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אֹבֵד

𐤀𐤁𐤃

ʼôbêd

H8 noun

SILEX Entry

Root אָבַד to perish, be lost, be destroyed, go astray

Definition

Active participle form meaning 'one who is perishing, one going astray, one lost or perishing.' Used both literally (of physical perishing or destruction) and metaphorically (of being lost, cut off from a community, or in a state of ruin). May refer to an individual in distress, an entity facing destruction, or a people in a state of loss or annihilation.

Semantic Range

perishing, being lost, going to ruin or destruction, in distress, facing annihilation, being alienated or cut off, lost property or cause

Root / Etymology

From the root אָבַד ('avad), meaning 'to perish, be lost, be destroyed.' The participle form אֹבֵד (ʼôbêd) denotes an ongoing action or state of being lost or perishing.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In Biblical Hebrew, אֹבֵד typically functions as a verbal adjective or substantive participle, often describing an individual (or group) facing imminent loss, ruin, or extinction. It appears in contexts of lament (e.g., of the psalmist or prophets), in declarations of fate (especially in exilic or judgmental passages), or to describe things irretrievably lost (such as property, cattle, or even hope). The term can serve to express not merely physical destruction but also alienation and existential despair. In later periods and translations, terms like 'lost' or 'perishing' do not always capture the weight of existential or communal loss conveyed in biblical usage. Related nouns include אָבֵדָה (ʾavēdāh, 'lost property'), showing an extension from the root idea of being lost or gone irretrievably. Distinct from related words like חָרַם (ḥāram, 'to devote to destruction'), which conveys complete annihilation or ban, אֹבֵד generally retains the sense of process or state rather than finalized destruction. Over time, especially in exilic and post-exilic texts, it often bore shades of despair or estrangement from the community or divine favor.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

active of participle of אָבַד; (concrete) wretched or (abstract) destruction; perish.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

אבד (ʾ-b-d) — to perish, be lost, be destroyed, go astray

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H10 אֲבַדֹּה and destruction-of
H11 אֲבַדּוֹן Realm of Destruction
H12 אַבְדָן and utter ruin
H13 אׇבְדַן in ruin-of
H5648 עֲבַד he perished

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H8-01 אֹבֵֽד oved HNcmsa destruction perishing one 2

Occurrences in Scripture

2 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H8-01 Numbers 24:20 אֹבֵֽד oved HNcmsa destruction perishing one
H8-01 Numbers 24:24 אֹבֵֽד oved HNcmsa perish perishing one
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