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עֹשֶׁק

𐤏𐤔𐤒

ʻôsheq

H6233 noun

SILEX Entry

Root עשק to oppress, to extort, to wrongfully withhold

Definition

Unjust gain acquired by oppression, extortion, or exploitation; the act or result of wrongfully withholding, seizing, or depriving others of their rights or property by force or deceit. The term most often refers to social or economic injustice, particularly the abuse of power to take from the vulnerable. In a broader sense, it can also connote the resulting state of oppression or distress suffered by the victim. Semantic range: the act of extorting, the practice of oppression, the result (wealth or goods obtained through oppression), and the experience or state of being oppressed.

Semantic Range

oppression, extortion, exploitation, unjust gain, wrongful withholding of rights or property, injury resulting from exploitation, the act or state of being deprived by force or deceit

Root / Etymology

Derived from the verbal root עָשַׁק (ʿ-š-q), meaning 'to oppress, to extort, to wrongfully withhold.' עֹשֶׁק is a masculine noun formation denoting the action, the process, or the product of such oppressive acts. The root commonly denotes applying unjust pressure or coercion to take or retain what rightfully belongs to another.

Historical & Contextual Notes

עֹשֶׁק is employed primarily in legal and prophetic contexts, particularly in the literature critiquing the social injustices common in monarchic and post-exilic Israelite society. It is frequently used to describe the behavior of the powerful against marginalized classes, such as widows, orphans, resident aliens, or the poor (cf. Jer 22:17, Ezek 22:29, Mal 3:5). The term overlaps but is not identical with חָמָס (ḥāmās, 'violence' or 'wrongdoing'), which often implies physical violence, whereas עֹשֶׁק emphasizes the unjust deprivation of rights or property, often through economic or legal manipulation. English translations such as 'oppression,' 'extortion,' and 'unjust gain' reflect aspects of the range, but none fully capture the complex social, legal, and economic connotations in biblical usage. In later Jewish literature, the concept continues to be central to rabbinic discussions of interpersonal and societal ethics. Across periods (monarchic to post-exilic), the word consistently signals condemnation of systemic injustices, though contexts shift from individual to institutional oppressors. Notably, it is often listed among offenses which provoke divine judgment.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from עָשַׁק; injury, fraud, (subjectively) distress, (concretely) unjust gain; cruelly, extortion, oppression, thing (deceitfully gotten).

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

עשק (ʿ-š-q) — to oppress, to extort, to wrongfully withhold

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H4642 מַעֲשַׁקָּה acts of exploitation
H6216 עָשׁוֹק oppressor
H6217 עָשׁוּק oppressed ones
H6229 עָשַׂק they oppressed one another
H6230 עֵשֶׂק Contention

Word Forms

7 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H6233-05 עֹ֣שֶׁק osheq HNcmsa oppression oppressive extortion 6
H6233-03 הָ/עֹ֨שֶׁק֙ haosheq HTd/Ncmsa the oppression the extortion 3
H6233-04 מֵ/עֹ֨שֶׁק֙ meosheq HR/Ncmsa from oppression oppression 2
H6233-02 בְּ/עֹ֣שֶׁק beosheq HR/Ncmsa in oppression in oppression 1
H6233-07 בְ/עֹשֶׁק֮ veosheq HR/Ncmsa in oppression oppressive extortion 1
H6233-06 בַ/עֹ֖שֶׁק vaosheq HRd/Ncmsa in-oppression in oppressive extortion 1
H6233-01 בַּ/עֹ֔שֶׁק baosheq HRd/Ncmsa by-extortion in the oppression 1

Occurrences in Scripture

15 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H6233-03 Leviticus 5:23 הָ/עֹ֨שֶׁק֙ haosheq HTd/Ncmsa the oppression the extortion
H6233-02 Isaiah 30:12 בְּ/עֹ֣שֶׁק beosheq HR/Ncmsa in oppression in oppression
H6233-04 Isaiah 54:14 מֵ/עֹ֨שֶׁק֙ meosheq HR/Ncmsa from oppression oppression
H6233-05 Isaiah 59:13 עֹ֣שֶׁק osheq HNcmsa oppression oppressive extortion
H6233-05 Jeremiah 6:6 עֹ֥שֶׁק osheq HNcmsa oppression oppressive extortion
H6233-03 Jeremiah 22:17 הָ/עֹ֥שֶׁק haosheq HTd/Ncmsa the oppression the extortion
H6233-05 Ezekiel 18:18 עֹ֗שֶׁק osheq HNcmsa extortion oppressive extortion
H6233-06 Ezekiel 22:7 בַ/עֹ֖שֶׁק vaosheq HRd/Ncmsa in-oppression in oppressive extortion
H6233-01 Ezekiel 22:12 בַּ/עֹ֔שֶׁק baosheq HRd/Ncmsa by-extortion in the oppression
H6233-05 Ezekiel 22:29 עֹ֔שֶׁק osheq HNcmsa oppression oppressive extortion
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