Word Study for H5759 (עֲוִיל)

ʻăvîyl /av-eel'/ Ask about this word

Meaninga babe

KJV usageyoung child, little one.

Word Study

In depth

A plain-language study of ʻăvîyl — 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 ʻăvîyl, represented by H5759, refers to a babe or young child. It is derived from the root עוּל and is a very specific term. It appears 2 times across 2 unique verses in the Bible, exclusively within the book of Job.

Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis

The two uses of H5759 appear in contrasting contexts within the book of Job. In one instance, it describes the joyful prosperity of the wicked, who "send forth their little ones like a flock" Job 21:11. Here, the word contributes to an image of flourishing family life. Conversely, in his own suffering, Job laments that even "young children despised me" Job 19:18, illustrating the profound depth of his social rejection and humiliation.

Related Words & Concepts

Several related words help clarify the context of H5759:

H3206 yeled (child): This word for offspring appears in parallel with ʻăvîyl in the scene of prosperity, where the "little ones" are sent out and the "children dance" Job 21:11, reinforcing the picture of a large and joyous family.
H3988 mâʼaç (despise): This word describes the action taken against Job by the young children Job 19:18. It signifies a deep scorn or rejection, and its use here highlights that Job's contempt came even from the most unexpected and seemingly innocent members of society.

Theological Significance

The thematic weight of H5759 is tied to its specific appearances in Job.

Innocence and Blessing: In the context of the prosperous, ʻăvîyl represents a sign of blessing and carefree innocence, portrayed as lambs in a flock Job 21:11.
Unexpected Scorn: For Job, the word is a source of pain. The fact that young children—those expected to be innocent—are the ones who despise him underscores the totality of his affliction and abandonment Job 19:18.
A Study in Contrast: The word's dual usage within the same book showcases the extremes of human experience, where children can be a symbol of either life's greatest joys or its most cutting sorrows.

Summary

In summary, H5759 is a rare term whose meaning is powerfully defined by its context. Though simply meaning a "young child," its two appearances in the book of Job place it at opposite ends of the emotional spectrum. It illustrates how the very same thing—a child—can be perceived as a blessing of prosperity or as an agent of profound humiliation, depending on one's circumstances.

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 noun across 3 occurrences, inflected in 3 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.

עֲוִילִים
עֲוִילֵי
עֲוִיל

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

2 verses, all in Job — 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, 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.