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גָּנַב

𐤂𐤍𐤁

gânab

H1589 verb

SILEX Entry

Root גנב to steal, to take by stealth, to act furtively

Definition

To steal, to take or carry away someone else's property clandestinely or without permission; by extension, to act with stealth or in secret, sometimes with the sense of deceiving. The verb describes the act of theft but can also imply secretive or deceptive behavior beyond material theft.

Semantic Range

to steal (property), to steal (people, i.e., kidnap), to carry away secretly, to act in stealth, to do something furtively, to abduct

Root / Etymology

Root: גנב. The root conveys the idea of stealth or furtiveness, with the basic sense being 'to steal' or 'to take by stealth.' The verb derives directly from this root and retains its core meaning throughout its usages. There is no evidence for a non-Semitic origin.

Historical & Contextual Notes

The verb גָּנַב is used throughout the Hebrew Bible to describe the act of theft, both of objects (e.g., Gen 31:19, Gen 44:8) and of people (e.g., Exod 21:16), including the kidnapping or abduction of an individual. In legal contexts, such as the Decalogue (Exod 20:15; Deut 5:19), the verb is the standard term for the legal prohibition 'You shall not steal,' where it may encompass theft of both persons and property. The verb may also convey a broader sense of acting in secret or with subterfuge (e.g., stealing away, doing something covertly), but does not mean 'deceive' in a broad sense; for that, other roots such as רמה are preferred. Later translation traditions sometimes stretched the sense toward 'deceive,' but in biblical tradition, the primary focus remains on covert taking or abducting. The idiom 'steal away' (Gen 31:27) reinforces nuances of secrecy or furtiveness beyond theft. English translations usually capture the primary sense, but may underemphasize the breadth of its application to things, people, and secret actions. Over time, especially in post-biblical Hebrew, the root continued to retain associations with stealth and theft.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

a primitive root; to thieve (literally or figuratively); by implication, to deceive; carry away, [idiom] indeed, secretly bring, steal (away), get by stealth.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

גנב (g-n-b) — to steal, to take by stealth, to act furtively

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H1590 גַּנָּב among thieves
H1591 גְּנֵבָה his theft
H1592 גְּנֻבַת Stolen-One

Word Forms

32 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H1589-20 וַ/תִּגְנֹ֣ב vatigenov HC/Vqw3fs and stole and she stole 5
H1589-17 תִּגְנֹֽב tigenov HVqi2ms shall you steal you steal 2
H1589-02 גָּֽנְבוּ֙ ganevu HVqp3cp had stolen they stole 2
H1589-31 יִגְנֹֽב yigenov HVqi3ms he steals he steals 2
H1589-06 גְּנָבַ֥תּ/וּ genavatu HVqp3fs/Sp3ms steals him away she stole him 2
H1589-13 הֲ/גָנֹ֤ב haganov HTi/Vqa steal? to steal 1
H1589-23 וַ/יִּתְגַּנֵּ֥ב vayiteganev HC/Vtw3ms and stole away and he stole himself away 1
H1589-29 יִגָּנֵ֖ב yiganev HVNi3ms it-be-stolen he will be stolen 1
H1589-21 וַ/יְגַנֵּב֙ vayeganev HC/Vpw3ms and stole he stole away 1
H1589-30 יִגְנְב֖וּ yigenevu HVqi3mp steal they will steal 1

Occurrences in Scripture

40 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H1589-04 Genesis 30:33 גָּנ֥וּב ganuv HVqsmsa stolen stolen one
H1589-20 Genesis 31:19 וַ/תִּגְנֹ֣ב vatigenov HC/Vqw3fs stole and she stole
H1589-22 Genesis 31:20 וַ/יִּגְנֹ֣ב vayigenov HC/Vqw3ms deceived and he stole
H1589-20 Genesis 31:26 וַ/תִּגְנֹ֖ב vatigenov HC/Vqw2ms and you have deceived/stolen away and she stole
H1589-20 Genesis 31:27 וַ/תִּגְנֹ֖ב vatigenov HC/Vqw2ms and steal and she stole
H1589-01 Genesis 31:30 גָנַ֖בְתָּ ganaveta HVqp2ms have you stolen you stole
H1589-05 Genesis 31:32 גְּנָבָֽתַ/ם genavatam HVqp3fs/Sp3mp had stolen them she stole them
H1589-08 Genesis 31:39 גְּנֻֽבְתִ֣י genuveti HVqsfsc stolen by me my stolen one
H1589-19 Genesis 31:39 וּ/גְנֻֽבְתִ֖י ugenuveti HC/Vqsfsc and stolen by me and stolen
H1589-12 Genesis 40:15 גֻנֹּ֣ב gunov HVPa stolen to be stolen
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