---
title: אָבָה — be willing · The Tanakh dictionary
description: אָבָה (14), a word of Biblical Hebrew, used 54 times: be willing. BDB 1906: vb. be willing, consent. With 2 verses in Hebrew, word for word and JPS 1917.
---

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# אָבָה

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«אָבָה» in the Tanakh dictionary: **be willing** — how often it is used, MACULA's glosses, its meanings in the printed dictionaries and why they were chosen, and 2 verses in layers.

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**Used:** 54 times · **Key:** 14 · **BDB:** אָבָה

### Glosses

he.was.willing (26); they.were.willing (7); I.was.willing (2)

### Meaning (OSHB)

be willing [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1488/14/#m1)

### Meaning (BDB 1906)

vb. be willing, consent [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1488/14/#m2)

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**The whole BDB entry:** vb. be willing, consent (cf. Assyrian abîtu, desire, DlW, Ethiopic አበየ: refuse, Arabic أَبَى, id., Nejd be willing SoDe Jes 3, p. 26; LCB 1880, 817)— (c. לֹא, אַל except Is 1:19 Jb 39:9; in Hex. rare \& only JED, incl. Lv 26:21); Pf. אָבָה Ex 10:27 + אָבוּ Ju 19:25 + 7 times; אָבוּא Is 28:12 (Sta§ 31 R. 2; KöI, 414); Impf. יֹאבֶה Dt 29:19 + 2 times; 2 ms. juss. תֹּבֵא Pr 1:10 (Sta§ 143 e 1 fin; KöI, 576 f) etc.; Pt. אֹבִים Ez 3:7;—be willing, sq. Inf. with ל Ex 10:27 + 29 times; without ל Dt 2:30 + 8 times; subj. י׳ Dt 10:10; 23:6; 29:19 Jos 24:10 2 K 8:19; 13:23; 24:4 2 Ch 21:7; human subj. Gn 24:5, 8 Ju 19:10 2 S 2:21; 13:25; 14:29(×2); 23:16, 17 = 1 Ch 11:18, 19 1 Ch 19:19; in bad sense Ex 10:27 Dt 2:30; 25:7 Ju. 19:25; 20:13 2 S 13:14, 16; especially of perverse Isr. Lv 26:21 Dt 1:26 1 S 15:9 Is 28:12; 30:9; 42:24 Ez 3:7(×2); 20:8; subj. animal, רֵים Jb 39:9; abs. (no Inf.) 2 S 12:17 1 K 20:8; 22:50; cf. Pr 6:35, of jealous man; bad sense Ju 11:17 Is 30:15; good sense 1 S 22:17; 26:23; 31:4 = 1 Ch 10:4 2 S 6:10 Pr 1:10; + vb. fin. Is 1:19 (אִם תֹּאבוּ וּשְׁמַעְתֶּם) consent, yield to, sq. לוֹ Dt 13:9 (good sense); sq. לִי ψ 81:12; sq. לַעֲצָתִי Pr 1:30; sq. acc. תּוֹכַחְתִּי v 25 (all in bad sense).

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Why these entries: BDB: headword, part of speech agrees, 52 of its verses cited, 1 words shared with the glosses, lists its Strong's number (6 candidates); OSHB: headword, part of speech agrees, 1 words shared with the BDB entry, 1 with the glosses (4 candidates)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every English meaning of «אָבָה» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1488/14/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.

### In the verses

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[Proverbs 1:10](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/PRO.1.10/)

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בְּנִ֡י אִם־יְפַתּ֥וּךָ חַ֝טָּאִ֗ים אַל־תֹּבֵֽא׃

*Word for word:* my.son my if they will.entice.you sinners do.not be.willing

*JPS 1917:* My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not.

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[Isaiah 1:19](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/neviim/ISA.1.19/)

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אִם־תֹּאב֖וּ וּשְׁמַעְתֶּ֑ם ט֥וּב הָאָ֖רֶץ תֹּאכֵֽלוּ׃

*Word for word:* if you.will.be.willing and you.will.obey the.good.thing\[s\] of the.land you.will.eat

*JPS 1917:* If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land;

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