Rephaim have also been considered the residents of the Netherworld ("Sheol" in the Hebrew Bible) in more recent scholarship. Possible examples of this usage appear as "shades", "spirits", or "dead" in various translations of the Bible. See: , , ; ; , , ; , and possibly , where "Repha'im" may be read as “dead ancestors” or "weakeners", as opposed to "Rophe’im", “doctors”. The Heb. root רפא means “heal”, and thus the masculine plural nominalized form of this root may indicate that these “deceased ancestors” could be invoked for ritual purposes that would benefit the living.