ôr´pa ( ערפּה , ‛orpāh ; for meaning see below): A M oabitess, wife of Mahlon, son of Elimelech and Naomi. Unlike her sister Ruth she returned to her own people after escorting Naomi on her way to Judah (Rth 1:4 ff). Her name is supposed to be derived from the Hebrew word for "neck" (ערף , ‛ōreph ), and so to mean "stiff-necked" because of her turning-back from following her mother-in-law; others take it to mean "gazelle."
The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE) was edited by James Orr, John Nuelsen, Edgar Mullins, Morris Evans, and Melvin Grove Kyle and was published complete in 1939. This web site includes the complete text.
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