גְּנֵבָה
𐤂𐤍𐤁𐤄
gᵉnêbâh
H1591 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
The act of stealing or theft; the taking of something without permission or legal right. In most contexts, refers to the abstract action or crime of theft, but can also denote the stolen object itself, especially in legal materials. Used in both civil and ritual/ethical regulations within the Hebrew Bible.
Semantic Range
theft, act of stealing, thing stolen, case of theft, larceny
Root / Etymology
From the root גנב (g-n-b), which primarily means 'to steal, take secretly, carry away by stealth.' גְּנֵבָה (gᵉnêbâh) is a feminine noun formation denoting the action or result of that root; specifically, 'theft' or 'something stolen.'
Historical & Contextual Notes
גְּנֵבָה appears mainly in legal contexts in the Pentateuch (e.g., Exodus 22, Leviticus 6), where it refers both to the act of stealing (the crime) and sometimes to the thing stolen. Distinct from גְּזֵלָה (gezêlâh), which more often denotes 'violent robbery' or forcible taking; גְּנֵבָה generally connotes stealth or secret appropriation rather than open violence. Later biblical Hebrew continues this distinction, though English translations may sometimes obscure it by rendering both as 'theft' or 'robbery.' In post-exilic and later periods, the semantic range remains largely unchanged, but derivative words develop extended legal and ethical uses. The word does not carry any cultic or ritual connotations, and its usage does not shift significantly after the exile. Not to be confused with גֹּנֵב (gonêb, 'thief'), which is the agent noun.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from גָּנַב; stealing, i.e. (concretely) something stolen; theft.
Bantu Hebrew
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גנב (g-n-b) — to steal, take secretly, kidnap
Word Forms
2 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H1591-02 |
הַ/גְּנֵבָ֗ה | hagenevah | HTd/Ncfsa |
the-stolen-item | the theft | 1 |
H1591-01 |
בִּ/גְנֵבָתֽ/וֹ | bigenevato | HR/Ncfsc/Sp3ms |
for his theft | his theft | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
2 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H1591-01 |
Exodus 22:2 | בִּ/גְנֵבָתֽ/וֹ | bigenevato | HR/Ncfsc/Sp3ms |
for his theft | his theft |
H1591-02 |
Exodus 22:3 | הַ/גְּנֵבָ֗ה | hagenevah | HTd/Ncfsa |
the-stolen-item | the theft |