עֶצֶב
𐤏𐤑𐤁
ʻetseb
H6089 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
Physical or emotional pain, sorrow, troublesome labor, or hardship; also, by extension, a graven image or idol (in some contexts). The term primarily denotes a state or experience of distress—whether mental, physical, or social—and in poetic or prophetic contexts may refer metaphorically to objects of false worship that 'trouble' or bring anguish. Semantic range includes painful toil, emotional grief, physical pain, and, less commonly, an 'idol' as something causing or emblematic of sorrow.
Semantic Range
pain (physical or emotional), sorrow, grief, hardship, troublesome labor, pang, toil, idol (as object of human workmanship or source of grief/trouble)
Root / Etymology
Root: עצב. The root conveys the idea of 'to hurt, injure, cause pain, grieve, work with difficulty.' The noun עֶצֶב is derived from this root and encapsulates both physical and emotional dimensions of 'pain' or 'sorrow.'
Historical & Contextual Notes
In early biblical texts, עֶצֶב most often signifies pain or trouble—either physical or emotional (e.g., Genesis 3:16-17, where it describes the pain of childbirth and agricultural labor, respectively). In poetic passages (as in the Psalms or Job), the nuance expands to include inner anguish or grief. In later books and some prophetic writings (e.g., Psalm 115:4; Isaiah 48:5), עֶצֶב appears as a term for a graven image or idol, most likely by associative extension: an idol is a product of 'toil' (human effort) or a cause of 'trouble' (spiritual/moral distress). English translations sometimes render this sense simply as 'idol,' though this may obscure the underlying sense of 'something fashioned at the cost of pain or labor.' The range of meaning highlights the ambiguity between 'painful effort' and 'painful outcome,' as well as metaphorical usage in prophetic critique of idolatry. The word never denotes simply a physical vessel in biblical usage, despite the root's range in later Hebrew.
Translation Consistency
’Pain’ best captures the primary and most typical senses (physical suffering, emotional grief, hardship, toil) and is natural English. It also accommodates the poetic/metaphorical extension where an object or idol brings distress.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from עָצַב; an earthen vessel; usually (painful) toil; also a pang (whether of body or mind); grievous, idol, labor, sorrow.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been recorded for this word yet.
Root Family
עצב (Otsem) — to shape, to form, to grieve, to cause pain
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H4620 | מַעֲצֵבָה | to a carved idol |
| H6087 | עָצַב | he pained him |
| H6088 | עֲצַב | pain-stricken |
| H6090 | עֹצֶב | my formed-idol |
| H6091 | עָצָב | carved idols of |
Word Forms
5 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H6089-02 |
עֶ֣צֶב | etsev | HNcmsa |
grievous | pain | pain | 3 |
H6089-01 |
בְּ/עֶ֖צֶב | beetsev | HR/Ncmsa |
in pain / with effort | in pain | in pain | 1 |
H6089-03 |
הָ/עֲצָבִ֑ים | haatsavim | HTd/Ncmpa |
of sorrows | the pains | the pains | 1 |
H6089-04 |
הַ/עֶ֨צֶב | haetsev | HTi/Ncmsa |
the despised-thing | the pain | the despised-thing | 1 |
H6089-05 |
וַ֝/עֲצָבֶ֗י/ךָ | vaatsaveykha | HC/Ncmpc/Sp2ms |
and your labours | and your pains | and your labors | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
7 occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H6089-01 |
Genesis 3:16 | בְּ/עֶ֖צֶב | beetsev | HR/Ncmsa |
in pain / with effort | in pain | in pain |
H6089-04 |
Jeremiah 22:28 | הַ/עֶ֨צֶב | haetsev | HTi/Ncmsa |
the despised-thing | the pain | the despised-thing |
H6089-03 |
Psalms 127:2 | הָ/עֲצָבִ֑ים | haatsavim | HTd/Ncmpa |
of sorrows | the pains | the pains |
H6089-05 |
Proverbs 5:10 | וַ֝/עֲצָבֶ֗י/ךָ | vaatsaveykha | HC/Ncmpc/Sp2ms |
and your labours | and your pains | and your labors |
H6089-02 |
Proverbs 10:22 | עֶ֣צֶב | etsev | HNcmsa |
sorrow | pain | pain |
H6089-02 |
Proverbs 14:23 | עֶ֭צֶב | etsev | HNcmsa |
toil | pain | toil |
H6089-02 |
Proverbs 15:1 | עֶ֝֗צֶב | etsev | HNcmsa |
grievous | pain | pain |