ֥ה תֹ֙הוּ֙ וָבֹ֔הוּ וְחֹ֖שֶׁךְ עַל־פְּנֵי֣ תְה֑וֹם וְר֣וּחַ אֱלֹהִ֔ים מְרַחֶ֖פֶת עַל־פְּנֵ֥י הַמָּֽיִם:

דברים לב:יא
כְּנֶ֙שֶׁר֙ יָעִ֣יר קִנּ֔וֹ עַל־גּוֹזָלָ֖יו יְרַחֵ֑ף יִפְרֹ֤שׂ כְּנָפָיו֙ יִקָּחֵ֔הוּ יִשָּׂאֵ֖הוּ עַל־אֶבְרָתֽוֹ:

ירמיהו כג:ט
לַנְּבִאִ֞ים נִשְׁבַּ֧ר לִבִּ֣י בְקִרְבִּ֗י רָֽחֲפוּ֙ כָּל־עַצְמוֹתַ֔י הָיִ֙יתִי֙ כְּאִ֣ישׁ שִׁכּ֗וֹר וּכְגֶ֖בֶר עֲבָ֣רוֹ יָ֑יִן מִפְּנֵ֣י יְקֹוָ֔ק וּמִפְּנֵ֖י דִּבְרֵ֥י קָדְשֽׁוֹ:

 The root רחפ appears three times in TaNa”KH.  It is not clear what it means in any case.

It could mean to hover or to flutter.  In Jeremiah it seems to have more of a sense of trembling, but this could be a literal or metaphoric extension of fluttering.  A fluttering bird makes more sense than a fluttering wind or spirit of God.  In those two cases hovering might make more sense, but then that sense is difficult in Jer.  HALOT discusses these possibilities and makes similar points.

 

 

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