Word Study for H5860 (עִיט) | Strong's Concordance

ʻîyṭ /eet/ Ask about this word

Roota primitive root

Meaningto swoop down upon (literally or figuratively)

KJV usagefly, rail.

Word Study

In depth

A plain-language study of ʻîyṭ — 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 ʻîyṭ, represented by H5860, is a primitive root used to describe the act to swoop down upon something, either literally or figuratively. It can also be translated as to fly or to rail. This word appears 3 times in 3 unique verses, each time highlighting a sudden, aggressive action.

Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis

In its biblical usage, H5860 is associated with impulsive and disobedient acts. The people of Israel, faint with hunger, flew upon the spoil of sheep and oxen, slaughtering them improperly 1 Samuel 14:32. Similarly, King Saul is condemned for not obeying the voice of the LORD, and instead didst fly upon the spoil, an act considered evil in God's sight 1 Samuel 15:19. Figuratively, the word describes verbal assault, as when Nabal railed on the messengers sent by David 1 Samuel 25:14.

Related Words & Concepts

Several related words help clarify the context in which H5860 is used:

H7998 shâlâl (spoil): This word for booty or prey is the object of the impulsive action in two of the three occurrences of ʻîyṭ, representing the target of greedy desire (1 Samuel 14:32, 1 Samuel 15:19).
H8085 shâmaʻ (obey): The failure to obey the voice of the LORD is the direct cause for Saul's sinful act of flying upon the spoil, framing the action as one of rebellion 1 Samuel 15:19.
H5037 Nâbâl (Nabal): The name of the man who railed on David's servants. His name means "dolt," which characterizes his foolishly aggressive verbal attack 1 Samuel 25:14.

Theological Significance

The theological weight of H5860 is demonstrated in its specific contexts:

Impulsive Greed: The act of "swooping" or "flying" upon spoil depicts a lack of self-control and an overwhelming desire for material gain that leads to sin 1 Samuel 14:32.
Willful Disobedience: The term is used to characterize a direct violation of God's command. Saul's action to fly upon the spoil was not just impulsive, but an act of doing evil in the sight of the LORD 1 Samuel 15:19.
Hostile Speech: Figuratively, the word illustrates how aggressive and disrespectful language is a form of attack, as when Nabal "railed" on the men David sent in peace 1 Samuel 25:14.

Summary

In summary, while infrequent, H5860 is a vivid word describing a sudden and aggressive pounce. It is used to depict both a literal, ravenous rush for plunder and a figurative, hostile verbal assault. In each case, the action is portrayed negatively, rooted in impatience, greed, disobedience to God, or foolish aggression.

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 2 occurrences, inflected in 2 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.

תַּעַט
יָּעַט

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

3 verses, all in 1 Samuel — 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.