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מוֹאָבִי

𐤌𐤅𐤀𐤁𐤉

Môwʼâbîy

H4125 noun

SILEX Entry

Root מואב to be from Moab, to belong to Moab, to originate from Moab

Definition

A person belonging to the people or nation of Moab; an individual who is ethnically, culturally, or politically connected to Moab, whether male (מוֹאָבִי) or female (מוֹאָבִיָּה, מוֹאָבִית). The term is used to denote origin, affiliation, or descent from Moab, appearing in genealogical, historical, and occasionally legal contexts. In the feminine, it specifically indicates a woman of Moabite origin.

Semantic Range

of or relating to Moab; a Moabite man; a Moabite woman; of Moabite descent; connected with the Moabite nation or territory

Root / Etymology

Derived from the proper noun מוֹאָב (Moab), the eponymous ancestor of the Moabite people according to biblical tradition, with the adjectival suffix -ִי (masculine) or -ִיָּה/-ִית (feminine), creating an adjective or gentilic indicating affiliation. The root of Moab (מואב) itself is uncertain, though it is traditionally explained as 'from [my] father.'

Historical & Contextual Notes

In the Hebrew Bible, מוֹאָבִי refers specifically to the people or individuals connected with the ancient kingdom of Moab, east of the Dead Sea. Usage spans from early Genesis genealogies through the monarchic period, often carrying ethnic and geographic connotations. The term does not in itself imply religious, legal, or personal hostility, though narratives (particularly in Deuteronomy and Ruth) engage with questions of relationship or distance between Moabites and Israelites. In later periods, English translations often used 'Moabite' (and 'Moabitess' for the feminine), but these terms simply reflect descent or origin. The feminine forms denote women of Moabite origin and appear in episodes such as the Book of Ruth. The biblical usage is consistent across historical periods, but the significance attributed to the identity (friendly, hostile, excluded, or included) depends on the literary context. Later Jewish (post-biblical) tradition sometimes associated Moabite as a term of exclusion from the Israelite community, but this is a development postdating the Hebrew Bible. One should avoid conflating later references to 'Jew' with these ethnonyms; 'Moabite' refers specifically to the ancient population related to Moab.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

feminine מוֹאָבִיָּה; or מוֹאָבִיתxlit Môwâbîyth corrected to Môwʼâbîyth; patronymical from מוֹאָב; a Moabite or Moabitess, i.e. a descendant from Moab; (woman) of Moab, Moabite(-ish, -ss).

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

מואב (m-w-ʾ-b) — from Moab, belonging to Moab, originating from Moab

Word Forms

7 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H4125-03 הַ/מּוֹאֲבִיָּ֤ה hamoaviyah HTd/Ngfsa the Moabitess the Moabite woman 5
H4125-04 מוֹאֲבִיּ֤וֹת moaviot HNgfpa Moabite Moabite women 3
H4125-07 וְ/הַ/מֹּ֣אָבִ֔ים vehamoavim HC/Td/Ngmpa and the Moabites and the Moabite men 2
H4125-06 וּ/מוֹאָבִ֖י umoavi HC/Ngmsa and Moabite and a Moabite man 2
H4125-01 הַ/מֹּ֣אָבִ֔י hamoavi HTd/Ngmsa the Moabite the Moabite man 2
H4125-02 הַ/מּוֹאָבִֽית hamoavit HTd/Ngfsa the Moabitess the Moabite woman 1
H4125-05 מֽוֹאֲבִיָּה֙ moaviyah HNgfsa Moabite Moabite woman 1

Occurrences in Scripture

16 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H4125-07 Deuteronomy 2:11 וְ/הַ/מֹּ֣אָבִ֔ים vehamoavim HC/Td/Ngmpa and-the-Moabites and the Moabite men
H4125-07 Deuteronomy 2:29 וְ/הַ/מּ֣וֹאָבִ֔ים vehamoavim HC/Td/Ngmpa and the Moabites and the Moabite men
H4125-06 Deuteronomy 23:4 וּ/מוֹאָבִ֖י umoavi HC/Ngmsa or Moabite and a Moabite man
H4125-04 1 Kings 11:1 מוֹאֲבִיּ֤וֹת moaviot HNgfpa Moabite Moabite women
H4125-04 Ruth 1:4 מֹֽאֲבִיּ֔וֹת moaviot HNgfpa Moabite Moabite women
H4125-03 Ruth 1:22 הַ/מּוֹאֲבִיָּ֤ה hamoaviyah HTd/Ngfsa the Moabite woman the Moabite woman
H4125-03 Ruth 2:2 הַ/מּוֹאֲבִיָּ֜ה hamoaviyah HTd/Ngfsa the Moabite the Moabite woman
H4125-05 Ruth 2:6 מֽוֹאֲבִיָּה֙ moaviyah HNgfsa Moabite Moabite woman
H4125-03 Ruth 2:21 הַ/מּוֹאֲבִיָּ֑ה hamoaviyah HTd/Ngfsa the Moabitess the Moabite woman
H4125-03 Ruth 4:5 הַ/מּוֹאֲבִיָּ֤ה hamoaviyah HTd/Ngfsa the Moabitess the Moabite woman
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