Word Study for H340 (אָיַב) | Strong's Concordance

ʼâyab /aw-yab'/ Ask about this word

Roota primitive root

Meaningto hate (as one of an opposite tribe or party); hence to be hostile

KJV usagebe an enemy.

Word Study

In depth

A plain-language study of ʼâyab — the range of meaning it carries, how Scripture actually uses it, and where it points. Written for readers who don’t know the original language.

Core Meaning & Semantic Range

The Hebrew word ʼâyab, represented by H340, is a primitive root that means to hate (as one of an opposite tribe or party); hence to be hostile; be an enemy. It appears only 1 time in 1 unique verse in the Bible, making its specific context highly significant for understanding its meaning.

Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis

The single use of H340 is found in Exodus 23:22, where God makes a conditional promise to Israel. The verse states, "But if thou shalt indeed obey his voice, and do all that I speak; then I will be an enemy unto thine enemies, and an adversary unto thine adversaries." In this context, God's willingness to "be an enemy" is directly contingent upon Israel's obedience. If they obey H8085 His voice H6963 and do H6213 what He speaks H1696, He will adopt a hostile position against their own foes.

Related Words & Concepts

Several related words help clarify the context and meaning of being an enemy:

H341 ʼôyêb (enemy, foe): As the active participle of ʼâyab, this word describes the adversary. In the promise of Exodus 23:22, God commits to opposing Israel's enemies. This term appears often in prayers for deliverance, as in the psalm of David celebrating the LORD who delivered him from all his enemies H341 Psalms 18:1.
H6887 tsârar (adversary, afflict, vex): Meaning to cramp or confine, this word is used in parallel with ʼâyab in Exodus 22:22. It describes an oppressing force, such as the enemy that oppresseth H6887 in the land, against whom Israel is to go to war Numbers 10:9.
H8085 shâmaʻ (to hear intelligently, obey): This term is the foundation of the covenantal promise. God's action is entirely dependent on whether Israel will obey His voice. The importance of this act is emphasized elsewhere, stating that to obey is better than sacrifice 1 Samuel 15:22.

Theological Significance

The theological weight of H340 is concentrated in its single appearance, which highlights several key principles:

Conditional Divine Alliance: The primary lesson from ʼâyab is that God's active role as a protector is bound to a covenant of obedience. His willingness to "be an enemy" to Israel's enemies is not unconditional but is earned through their faithfulness Exodus 23:22.
God as Divine Champion: By promising to "be an enemy," God portrays Himself as a divine warrior who personally enters the conflict on behalf of His people. He does not merely offer aid; He adopts their hostile relationships as His own.
Hostility as a Response: The definition of ʼâyab as hating "as one of an opposite tribe or party" suggests that God's hostility is a direct response to the opposition faced by His covenant people. It is a righteous and protective opposition, not an arbitrary one.

Summary

In summary, H340 ʼâyab, while exceptionally rare, offers a focused and powerful insight into God's covenant relationship with His people. Its use in Exodus 23:22 shows that God's promise of protection involves actively becoming hostile to the enemies of His people. This divine intervention, however, is presented as a direct consequence of their decision to hear and obey His voice, linking God's actions to human devotion.

How the KJV Renders It

Translation

Strong’s lists the renderings but not their weight. These are counted from the King James text of the tagged verses — the bar under each is how often the translators actually reached for it. Select one to filter the occurrences below.

Grammatical Forms

Morphology

In the Hebrew Old Testament, this word appears as a verb across 20 occurrences, inflected in 5 grammatical forms — each row is one form, and the bar is how often it is that form.

Qal Participle Plural Masculine Construct 14×
Qal Participle Singular Masculine Absolute 2×
Qal Participle Singular Masculine Construct 2×
Qal Consecutive Perfect 1st Singular common gender 1×
Qal Participle Plural Masculine Absolute 1×

Singular: One.
Plural: More than one.
Masculine: Masculine grammatical gender.
common gender: Either gender — the form does not distinguish.
1st: First person — the speaker ("I"/"we").
Participle: A verbal adjective — describes while carrying the verb's action.
Qal: The simple, basic stem — plain action in the active voice.
Consecutive Perfect: Perfect with vav — continues a sequence into the future.
Absolute: The independent form of a noun (not bound to another).
Construct: Bound to a following noun — "the X of…".

Related Words

Other entries the study above points to — each one is drawn from a reference it makes. Follow the trail to see how the words connect.

Theographic Context

Context

The people, places, and span of history the verses containing this word touch on — drawn from the theographic tagging of Scripture. Select any name to isolate its verses in the occurrence list.

Biblical Distribution

Distribution

1 verse, all in Exodus — and none of the other 38 Old Testament books.

Every Occurrence

Concordance

Every verse where the word is tagged in the King James text. Filter by book, by the English word the translators chose, or search within the verses.

Sources. Definition and numbering: James Strong, Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (1890). Morphology: STEPBible / Tyndale House (CC BY). Verse tagging: the King James text keyed to Strong’s numbers. Every count on this page is computed from the tagged corpus, not estimated.