---
title: אָיַב — be hostile to · The Tanakh dictionary
description: אָיַב (341), a word of Biblical Hebrew, used 282 times: be hostile to. BDB 1906: vb. be hostile to. With 2 verses in Hebrew, word for word and JPS 1917.
---

<!-- md -->
[Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/w/341.html)

<!-- crumbs -->
[home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [dictionaries](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/) / [Tanakh](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/) / [א](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/1488-4.md)‎ / אָיַב‎

<!-- .hw dir=rtl lang=hbo -->
# אָיַב

<!-- .meta -->
«אָיַב» in the Tanakh dictionary: **be hostile to** — how often it is used, MACULA's glosses, its meanings in the printed dictionaries and why they were chosen, and 2 verses in layers.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Used:** 282 times · **Key:** 341 · **BDB:** אָיַב

### Glosses

enemies (149); enemy (29); an.enemy (23)

### Meaning (OSHB)

be hostile to [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1488/341/#m1)

### Meaning (BDB 1906)

vb. be hostile to [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1488/341/#m2)

<!-- fold -->
**The whole BDB entry:** vb. be hostile to (Ass. aibu (v. DlW), enemy = אֹיֵב)— Pf. †וְאָיַבְתִּ֫י Ex 23:22; Pt. אוֹיֵב (אֹיֵב) Ex 15:6 +; sf. (אוֹיְבִי) אֹיְבִי 2 S 22:18 = ψ 18:18 +; f. sf. אֹיַבְתִּי Mi 7:8, 10; אֹיִבְךָ Ex 23:4 +, etc.; pl. אוֹיְבִים ψ 68:24; 127:5; אֹיְבִים ψ 139:22, etc.;—be hostile to, treat as enemy Ex 23:22 (E, Cov’t code) וְאָיַבְתִּ֫י אֶת־אֹיְבֶיךָ וְצַרְתִּ֫י אֶת־צֹרְרֶיךָ (subj. י׳); elsewhere Pt. 1 S 18:29 וַיְהִי שָׁאוּל אֹיֵב אֶת־דָּוִד; usually as subst. \& mostly sf.; enemy, of personal foe Ex 23:4 (E ‖ שֹׂנֵא v 5) Nu 35:23 (P) 1 S 19:17 (cf. 18:29) 24:5, 20 2 S 4:8 1 K 21:20 Jb 27:7 ψ 54:9; 55:13 (‖ מְשַׂנֵּא; opp. אַלּוּף, מְיֻדָּע v 14) Mi 2:8 Pr 16:7; 24:17 +; in sim. Je 30:14 (מַכַּת אוֹיֵב); of public national enemy, sg. Ju 16:23, 24; coll. Ex 15:6, 9 Dt 33:27 Na 3:11 2 Ch 6:24 +; personif. Mi 7:8, 10; more oft. pl. Ex 23:22 (E) Lv 26:7f (H) Nu 10:9 (P) Dt 1:42; 6:19 Je 15:9; 34:20, 21 +; of enemies of God, as protector of his people Nu 10:35 (J) Ju 5:31 1 S 30:26 2 S 18:19 ψ 66:3; 68:1, 22 Na 1:2, 8 Is 66:6 +; as morally supreme Jb 13:24; 33:10 ψ 37:20; 92:10(×2) +; of God as enemy of rebellious people Is 63:10, in sim. La 2:4, 5.

<!-- .note -->
Why these entries: BDB: headword, part of speech differs, 53 of its verses cited, 0 words shared with the glosses, lists its Strong's number (12 candidates); OSHB: headword, part of speech agrees, 1 words shared with the BDB entry, 0 with the glosses (10 candidates)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every English meaning of «אָיַב» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1488/341/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.

### In the verses

<!-- div verse -->

<!-- .ref -->
[Hosea 8:3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/neviim/HOS.8.3/)

<!-- .vt dir=rtl lang=hbo -->
זָנַ֥ח יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל ט֑וֹב אוֹיֵ֖ב יִרְדְּֽפוֹ׃

*Word for word:* it.has.rejected Israel good an.enemy he will.pursue.him

*JPS 1917:* Israel hath cast off that which is good; the enemy shall pursue him.

<!-- /div -->

<!-- div verse -->

<!-- .ref -->
[2 Samuel 22:4](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/neviim/2SA.22.4/)

<!-- .vt dir=rtl lang=hbo -->
מְהֻלָּ֖ל אֶקְרָ֣א יְהוָ֑ה וּמֵאֹיְבַ֖י אִוָּשֵֽׁעַ׃

*Word for word:* \[the.one\].to.be.praised I.call.out.to Yahweh and from enemies my I.am.delivered

*JPS 1917:* Praised, I cry, is the LORD, and I am saved from mine enemies.

<!-- /div -->

<!-- pn -->
- ← previous: [אָיַב](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/w/340.md)
- next →: [אֵיבָה](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/w/342.md)
- ↑ back to [א](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/1488-4.md)