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עִי

𐤏𐤉

ʻîy

H5856 noun

SILEX Entry

Root עוה to bend, twist, subvert, ruin

Definition

A heap of ruins or desolation, especially referring to the remains of destroyed settlements or habitations. The term denotes the site or physical vestige remaining after desolation or destruction, typically of a city or inhabited place.

Semantic Range

ruins, heap of rubble, heap of destruction, remains of a demolished town, mound of debris, desolate heap

Root / Etymology

Derived from the root עוה (ʻ-w-h), meaning 'to bend, twist, subvert, ruin.' The noun עִי designates the result of such actions—a place made desolate or a ruined heap.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In Biblical usage, עִי most commonly refers to literal ruins, especially the remains of defeated cities or settlements. It appears in descriptive contexts documenting conquest, judgment, or abandonment of built environments, both in poetry and narrative. For instance, in Joshua 7-8, עִי (Ai) is used as the name of a city associated with destruction, but the noun itself elsewhere lacks distinct personal or place-name connotations and instead is generic. In some post-exilic or poetic passages (e.g., Isaiah 17:1, Jeremiah 49:2), it is used metaphorically to evoke images of utter desolation as a result of divine judgment. The standard English translation 'ruin' or 'heap of ruins' captures its general significance, though in Biblical Hebrew the term often carried a vivid connotation of total societal collapse. עִי is to be distinguished from חָרְבָּה (ḥorbah), another word for ruin, which can emphasize a place laid waste or deserted; עִי more strongly suggests the physical mound or debris left after devastation.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from עָוָה; a ruin (as if overturned); heap.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

עוה (ʿ-w-h) — to bend, twist, subvert, ruin

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H4596 מְעִי ruin-heap of
H5753 עָוָה she acted crookedly
H5757 עַוִּי and the Avvites
H5758 עִוְיָא and your perversions
H5771 עָוֺן distortion-guilt

Word Forms

4 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H5856-01 עִיִּ֣ים iyim HNcmpa heaps distant coastlands 1
H5856-02 עִיִּ֣ין iyin HNcmpa heaps ruined heaps 1
H5856-04 לְ/עִיִּֽים leiyim HR/Ncmpa in heaps to ruined heaps 1
H5856-03 לְ/עִ֥י lei HR/Ncmsc to-a-heap ruin-heap of 1

Occurrences in Scripture

4 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H5856-01 Jeremiah 26:18 עִיִּ֣ים iyim HNcmpa heaps distant coastlands
H5856-03 Micah 1:6 לְ/עִ֥י lei HR/Ncmsc to-a-heap ruin-heap of
H5856-02 Micah 3:12 עִיִּ֣ין iyin HNcmpa heaps ruined heaps
H5856-04 Psalms 79:1 לְ/עִיִּֽים leiyim HR/Ncmpa in heaps to ruined heaps
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