English · KJV
H3510

כָּאַב

kâʼab /kaw-ab'/ Ask about this word
Roota primitive root
Meaningproperly, to feel pain; by implication, to grieve; figuratively, to spoil
KJV usagegrieving, mar, have pain, make sad (sore), (be) sorrowful.

Word Study

In depth

A plain-language study of kâʼab — 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 kâʼab, represented by H3510, is a primitive root that properly means to feel pain. It appears 8 times across 8 unique verses in the Bible. By implication, it extends to the concepts of grief and figurative spoiling, with renderings such as grieving, marring, having pain, making sad or sore, and being sorrowful.

Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis

The use of H3510 covers a spectrum from physical to emotional and even environmental distress. In a literal sense, it describes the physical state of the men of Shechem who "were sore" after being circumcised Genesis 34:25. It also describes the internal, emotional state of a person, as in Proverbs where "even in laughter the heart is sorrowful" Proverbs 14:13. Figuratively, the word is used to describe an act of destruction, such as the command to "mar" every good piece of land with stones 2 Kings 3:19. In a theological context, God is depicted as one who "maketh sore" but also "bindeth up" Job 5:18, linking the experience of pain to divine action and subsequent restoration.

Related Words & Concepts

Several related words help to define the scope and context of pain and sorrow:

  • H3512 kâʼâh (to despond; causatively, to deject; broken, be grieved, make sad): This closely related word is used in parallel with H3510 to condemn false prophets who "have made the heart of the righteous sad" when God had "not made [them] sad" Ezekiel 13:22.
  • H4272 mâchats (to wound): This term often appears alongside H3510 to describe the cause of pain. In Job, God is the subject of both actions: "he woundeth, and his hands make whole" Job 5:18, connecting the wound to the feeling of soreness.
  • H7495 râphâʼ (to cure; heal; make whole): This word functions as the direct antithesis to H3510. It represents the healing and restoration that follows pain, as seen in the promise that God's hands "make whole" what was first made sore Job 5:18.

Theological Significance

The theological weight of H3510 is found in its portrayal of suffering and its source.

  • Divine Sovereignty over Pain: The word is used to affirm God's ultimate control over both affliction and healing. Job acknowledges that God "maketh sore H3510, and bindeth up H2280" Job 5:18, framing pain not as a meaningless event but as an experience within God's sovereign purview.
  • The Reality of Inner Grief: The word highlights the biblical understanding of the heart's hidden state. The statement that a heart can be sorrowful even in laughter teaches that outward appearances do not always reflect inner reality Proverbs 14:13.
  • Pain as a Metaphor for Hostility: In Ezekiel, antagonistic nations are described as a "grieving H3510 thorn H6975" to Israel Ezekiel 28:24. This metaphor extends the concept of pain to describe the persistent irritation and hostility inflicted by enemies.

Summary

In summary, H3510 is a multifaceted term that encapsulates the human experience of pain in its various forms. It moves beyond a simple definition of physical soreness to include deep emotional grief, the sorrow of the afflicted soul Psalms 69:29, and the figurative marring of land. It illustrates a worldview where suffering, whether physical, emotional, or relational, is acknowledged in its full depth and is ultimately subject to the healing and restorative power of God.

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 8 occurrences, inflected in 7 grammatical forms — each row is one form, and the bar is how often it is that form. Select any form to read what each part of its name means, and to filter the occurrence list to it.

  • יִכְאָב
  • תַּכְאִבוּ
  • יַכְאִיב
  • מַכְאִב
  • הִכְאַבְתִּי
  • כֹּאֲבִים
  • כוֹאֵב

Related Words

Related

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.

H3512 כָּאָה a primitive root; to despond; causatively, to deject; broken, be grieved, make sad. H4272 מָחַץ a primitive root; to dash asunder; by implication, to crush, smash or violently plunge; figuratively, to subdue or destr H7495 רָפָא or רָפָה; a primitive root; properly, to mend (by stitching), i.e. (figuratively) to cure; cure, (cause to) heal, physic H2280 חָבַשׁ a primitive root; to wrap firmly (especially a turban, compress, or saddle); figuratively, to stop, to rule; bind (up), H6975 קוֹץ or קֹץ; from קוּץ (in the sense of pricking); a thorn; thorn.

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

Appears in 8 verses across 6 of the 39 books. Most frequent in Job and Ezekiel (2 verses each); never once in the other 33.

1
Genesis
1
2 Kings
2
Job
1
Psalms
1
Proverbs
2
Ezekiel

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, by grammatical form, 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.