אָרַב
𐤀𐤓𐤁
ʼârab
H693 verb
SILEX Entry
Definition
To lie in wait, to set an ambush; to conceal oneself with the intent to attack or surprise. The verb primarily denotes deliberate concealment or positioning with a view to hostile or predatory action, often in military or violent scenarios, but also in contexts of personal assault or predatory behavior. It can be used figuratively for scheming or intending harm.
Semantic Range
to lie in wait for hostile purposes, to set an ambush, to prepare a trap, to lurk with intent to attack, to await an opportunity to strike, to plot or scheme harm
Root / Etymology
The root אָרַב (ארב) carries the core meaning of 'to ambush, to lie in wait.' The verbal form expresses the act of lying in wait or lurking, usually with hostile intent. Derived nouns (e.g., מַאֲרָב - 'ambush', אֹרֵב - 'ambusher') are common in military and narrative contexts. The root appears across Semitic languages with similar meanings (cf. Arabic 'arab: to lie in wait, attack by surprise), supporting its antiquity and preserving the core predatory nuance.
Historical & Contextual Notes
In the Tanakh, אָרַב is frequent in narrative and poetic contexts referring to both military tactics (such as ambushes in warfare, e.g., Joshua 8) and acts of personal predation (e.g., bandits or murderers lying in wait, Proverbs 1:11). The act implied is calculated, concealed, and typically hostile. Use of the term crosses from collective (army-level) to individual (assailant-level) actions. The noun derivatives are especially used in describing battle strategies among Israelites and their adversaries. While most often literal, the verb is occasionally used figuratively for planning evil or scheming surprise harm. English translations like "to ambush" or "to lie in wait" generally capture the primary sense, but can miss nuances of intent or subtle plotting inherent in the Hebrew. Related roots (such as צָפַן, 'to hide, to lay up') sometimes overlap in describing concealment, but אָרַב uniquely carries the sense of active, aggressive intent and strategic patience. The word's usage does not shift significantly across historical periods, though later literature may employ metaphorical or generalized senses. No connotations of religious or cultic activity are present; the term is strictly secular in meaning.
Translation Consistency
'Ambush' best captures the primary sense of אָרַב — deliberate concealment or positioning to attack or surprise. It is a natural, single-word English verb that conveys hostile intent and predatory action (both literal and figurative) more clearly than the ambiguous 'lie' or multi-word phrases like 'lie in wait.' Although 'lie in wait' appears often, 'ambush' is concise, idiomatic as a verb, and fits the typical military/violent and scheming contexts reflected in the SILEX range.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
a primitive root; to lurk; (lie in) ambush(-ment), lay (lie in) wait.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been recorded for this word yet.
Root Family
ארב (Arubot) — to lie in wait, ambush, lurk
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H3993 | מַאֲרָב | in ambush of |
| H695 | אֶרֶב | mingling dusk |
| H696 | אֹרֶב | his ambush |
| H700 | אֲרֻבּוֹת | Lattices District |
| H701 | אַרְבִּי | the Arbite |
Word Forms
22 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H693-05 |
הָֽ/אֹרֵב֙ | haorev | HTd/Vqrmsa |
the ambush | the ambusher | the ambusher | 4 |
H693-11 |
אֹרֵ֛ב | orev | HVqrmsa |
an ambush | ambusher | an ambush | 4 |
H693-19 |
וְ/הָ/אוֹרֵ֡ב | vehaorev | HC/Td/Vqrmsa |
and-the-ambush | and the one lying in wait | and the ambusher | 4 |
H693-13 |
תֶאֱרֹֽב | teerov | HVqi3fs |
lie in wait | she will lie in wait | she will ambush | 3 |
H693-02 |
אָ֥רְבוּ | arevu | HVqp3cp |
they lay in wait | they lay in ambush | they ambushed | 2 |
H693-07 |
לְ/אֹרֵ֖ב | leorev | HR/Vqrmsa |
to lie in ambush | to an ambushing one | to an ambushing one | 2 |
H693-08 |
מְ֠אָֽרְבִים | mearevim | HVprmpa |
ambushes | ambush-setters | ambush-setters | 2 |
H693-12 |
אֹרְבִ֤ים | orevim | HVqrmpa |
liers in wait | those lying in wait | those lying in wait | 2 |
H693-15 |
וַ/יֶּאֶרְב֣וּ | vayeerevu | HC/Vqw3mp |
and lay in wait | and they lay in ambush | and they lay in ambush | 2 |
H693-20 |
וְ/אוֹרֵ֖ב | veorev | HC/Vqrmsa |
and ambushers | and ambushing one | and ambushing one | 2 |
Occurrences in Scripture
41 occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H693-17 |
Deuteronomy 19:11 | וְ/אָ֤רַב | vearav | HC/Vqq3ms |
and lies in wait | and he lay in wait | and lies in wait |
H693-11 |
Joshua 8:2 | אֹרֵ֛ב | orev | HVqrmsa |
an ambush | ambusher | an ambush |
H693-12 |
Joshua 8:4 | אֹרְבִ֤ים | orevim | HVqrmpa |
liers in wait | those lying in wait | those lying in wait |
H693-09 |
Joshua 8:7 | מֵ/הָ֣/אוֹרֵ֔ב | mehaorev | HR/Td/Vqrmsa |
from the ambush | from the ambusher | from the ambush |
H693-11 |
Joshua 8:12 | אֹרֵ֗ב | orev | HVqrmsa |
to lie in ambush | ambusher | an ambush |
H693-11 |
Joshua 8:14 | אֹרֵ֥ב | orev | HVqrmsa |
an ambush | ambusher | an ambush |
H693-19 |
Joshua 8:19 | וְ/הָ/אוֹרֵ֡ב | vehaorev | HC/Td/Vqrmsa |
and-the-ambush | and the one lying in wait | and the ambush |
H693-05 |
Joshua 8:21 | הָֽ/אֹרֵב֙ | haorev | HTd/Vqrmsa |
the ambush | the ambusher | the ambusher |
H693-08 |
Judges 9:25 | מְאָרְבִ֗ים | mearevim | HVprmpa |
ambushes | ambush-setters | ambush-setters |
H693-18 |
Judges 9:32 | וֶ/אֱרֹ֖ב | veerov | HC/Vqv2ms |
and lie in wait | and lie in wait! | and lie in wait |
H693-15 |
Judges 9:34 | וַ/יֶּאֶרְב֣וּ | vayeerevu | HC/Vqw3mp |
and they set an ambush | and they lay in ambush | and they lay in ambush |
H693-16 |
Judges 9:43 | וַ/יֶּאֱרֹ֖ב | vayeerov | HC/Vqw3ms |
and lay in wait | and he lay in ambush | and he lay in ambush |
H693-15 |
Judges 16:2 | וַ/יֶּאֶרְבוּ | vayeerevu | HC/Vqw3mp |
and lay in wait | and they lay in ambush | and they lay in ambush |
H693-19 |
Judges 16:9 | וְ/הָ/אֹרֵ֗ב | vehaorev | HC/Td/Vqrmsa |
and-the-ambush | and the one lying in wait | and the ambusher |
H693-19 |
Judges 16:12 | וְ/הָ/אֹרֵ֖ב | vehaorev | HC/Td/Vqrmsa |
and the ambush | and the one lying in wait | and the ambusher |
H693-12 |
Judges 20:29 | אֹֽרְבִ֔ים | orevim | HVqrmpa |
an ambush | those lying in wait | those lying in wait |
H693-20 |
Judges 20:33 | וְ/אֹרֵ֧ב | veorev | HC/Vqrmsc |
and the ambush | and ambushing one | and the ambush |
H693-05 |
Judges 20:36 | הָ֣/אֹרֵ֔ב | haorev | HTd/Vqrmsa |
the ambush | the ambusher | the ambusher |
H693-19 |
Judges 20:37 | וְ/הָ/אֹרֵ֣ב | vehaorev | HC/Td/Vqrmsa |
and-the-liers-in-wait | and the one lying in wait | and the ambusher |
H693-05 |
Judges 20:37 | הָ/אֹרֵ֔ב | haorev | HTd/Vqrmsa |
the-liers-in-wait | the ambusher | the ambusher |
H693-05 |
Judges 20:38 | הָ/אֹרֵ֑ב | haorev | HTd/Vqrmsa |
the-ambushers | the ambusher | the ambusher |
H693-14 |
Judges 21:20 | וַ/אֲרַבְתֶּ֥ם | vaaravetem | HC/Vqp2mp |
and-lie-in-wait | you lay in wait | you lay in wait |
H693-07 |
1 Samuel 22:8 | לְ/אֹרֵ֖ב | leorev | HR/Vqrmsa |
to lie in ambush | to an ambushing one | to lie in ambush |
H693-07 |
1 Samuel 22:13 | לְ/אֹרֵ֖ב | leorev | HR/Vqrmsa |
to lie in wait | to an ambushing one | to an ambushing one |
H693-06 |
Jeremiah 51:12 | הָ/אֹֽרְבִ֑ים | haorevim | HTd/Vqrmpa |
ambushes | the ambushers | the ambushers |
H693-03 |
Hosea 7:6 | בְּ/אָרְבָּ֑/ם | bearebam | HR/Ncmsc/Sp3mp |
in their ambush | in their ambush | in their ambush |
H693-22 |
Micah 7:2 | יֶאֱרֹ֔בוּ | yeerovu | HVqi3mp |
lie in wait | they lie in ambush | they will ambush |
H693-21 |
Psalms 10:9 | יֶאֱרֹ֬ב | yeerov | HVqi3ms |
he lies in wait | he will lie in wait | he lies in wait |
H693-21 |
Psalms 10:9 | יֶ֭אֱרֹב | yeerov-2 | HVqi3ms |
he lies in wait | he will lie in wait | he lies in wait |
H693-02 |
Psalms 59:4 | אָֽרְב֡וּ | arevu | HVqp3cp |
they lie in wait | they lay in ambush | they lie in wait |
H693-10 |
Proverbs 1:11 | נֶאֶרְבָ֥ה | neerevah | HVqh1cp |
let us lie in wait | let us lie in ambush | let us lie in ambush |
H693-22 |
Proverbs 1:18 | יֶאֱרֹ֑בוּ | yeerovu | HVqi3mp |
lie in wait | they lie in ambush | they will ambush |
H693-13 |
Proverbs 7:12 | תֶאֱרֹֽב | teerov | HVqi3fs |
she lies in wait | she will lie in wait | she will ambush |
H693-04 |
Proverbs 12:6 | אֱרָב | erav | HVqc |
lie in wait | to lie in wait | lie in wait |
H693-13 |
Proverbs 23:28 | תֶּֽאֱרֹ֑ב | teerov | HVqi3fs |
lies in wait | she will lie in wait | she will ambush |
H693-13 |
Proverbs 24:15 | תֶּאֱרֹ֣ב | teerov | HVqj2ms |
lie in wait | she will lie in wait | lie in wait |
H693-01 |
Job 31:9 | אָרָֽבְתִּי | araveti | HVqp1cs |
I have lain in wait | I lay in wait | I lay in wait |
H693-11 |
Lamentations 3:10 | אֹרֵ֥ב | orev | HVqrmsa |
lying in wait | ambusher | ambusher |
H693-02 |
Lamentations 4:19 | אָ֥רְבוּ | arevu | HVqp3cp |
they lay in wait | they lay in ambush | they ambushed |
H693-20 |
Ezra 8:31 | וְ/אוֹרֵ֖ב | veorev | HC/Vqrmsa |
and ambushers | and ambushing one | and ambushing one |
H693-08 |
2 Chronicles 20:22 | מְ֠אָֽרְבִים | mearevim | HVprmpa |
ambushes | ambush-setters | ambush-setters |