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עָזַב

𐤏𐤆𐤁

ʻâzab

H5800 verb

SILEX Entry

Definition

To leave, abandon, or forsake someone or something, often with a sense of withdrawal of association, support, or protection. Used both literally (leaving a place or object) and figuratively (abandoning a person, commitment, or responsibility). May also indicate neglect or ceasing to maintain something or someone.

Semantic Range

to leave, to abandon, to forsake (persons, places, objects, responsibilities), to neglect, to let go, to permit (by withdrawing restraint); to desert or withdraw support; to release or relinquish

Root / Etymology

From the root עזב, which at root level means 'to leave, abandon'. The verb עָזַב is the primary denominative form from this root and is a common verb in Hebrew with a consistent sense of removal, withdrawal, or relinquishment. There are no credible cognates with divergent meanings in Northwest Semitic languages.

Historical & Contextual Notes

עָזַב appears frequently in narratives and poetry throughout the Hebrew Bible, with its core application centered on departure or abandonment. In early Israelite texts, it often refers to leaving a location (e.g., land or city), forsaking an individual (e.g., spouse, kin), or abandoning covenantal obligations—especially in prophetic literature, which frequently uses the term for Israel's religious apostasy ('forsaking YHWH'). It contrasts with verbs like שָׁאַר (to remain) and שָׁב (to return, turn back). While standard English translations typically use 'forsake', 'abandon', or 'leave', the Hebrew nuance can be more forceful, conveying intentional and sometimes permanent severance. In some contexts (e.g., permitting or allowing something to happen), the meaning can shade into 'let go' or 'stop restraining', but always with the force of removing close attention or attachment. There is no inherent theological implication; any religious or ethical import derives from context, not from the lexical meaning itself. Usage remains stable across the canonical periods, though post-exilic speeches emphasize theological infidelity more heavily.

Translation Consistency

primary "abandon" 43 occurrences

Covers the full semantic range (leave, forsake, desert, relinquish, neglect) in natural modern English, matches the majority of existing renderings (most frequent corpus choices are "abandoned/abandon"), and will produce natural inflected forms for both literal and figurative uses.

Alternatives (7 occurrences):
"abandoners of" (2x) "forsaking" (2x) "him who is left" (1x) "like the abandonment of" (1x) "forsaken" (1x)

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

a primitive root; to loosen, i.e. relinquish, permit, etc.; commit self, fail, forsake, fortify, help, leave (destitute, off), refuse, [idiom] surely.

Bantu Hebrew

No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been recorded for this word yet.

Root Family

עזב (Azuvah) — to leave, abandon, forsake

Root עזב to leave, abandon, forsake
Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H5801 עִזָּבוֹן your relinquished goods
H5805 עֲזוּבָה the abandoned one
H5806 עֲזוּבָה Forsaken woman

Word Forms

94 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
H5800-21 עָזְב֜וּ azevu HVqp3cp they have forsaken they abandoned they abandoned 16
H5800-76 וַֽ/יַּעֲזֹ֛ב vayaazov HC/Vqw3ms and he left and he abandoned and he abandoned 14
H5800-73 וַ/יַּעַזְב֤וּ vayaazevu HC/Vqw3mp and they abandoned and they abandoned and they abandoned 12
H5800-01 עָזַ֖ב azav HVqp3ms has forsaken he abandoned he abandoned 11
H5800-58 תַּעֲזֹ֖ב taazov HVqi2ms forsake you will abandon you will abandon 8
H5800-10 עֲזַבְתֶּ֣ם azavetem HVqp2mp have-forsaken you have abandoned you have abandoned 7
H5800-17 עֲזָב֗וּ/נִי azavuni HVqp3cp/Sp1cs they have forsaken me they have abandoned me they have abandoned me 7
H5800-92 יַעֲזֹ֥ב yaazov HVqi3ms commits he will abandon he will abandon 7
H5800-24 עֲזוּבָ֛ה azuvah HVqsfsa forsaken Forsaken woman Abandoned woman 5
H5800-30 אֶעֶזְבֶ֑/ךָּ eezevekha HVqi1cs/Sp2ms I will leave you I will abandon you I will abandon you 5

Occurrences in Scripture

215 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
H5800-76 1 Kings 12:8 וַֽ/יַּעֲזֹ֛ב vayaazov HC/Vqw3ms and he forsook and he abandoned and he abandoned
H5800-76 1 Kings 12:13 וַֽ/יַּעֲזֹ֛ב vayaazov HC/Vqw3ms and rejected and he abandoned and he abandoned
H5800-80 1 Kings 14:10 וְ/עָז֖וּב veazuv HC/Vqsmsa and free and abandoned one and abandoned one
H5800-26 1 Kings 18:18 בַּֽ/עֲזָבְ/כֶם֙ baazavekhem HR/Vqc/Sp2mp have forsaken your abandoning your abandoning
H5800-21 1 Kings 19:10 עָזְב֤וּ azevu HVqp3cp have forsaken they abandoned they abandoned
H5800-21 1 Kings 19:14 עָזְב֤וּ azevu HVqp3cp have forsaken they abandoned they abandoned
H5800-76 1 Kings 19:20 וַ/יַּעֲזֹ֣ב vayaazov HC/Vqw3ms and he left and he abandoned and he abandoned
H5800-80 1 Kings 21:21 וְ/עָז֖וּב veazuv HC/Vqsmsa and free and abandoned one and abandoned one
H5800-30 2 Kings 2:2 אֶעֶזְבֶ֑/ךָּ eezevekha HVqi1cs/Sp2ms I will leave you I will abandon you I will abandon you
H5800-30 2 Kings 2:4 אֶעֶזְבֶ֑/ךָּ eezevekha HVqi1cs/Sp2ms I will leave you I will abandon you I will abandon you
H5800-30 2 Kings 2:6 אֶעֶזְבֶ֑/ךָּ eezevekha HVqi1cs/Sp2ms I leave you I will abandon you I will abandon you
H5800-30 2 Kings 4:30 אֶעֶזְבֶ֑/ךָּ eezevekha HVqi1cs/Sp2ms I will leave you I will abandon you I will abandon you
H5800-73 2 Kings 7:7 וַ/יַּעַזְב֣וּ vayaazevu HC/Vqw3mp and left and they abandoned and they abandoned
H5800-18 2 Kings 8:6 עָזְבָ֥ה azevah HVqp3fs she left she abandoned she abandoned
H5800-80 2 Kings 9:8 וְ/עָז֖וּב veazuv HC/Vqsmsa and him who is left and abandoned one and him who is left
H5800-23 2 Kings 14:26 עָז֔וּב azuv HVqsmsa free abandoned one abandoned one
H5800-73 2 Kings 17:16 וַ/יַּעַזְב֗וּ vayaazevu HC/Vqw3mp And they forsook and they abandoned and they abandoned
H5800-76 2 Kings 21:22 וַ/יַּעֲזֹ֕ב vayaazov HC/Vqw3ms and he forsook and he abandoned and he abandoned
H5800-17 2 Kings 22:17 עֲזָב֗וּ/נִי azavuni HVqp3cp/Sp1cs they have forsaken me they have abandoned me they have abandoned me
H5800-21 Isaiah 1:4 עָזְב֣וּ azevu HVqp3cp they have forsaken they abandoned they abandoned
H5800-84 Isaiah 1:28 וְ/עֹזְבֵ֥י veozevey HC/Vqrmpc and-forsakers-of abandoners of abandoners of
H5800-61 Isaiah 7:16 תֵּעָזֵ֤ב teazev HVNi3fs will be forsaken she will be abandoned it will be abandoned
H5800-56 Isaiah 10:3 תַעַזְב֖וּ taazevu HVqi2mp will you leave you all will abandon you all will abandon
H5800-25 Isaiah 10:14 עֲזֻב֔וֹת azuvot HVqsfpa forsaken abandoned ones abandoned ones
H5800-25 Isaiah 17:2 עֲזֻב֖וֹת azuvot HVqsfpa forsaken abandoned ones abandoned ones
H5800-40 Isaiah 17:9 כַּ/עֲזוּבַ֤ת kaazuvat HR/Vqsfsc like the abandonment of like an abandoned one like the abandonment of
H5800-21 Isaiah 17:9 עָזְב֔וּ azevu HVqp3cp they left they abandoned they abandoned
H5800-94 Isaiah 18:6 יֵעָזְב֤וּ yeazevu HVNi3mp They will be left they will be abandoned they will be abandoned
H5800-82 Isaiah 27:10 וְ/נֶעֱזָ֖ב veneezav HC/VNrmsa and-forsaken and the abandoned one and the abandoned one
H5800-62 Isaiah 32:14 עֻזָּ֑ב uzav HVPp3ms is-deserted was abandoned was abandoned
H5800-31 Isaiah 41:17 אֶעֶזְבֵֽ/ם eezevem HVqi1cs/Sp3mp will I forsake them I will abandon them I will abandon them
H5800-14 Isaiah 42:16 עֲזַבְתִּֽי/ם azavetim HVqp1cs/Sp3mp I will forsake them I abandoned them I abandoned them
H5800-03 Isaiah 49:14 עֲזָבַ֣/נִי azavani HVqp3ms/Sp1cs has forsaken me he has abandoned me he has abandoned me
H5800-24 Isaiah 54:6 עֲזוּבָ֛ה azuvah HVqsfsa forsaken Forsaken woman Abandoned woman
H5800-13 Isaiah 54:7 עֲזַבְתִּ֑י/ךְ azavetikhe HVqp1cs/Sp2fs I forsook you I abandoned you I abandoned you
H5800-92 Isaiah 55:7 יַעֲזֹ֤ב yaazov HVqi3ms let him forsake he will abandon let him abandon
H5800-01 Isaiah 58:2 עָזָ֔ב azav HVqp3ms forsaken he abandoned he abandoned
H5800-24 Isaiah 60:15 עֲזוּבָ֥ה azuvah HVqsfsa forsaken Forsaken woman Abandoned woman
H5800-24 Isaiah 62:4 עֲזוּבָ֗ה azuvah HVqsfsa Forsaken Forsaken woman Abandoned woman
H5800-48 Isaiah 62:12 נֶעֱזָֽבָה neezavah HVNp3fs forsaken was abandoned forsaken
H5800-50 Isaiah 65:11 עֹזְבֵ֣י ozevey HVqrmpc forsakers abandoners of abandoners of
H5800-17 Jeremiah 1:16 עֲזָב֗וּ/נִי azavuni HVqp3cp/Sp1cs they have forsaken me they have abandoned me they have abandoned me
H5800-21 Jeremiah 2:13 עָזְב֜וּ azevu HVqp3cp they have forsaken they abandoned they abandoned
H5800-20 Jeremiah 2:17 עָזְבֵ/ךְ֙ azevekhe HVqc/Sp2fs your forsaking to abandon you your forsaking
H5800-20 Jeremiah 2:19 עָזְבֵ֖/ךְ azevekhe HVqc/Sp2fs forsaking you to abandon you your forsaking
H5800-24 Jeremiah 4:29 עֲזוּבָ֔ה azuvah HVqsfsa is forsaken Forsaken woman Abandoned woman
H5800-17 Jeremiah 5:7 עֲזָב֔וּ/נִי azavuni HVqp3cp/Sp1cs have forsaken me they have abandoned me they have abandoned me
H5800-10 Jeremiah 5:19 עֲזַבְתֶּ֤ם azavetem HVqp2mp you have forsaken you have abandoned you have abandoned
H5800-81 Jeremiah 9:1 וְ/אֶֽעֶזְבָה֙ veeezevah HC/Vqh1cs and-I-will-leave and let me abandon and let me abandon
H5800-19 Jeremiah 9:12 עָזְבָ/ם֙ azevam HVqc/Sp3mp they have forsaken them to abandon them they abandoned them
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