Word Study for H6093 (עִצָּבוֹן)

ʻitstsâbôwn /its-tsaw-bone'/ Ask about this word

Meaningworrisomeness, i.e. labor or pain

KJV usagesorrow, toil.

Word Study

In depth

A plain-language study of ʻitstsâbôwn — 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 ʻitstsâbôwn, represented by H6093, means worrisomeness, i.e. labor or pain; sorrow, toil. Though it appears only 3 times in 3 unique verses, its placement in scripture gives it significant weight, defining a core aspect of the human condition after the fall.

Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis

The term H6093 is introduced in Genesis as a direct consequence of disobedience. For the woman, God multiplies her sorrow in conception and childbirth Genesis 3:16. For Adam, because he hearkened to his wife and ate from the forbidden tree, the ground is cursed, and he is condemned to eat from it in sorrow for all the days of his life Genesis 3:17. The final appearance of the word connects back to this curse, when Noah is named with the hope that he will provide comfort from the toil of working the ground which the LORD cursed Genesis 5:29.

Related Words & Concepts

Several related words help clarify the scope of H6093:

H6089 ʻetseb (sorrow): From the same root, this word is used in parallel with H6093 to describe the pain of bringing forth children, emphasizing the grievous nature of this sorrow Genesis 3:16.
H127 ʼădâmâh (ground): This is the soil that is cursed for Adam's sake, establishing the source of the sorrow and toil he must endure to gain sustenance (Genesis 3:17, Genesis 5:29).
H4639 maʻăseh (work): This word is used alongside toil H6093 to describe the labor of hands from which Noah was prophesied to bring comfort Genesis 5:29.
H5162 nâcham (comfort): This word signifies the desired relief from the toil H6093. The naming of Noah introduces a hope for comfort from the very struggle instituted in Genesis 3 Genesis 5:29.

Theological Significance

The theological weight of H6093 establishes a foundational biblical narrative.

A Consequence of the Fall: The appearance of sorrow and toil is directly tied to the curse following Adam and the woman's disobedience, fundamentally altering humanity's relationship with creation and life-giving processes (Genesis 3:16, Genesis 3:17).
A Universal Experience: This toil is applied to the core of human existence—childbirth for the woman and the labor for food for the man. It is a defining feature of life "all the days of thy life" Genesis 3:17.
The Hope of Redemption: The word's final usage is not one of despair but of hope. It frames the human condition as one awaiting comfort H5162 from the curse, looking forward to a rest provided by the LORD H3068 Genesis 5:29.

Summary

In summary, H6093 is a pivotal term that defines the sorrowful toil resulting from sin. Though used sparingly, it appears at a crucial juncture in scripture to frame the hardship of human life after the fall, impacting both the bringing forth of new life and the sustaining of it. It sets a theological stage where humanity must labor under a curse while simultaneously looking toward a promised comfort.

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 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.

עִצְּבוֹנֵ
עִצָּבוֹן

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

3 verses, all in Genesis — 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.