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עָרַב

𐤏𐤓𐤁

ʻârab

H6150 verb

SILEX Entry

Root ערב to mix, mingle

Definition

To become dark or dusky, particularly describing the transition to evening as daylight fades. The term primarily refers to the onset of darkness or twilight, marking the approach or arrival of the evening, both in literal (daily) and sometimes metaphorical senses.

Semantic Range

to become dark, to grow dusk, to bring on evening, (metaphorically) to enter a period of transition or uncertainty

Root / Etymology

Root ע־ר־ב (ערב), core meaning: to mix, mingle, or become joined/merged; the derived sense here is based on the transition or blending of day into night, i.e., the mixing of light and darkness. While the root is used for other forms (such as 'evening' עֶרֶב and 'to mix'), this verb form relates specifically to the growing darkness at sundown.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In the Hebrew Bible, עָרַב occurs infrequently as a verb but is significant for denoting the unfolding of evening or the process of darkness increasing at day's end. This is distinct from the noun עֶרֶב (‘erev), which simply means 'evening' or 'sunset'. The processual nature in the verb form is emphasized—it is not merely the existence of dark, but the active onset of dusk. Throughout ancient Israelite practices, the period indicated by this verb signaled key ritual times, such as the beginning of a new day in calendrical reckoning, and the timing of evening sacrifices. In later Hebrew, and in most English translations, 'evening' or 'to grow dark' is used, but this sometimes overlooks the Hebrew sense of gradual transition rather than a fixed time point. No evidence of theological reinterpretation or extension of meaning in Second Temple or post-biblical Hebrew. Differentiates from related roots like חשך (ḥ-sh-kh, to become dark in an absolute sense), focusing on the mingling quality of dusk.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

a primitive root (rather identical with עָרַב through the idea of covering with a texture); to grow dusky at sundown; be darkened, (toward) evening.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

ערב (ʿ-r-b) — mixing, mingling, blending

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H1026 בֵּית הָעֲרָבָה the arid plain
H4627 מַעֲרָב in your trade-goods
H4628 מַעֲרָב the sunset-region
H6148 עָרַב he became surety
H6149 עָרֵב you were pleasing

Word Forms

3 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H6150-02 לַ/עֲרֹ֗ב laarov HR/Vqc toward evening to grow dusk 1
H6150-01 עָֽרְבָה֙ arevah HVqp3fs has grown dark she grew dusky 1
H6150-03 וְ/הַעֲרֵ֑ב vehaarev HC/Vha and evening to bring on dusk 1

Occurrences in Scripture

3 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H6150-02 Judges 19:9 לַ/עֲרֹ֗ב laarov HR/Vqc toward evening to grow dusk
H6150-03 1 Samuel 17:16 וְ/הַעֲרֵ֑ב vehaarev HC/Vha and evening to bring on dusk
H6150-01 Isaiah 24:11 עָֽרְבָה֙ arevah HVqp3fs has grown dark she grew dusky
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