אֲבִ֕י

𐤀𐤁𐤉

avi

father of

a primitive word; father, in a literal and immediate, or figurative and remote application; chief, (fore-) father(-less), [idiom] patrimony, principal. Compare names in 'Abi-'.

H1

Genesis 4:20 · Word #7

Lexicon H1

Lemmaאָב
Lemma (Paleo)𐤀𐤁
Transliterationʼâb
Strong'sH1
In-contextfather of

Morphology HNcmsc All morphology codes

Part of Speech N — Noun — A person, place, thing, or idea
Subtype c — Common — Common noun
Gender m — Masculine — Masculine
Number s — Singular — Singular
State c — Construct — The noun is bound to the following word

SIBI-P1 H1-02

my father

Rootאב (ʾ-b)
Core Meaningsfather, male parent, ancestor, founder, originator, head of household, protector, benefactor
Semantic RangeThe root אב carries meanings from literal paternity (male parent) to figurative applications: ancestor of any distance, head of a household or clan, benefactor or protector, founder of a craft or practice, and in theological contexts, God as Father. The word establishes family structure and authority relationships throughout biblical narrative.
Conceptual SignificanceIn biblical theology, the father-child relationship models covenant relationship with God. The term אָב appears approximately 1,200 times across the Old Testament, establishing patriarchal structure foundational to Israelite identity. When applied to God (as in Isaiah 9:6 'Avi 'Ad—Everlasting Father), it emphasizes God's eternal protective authority and personal relationship with His people. The possessive form 'my father' expresses intimate dependence and filial devotion central to biblical piety.
Morphological NotesHNcmsc: Hebrew Noun, masculine singular, construct state with first-person singular possessive suffix. The construct form אֲבִי shows the word in its bound state before a possessor. The vowel pattern (שְׁוָ under the aleph, חִירֶק under the bet) reflects the construct singular form of אָב.
Rendering RationaleThe morphology HNcmsc indicates a masculine singular construct noun with a first-person singular possessive suffix (-י), literally 'father of me.' The rendering 'my father' preserves both the root meaning (paternal relationship) and the grammatical person (first-person singular possessor), maintaining the intimate, relational sense of the Hebrew.

AI-generated (perplexity/sonar-pro)

Words from Root אב (father, male parent, ancestor, founder, originator, head of household, protector, benefactor)

SILEX Code Transliteration SIBI-P1
H1-01 av father
H85-01 averaham Father-of-a-Multitude
H1-03 avih her father
H1-04 aviha her father
H1-05 avihem father of them
H1-06 avihen the father of them
H1-07 avihu his father
H1-08 avikha your father
H1-09 avikhe your father (feminine singular)
H1-10 avikhem your father
H1-11 avikhen your (feminine plural) father
H1-12 avinu our father
H1-13 aviv his father
H1-14 avot fathers (masculine plural; sometimes "fathers-of" in construct)
H1-15 avotam their fathers
H1-16 avotay my ancestral fathers
H1-17 avotayv his father-ancestors
H1-18 avotekhem your fathers
H1-19 avoteyhem their fathers
H1-20 avoteykha your fathers
H1-21 avoteykhem your fathers
H1-22 avoteynu our father-ancestors
H2-01 avukhe your father
H1-23 baavoteykha upon your father-ancestors
H1-24 baavoteykhem in your fathers
H1-25 haav the father
H1-26 haavot the fathers
H1-27 kaavotam like their father-ancestors
H1-28 kaavoteykhem like your fathers
H1-29 khaavoteykhem like your father-ancestors
H1-30 kheav as a father
H1-31 kheaviv like his father
H1-32 laavi to the father of
H1-33 laavihem to their father
H29-02 laaviyah to Abiyah ("My Father is Yah")
H1-34 laavotam to their fathers
H1-35 laavotayv to his fathers
H1-36 laavoteyhem to their fathers
H1-37 laavoteykha to your father-ancestors
H1-38 laavoteykhem to your fathers
H1-39 laavoteynu to our father-ancestors
H1-40 leav to a father
H1-41 leavi to my father
H1-42 leaviha to her father
H1-43 leavikha to your father
H1-44 leavinu to our father
H1-45 leaviv to his father
H1-46 leavot to fathers
H4124-02 lemoav to Moab ("From-Father")
H1-47 meavihen from their father
H1-48 meavikha from your father
H1-49 meavikhe from your father (addressing you, woman)
H1-50 meavinu from our father
H1-51 meavotam from their father-ancestors
H1-52 meavotay from my father-ancestors
H1-53 meavoteykha from your fathers
H1-54 meavoteykhem from your fathers
H4124-03 moav From-Father
H1-55 ukheav and as a father
H1-56 uleaviv and to his father
H4124-05 umimoav and from Moab ("From-Father")
H4124-06 umoav and From-Father (Moab)
H1-57 uvaavoteykhem and in your fathers
H4124-07 uvemoav and in Moab (From-Father)
H1-58 vaavihem and their father
H30-01 vaavihu and Father-of-Him
H1-59 vaavikhen and your father (of you women)
H1-60 vaavot and fathers of
H1-61 vaavotam and their fathers
H1-62 vaavotay and my forefathers
H1-63 vaavoteyhem and their fathers
H1-64 vaavoteykha and your father-ancestors
H1-65 vaavoteykhem and your fathers
H1-66 vaavoteynu and our fathers
H1-67 veavi and my father
H1-68 veaviha and her father
H1-69 veavikha and your father
H1-70 veaviv and his father
H1-71 vehaavot and the father-ancestors
H1-72 velaavoteyhem and to their fathers
H1-73 velaavoteykha and to your father-ancestors
H1-74 velaavoteykhem and to your fathers
H1-75 velaavoteynu and to our father-ancestors

Word Usage (1213 occurrences of H1)

Location Form Transliteration Meaning
Genesis 2:24 אָבִ֖י/ו aviv his father
Genesis 4:20 אֲבִ֕י avi father of
Genesis 4:21 אֲבִ֕י avi father
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