כָּאַב
𐤊𐤀𐤁
kâʼab
H3510 verb
SILEX Entry
Definition
To experience or cause physical pain or injury; by extension, to feel emotional distress, sorrow, or grief. The verb is used both for literal, bodily pain as well as the figurative pain of sadness or emotional affliction. In some contexts, it can also carry the sense of spoiling, marring, or damaging.
Semantic Range
to be in physical pain, to suffer injury, to feel sorrow, to grieve, to experience mental or emotional distress, to spoil or mar (figurative), to cause pain, to sadden
Root / Etymology
Root: כאב. The core meaning of the root is 'to hurt, to be in pain'. The verb כָּאַב (kaʼav) derives directly from this root, carrying both the literal sense ('to experience pain') and figurative extensions (such as 'to grieve, be sorrowful') in Biblical usage.
Historical & Contextual Notes
The verb כָּאַב is used in the Hebrew Bible primarily for suffering physical pain or injury (e.g., Job 14:22), but also for emotional distress and sorrow (e.g., Psalm 69:29). Its semantic range includes both involuntary experience of suffering and actively causing pain to another (in certain stem and context). The transition from physical to emotional pain is typical in Biblical Hebrew, wherein states of the body are frequently analogized to experiences of the mind or soul. In post-biblical Hebrew, the focus tends to move toward emotional and psychological suffering. The term can overlap with other pain/suffering roots such as דָּאָב (da’av, be faint, suffer grief) and חלה (chalah, be weak, sick, or pained), but כָּאַב is particularly associated with the subjective experience of pain—either physical or emotional. English translations such as 'to grieve' or 'to make sorrowful' capture part of the range, though the root's original sense centers on sensation of pain. The connotation of 'to spoil' or 'to mar' appears especially when used in the causative stems, often metaphorically describing something damaged or disfigured. The word's usage does not shift significantly between pre-exilic and post-exilic texts, though the emotional nuance may be more prominent in later writings. Modern translation tradition sometimes differentiates sharply between grief and pain, but in biblical context, these experiences are more fluid and overlapping.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
a primitive root; properly, to feel pain; by implication, to grieve; figuratively, to spoil; grieving, mar, have pain, make sad (sore), (be) sorrowful.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
כאב (k-ʾ-b) — pain, hurt, grief
Word Forms
7 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H3510-07 |
יִכְאַב | yikheav | HVqi3ms |
may ache | he will be in pain | 2 |
H3510-05 |
וְ/כוֹאֵ֑ב | vekhoev | HC/Vqrmsa |
and grieving | and hurting | 1 |
H3510-03 |
מַכְאִ֔ב | makheiv | HVhrmsa |
that-hurts | pain-causing one | 1 |
H3510-02 |
כֹּֽאֲבִ֗ים | koavim | HVqrmpa |
in pain | hurting ones | 1 |
H3510-01 |
הִכְאַבְתִּ֑י/ו | hikheavetiv | HVhp1cs/Sp3ms |
have grieved him | I caused him pain | 1 |
H3510-04 |
תַּכְאִ֖בוּ | takheivu | HVhi2mp |
you shall ruin | you will cause pain | 1 |
H3510-06 |
יַכְאִ֣יב | yakheiv | HVhi3ms |
inflicts pain | he will cause pain | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
8 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H3510-02 |
Genesis 34:25 | כֹּֽאֲבִ֗ים | koavim | HVqrmpa |
in pain | hurting ones |
H3510-04 |
2 Kings 3:19 | תַּכְאִ֖בוּ | takheivu | HVhi2mp |
you shall ruin | you will cause pain |
H3510-01 |
Ezekiel 13:22 | הִכְאַבְתִּ֑י/ו | hikheavetiv | HVhp1cs/Sp3ms |
have grieved him | I caused him pain |
H3510-03 |
Ezekiel 28:24 | מַכְאִ֔ב | makheiv | HVhrmsa |
that-hurts | pain-causing one |
H3510-05 |
Psalms 69:30 | וְ/כוֹאֵ֑ב | vekhoev | HC/Vqrmsa |
and grieving | and hurting |
H3510-07 |
Proverbs 14:13 | יִכְאַב | yikheav | HVqi3ms |
may ache | he will be in pain |
H3510-06 |
Job 5:18 | יַכְאִ֣יב | yakheiv | HVhi3ms |
inflicts pain | he will cause pain |
H3510-07 |
Job 14:22 | יִכְאָ֑ב | yikheav | HVqi3ms |
shall have pain | he will be in pain |