I. Name
The enigmatic line in Num. 13.19 ʾēl nāʾ rĕpāʾ nāʾ lāh, traditionally rendered as “O, God, do heal her”, has been construed as containing originally the divine name ʾēl rōpēʾ, ‘El Rophe; Healing God’ (Rouillard 1987). This divine name has been compared with the Ug. epithet rpu, ‘Saviour’, occurring in the expression rpu mlk ʿlm and mt rpi, and with the Rephaim (Rouillard 1987:35–42).
II. Identity
The expression rpu mlk ʿlm is generally translated as ‘the Saviour, the eternal King’ (e.g. de Moor, A…