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אֹיֵב

𐤀𐤉𐤁

ʼôyêb

H341 verb

SILEX Entry

Root איב to be hostile, to be an enemy, to hate

Definition

An adversary or enemy, specifically one who bears enmity or hostility toward another individual or group. The term encompasses both personal and collective opposition, often referring to enemies in armed conflict, but also extending to any context of antagonism or active opposition. In the Hebrew Bible, it designates those opposed to individuals (e.g., David's personal enemies), to the people as a group (Israelites' national foes), or, metaphorically, to abstract or cosmic adversaries.

Semantic Range

enemy, adversary, foe, personal enemy, national enemy, opponent in conflict, one who is hostile, abstract or cosmic adversary

Root / Etymology

From the root אָיַב (ʾ-y-b), meaning 'to be hostile, to be an enemy, to hate'. The form אֹיֵב is the active participle, functioning nominally to mean 'enemy, one who is hostile'.

Historical & Contextual Notes

The term אֹיֵב is a standard designation for an enemy in biblical Hebrew, appearing across various literary genres—legal, narrative, poetic, and prophetic. In early Israelite texts, it typically refers to individuals or nations in military or legal opposition. In poetic sections (e.g., Psalms), it often expands to describe cosmic, spiritual, or existential foes, serving as a symbol for life’s challenges or evil in general. Over time, the line between literal and metaphorical usage becomes blurred, especially in later Psalms and wisdom literature. The standard translation 'enemy' usually captures the term's sense, but does not differentiate between the intensity or type of opposition involved (personal, corporate, military, legal, or abstract). English 'enemy' does not convey certain cultural valences, such as the potential for reconciliation or the dynamics of social enmity present in ancient Israelite society. אֹיֵב is distinct from other near-synonyms (e.g., צַר 'adversary, oppressor'), which may emphasize persecution, restraint, or distress rather than pure enmity. The term is used consistently throughout the biblical corpus and does not undergo significant semantic shift across the major periods, though its metaphorical potential is more developed in poetic, post-exilic, and Second Temple era texts. In Greek Septuagint translation, it is often rendered as ἐχθρός, which also became the standard for designating 'enemy' in later Jewish and Christian Greek literature.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

or (fully) אוֹיֵב; active participle of אָיַב; hating; an adversary; enemy, foe.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

איב (ʾ-y-b) — to be hostile, to be an enemy, to hate

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H340 אָיַב and I will act as an enemy
H342 אֵיבָה hostility
H347 אִיּוֹב in Iyov

Word Forms

44 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H341-18 אוֹיֵֽב oyev HVqrmsa the enemy hostile one 39
H341-28 אֹיְבֶ֑י/ךָ oyeveykha HVqrmpc/Sp2ms your enemies your hostile ones 37
H341-27 אֹיְבֵי/הֶ֑ם oyeveyhem HVqrmpc/Sp3mp their-enemies their hostile-ones 31
H341-19 אֹיְבַ/י֙ oyevay HVqrmpc/Sp1cs my enemies my hostile ones 28
H341-21 אֹיְבָֽי/ו oyevayv HVqrmpc/Sp3ms his enemies his hostile ones 24
H341-29 אֹיְבֵי/כֶ֑ם oyeveykhem HVqrmpc/Sp2mp your enemies your hostile-ones 20
H341-30 אוֹיְבֵֽי/נוּ oyeveynu HVqrmpc/Sp1cp our enemies our hostile ones 9
H341-25 אֹיְבֵ֣י oyevey HVqrmpc enemies hostile ones of 9
H341-31 אֹיְבִ֖/י oyevi HVqrmsc/Sp1cs my enemy my hostile one 7
H341-34 אֹֽיִבְ/ךָ֛ oyivekha HVqrmsc/Sp2ms your enemy your hostile-one 7

Occurrences in Scripture

284 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H341-21 Genesis 22:17 אֹיְבָֽי/ו oyevayv HVqrmpc/Sp3ms of his enemies his hostile ones
H341-28 Genesis 49:8 אֹיְבֶ֑י/ךָ oyeveykha HVqrmpc/Sp2ms of your enemies your hostile ones
H341-18 Exodus 15:6 אוֹיֵֽב oyev HVqrmsa enemy hostile one
H341-18 Exodus 15:9 אוֹיֵ֛ב oyev HVqrmsa enemy hostile one
H341-34 Exodus 23:4 אֹֽיִבְ/ךָ֛ oyivekha HVqrmsc/Sp2ms of your enemy your hostile-one
H341-28 Exodus 23:22 אֹ֣יְבֶ֔י/ךָ oyeveykha HVqrmpc/Sp2ms your enemies your hostile ones
H341-28 Exodus 23:27 אֹיְבֶ֛י/ךָ oyeveykha HVqrmpc/Sp2ms your enemies your hostile ones
H341-29 Leviticus 26:7 אֹיְבֵי/כֶ֑ם oyeveykhem HVqrmpc/Sp2mp enemies your hostile-ones
H341-29 Leviticus 26:8 אֹיְבֵי/כֶ֛ם oyeveykhem HVqrmpc/Sp2mp your enemies your hostile-ones
H341-29 Leviticus 26:16 אֹיְבֵי/כֶֽם oyeveykhem HVqrmpc/Sp2mp your(pl)-enemies your hostile-ones
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