Word

אָוֶן

ʼâven · H205 · Hebrew · 79 occurrences

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Meanings

evil, iniquity

Great wickedness and depravity, as a trait of certain human beings, which is expressed in thoughts, words, and actions; regarded as unacceptable and worthy of punishment by God

Examples
1 Samuel 15:23 “For rebellion is as reprehensible as the sin of divination, And insubordination is as reprehensible as false religion and idolatry. Since you have rejected the word of the LORD, He has also rejected you from being king.”
Proverbs 6:12 A worthless person, a wicked man, Is one who walks with a perverse mouth,
Proverbs 6:18 A heart that devises wicked plans, Feet that run rapidly to evil,
misfortune, calamity, disaster

State in which humans are suffering caused by difficult circumstances; often seen as the consequences of their own wickedness

Examples
Numbers 23:21 “He has not looked at misfortune in Jacob; Nor has He seen trouble in Israel; The LORD his God is with him, And the joyful shout of a king is among them.
Job 5:6 “For disaster does not come from the dust, Nor does trouble sprout from the ground,
Job 18:12 “His strength is famished, And disaster is ready at his side.
nothing

State of being non-existent, implying that an existing object has been destroyed, or that an object exists in people's imagination only; regarded therefore as totally insignificant

Examples
Isaiah 41:29 “Behold, all of them are false; Their works are nothing, Their cast metal images are wind and emptiness.
Isaiah 66:3 “But the one who slaughters an ox is like one who kills a person; The one who sacrifices a lamb is like one who breaks a dog’s neck; One who offers a grain offering is like one who offers pig’s blood; One who burns incense is like one who blesses an idol. As they have chosen their own ways, And their souls delight in their abominations,
Amos 5:5 “But do not resort to Bethel And do not come to Gilgal, Nor cross over to Beersheba; For Gilgal will certainly go into captivity And Bethel will come to nothing.
Aven

Town and cult centre, normally referred to as Bethel or Beth-Aven; territory of Ephraim, near the border of Benjamin; probably a pun featuring the meaning of אָוֶן "evil, iniquity" because of the idolatry that was practiced in this town

Examples
Hosea 10:8 Also the high places of Aven, the sin of Israel, will be destroyed; Thorns and thistles will grow on their altars; Then they will say to the mountains, “Cover us!” And to the hills, “Fall on us!”

How it’s used In 8 roles

Every occurrence, grouped by the words it is grammatically related to.

the word studied the word it goes with

Whose, or of whatGenitive or possessive

4 occurrences in 3 groups

הוּhis 2
ךְyour 1
הֶםtheir 1

What it doesIt is the subject

3 occurrences in 3 groups

הָיָהto be, to become 1
יָצָאto go out 1
אָנָהto mourn 1

What is done to itIt is the object

21 occurrences in 18 groups

Other words · 18 groups that occur once or twice (21) 21

Second object ofSecond object

1 occurrences in 1 groups

רָאָהto see 1

What it is said to bePredicate

3 occurrences in 3 groups

יָדhand, power 1
לָשׁוֹןtongue, language 1
קֶרֶבmidst, among, inner parts 1

What is said to be itIt is the predicate

5 occurrences in 5 groups

גִּלְעָדGilead 1
דָּבָרword, thing, matter 1
פָּצַרto press 1
רֹהָבthe best 1
הֶםtheir 1

After prepositionsPrepositional phrases

5 occurrences in 5 groups

אֵלto, toward 2
מִןfrom 2
עַלon, upon, over, against 2
תַּחַתunder, below, instead of 2
לto/for 2

In phrases “… of it”It is the genitive

39 occurrences in 13 groups

פָּעַלto do, to work 23
אִישׁman, person, each 3
מַחֲשָׁבָהthought, plan 3
Other words · 10 groups that occur once or twice (10) 10

When two words share a role, as in “Paul and Barnabas said”, the verse appears under each, so a section’s counts can add up to more than the number of occurrences.

MACULA Greek Linguistic Datasets, available at https://github.com/Clear-Bible/macula-greek/, licensed CC BY 4.0; MACULA Hebrew Linguistic Datasets © 2022-2024 by Biblica, Inc., CC BY 4.0. Westminster Leningrad Codex (tanach.us). OpenScriptures Hebrew Bible morphology (hb.openscriptures.org), CC BY 4.0.

Near synonyms 3 words

עֶוֶל ʻevel · H5766 · wrong, injustice, iniquity: Both denote moral wrong or iniquity, overlapping substantially in describing unrighteous or wicked conduct.
עַוָּל ʻavvâl · H5767 · unrighteous one, evil-doer: Both words denote moral or ethical wrongness (אָוֶן (ʼâven, H205): "iniquity, wicked(-ness), unrighteous"; עַוָּל (ʻavvâl, H5767): "unjust, unrighteous, wicked") and could substitute in contexts describing wickedness or injustice. אָוֶן (ʼâven, H205) has a broader range (also affliction, vanity, idolatry), but the core overlap in wickedness and unrighteousness is clear.
דְּאָגָה dᵉʼâgâh · H1674 · fear, anxiety, worry: דְּאָגָה emphasizes internal psychological distress (care, fear, heaviness); אָוֶן encompasses external affliction, evil, and the mourning/sorrow that results, often with moral-theological overtones.

In the other Testament 3 words

ἀνομία anomía · G458 · to live lawlessly, lawlessness, lawless living: Greek ἀνομία emphasizes lawlessness and violation of established legal/moral norms, while Hebrew אָוֶן covers a broader semantic range including affliction, vanity, and false worship alongside wickedness and iniquity; the overlap centers on the shared concept of moral wrongdoing and injustice.
πόνος pónos · G4192 · pain, suffering, hard work: Greek πόνος emphasizes the experiential suffering dimension (toil, anguish), while Hebrew אָוֶן spans both moral evil (iniquity, wickedness, vanity) and its resulting affliction; the cross-linguistic equivalence reflects contexts where אָוֶן's affliction/sorrow sense aligns with πόνος's pain/anguish register.
ἄτοπος átopos · G824 · not fitting, what should not be done, bad: Greek ἄτοπος emphasizes the moral impropriety or perverseness of wickedness (out of proper place/order), while Hebrew אָוֶן covers a broader semantic range including the consequences and manifestations of evil (affliction, sorrow, vanity) alongside the moral wrongness itself.

Semantic domains 5 entries

Wrong002001003019: אָוֶן names wickedness or iniquity, as Samuel's rebuke that “rebellion is as reprehensible as the sin of divination” (1 Samuel 15:23).
Unsafe002003003022: The word can describe trouble or calamity that threatens harm, as Balaam's oracle that the LORD “has not looked at misfortune in Jacob” (Numbers 23:21).
Non-Exist002002002006: אָוֶן can denote emptiness or vanity, as the idols whose works “are nothing... wind and emptiness” (Isaiah 41:29).
Names of Locations003001010: The word also forms part of place names associated with idolatrous worship, as the “high places of Aven” in Hosea's oracle against Israel's sin (Hosea 10:8).
Grieve002001002013: אָוֶן is used of mourning, as not eating of the tithe while in a state of mourning.

Word family 2 words

Words formed from the same root. They share a form, not always a meaning.

אָוֶןʼâven · H205תְּאֻן tᵉʼun · H8383 · effort, toil · 1×

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon H205. aven אָ֫וֶן85 noun masculineJob 5:6 trouble, sorrow, wickedness — absolute Num…

H205. aven
אָ֫וֶן85 noun masculineJob 5:6 trouble, sorrow, wickedness — absolute Num 23:21 +; suffix אוֺנִי Gen 35:18 etc.; plural אוֺנִים Hos 9:4 —
1 trouble, sorrow בֶּןאֿוֺנִי son of my trouble or sorrow Gen 35:18 (E); בְּיַעֲקֹב אָוֶן הִבִּיט לֹא Num 23:21 (song of Balaam), he doth not behold trouble in Jacob (|| he doth not see misery — עָמָל — in Isr); often || עָמָל Psa 7:15 (יְחַבֶּלאָֿוֶן הִנֵּה lo he travaileth with trouble || שָׁ֑קֶר וְיָלַד עָמָל וְהָרָה, yea he hath conceived misery & brought forth a lie), probably thence Job 15:35 (אָוֶן וְיָלֹד עָמָל הָרהֹ) = Isa 59:4; compare וָאָוֶן עָמָל Psa 10:7; Psa 55:11; Psa 90:10; Job 4:8; Job 5:6; Isa 10:1 (see עָמָל); also יִקְצָראָֿוֶן עַוְלָה זוֺרֵעַ Pro 22:8 the sower of iniquity shall reap trouble; in this sense elsewhere only Deu 26:14; Pro 12:21; Jer 4:15; Hab 3:7; Amo 5:5, plural intensive אוֺנִים לֶחֶם bread of trouble, sorrow, or mourning Hos 9:4.
2 idolatry Hos 12:12; Isa 41:29; הַפְצַ֑ר וּתְרָפִים אָוֶן stubbornness is idolatry & (the use of) teraphim 1Sa 15:23 (poetry source); בֵּית אָוֶן Hos 4:15 (for אֵל בֵּיתbecause Bethel, house of God, is given over to idolatry) so also Hos 5:8; Hos 10:5 compare א ׳בָּמוֺת Hos 10:8; א ׳בִּקְעַת Amo 1:5 (Baalbek); א ׳בַּחוּרֵי read אֹן אוֺן, = On, Heliopolis Eze 30:17; — abstract for concrete = idols Isa 66:3.
3 trouble of iniquity, wickedness, אָוֶן מְתֵי Job 22:15; א ׳אַנְשֵׁי Job 34:36 = men of trouble, troublers, wicked men; compare א ׳אִישׁ Pro 6:12; Isaiah 55:17; אָוֶן מֹּעֲלֵי workers of trouble, evil-doers, workers of iniquity Job 31:3; Job 34:8, Job 34:22; Psa 5:6; + (16 t. chiefly late Psalms) Pro 10:29; Pro 21:15; Isa 31:2; Hos 6:8; אָוֶן מַחְשְׁבוֺת thoughts of trouble, wicked imaginations Pro 6:18; Isa 59:7; Jer 4:14; often of words & thoughts Job 11:11 + (5 t.) Psa 36:5 + (9 t.) Pro 17:4; Pro 19:28; Pro 30:20; Isa 29:20; Isa 32:6; Isa 58:9; Isa 59:6; Eze 11:2; Mic 2:1; Hab 1:3; Zec 10:2; וַעֲצָרָה אָוֶן אוּכַל לֹא Isa 1:13 I cannot bear iniquity with the solemn meeting (RV & most modern; AV it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting).
אֹן sorrow, see אָוֶן.

Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), public domain

Topical studies with this word 5 entries

Grieve2 occurrences Wrong64 occurrences Non-Exist4 occurrences Unsafe10 occurrences Names of Locations1 occurrence

Meanings adapted from the UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament, © United Bible Societies, CC BY-SA 4.0 and the UBS Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew (from the Semantic Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew), © United Bible Societies, CC BY-SA 4.0; MACULA Greek Linguistic Datasets, available at https://github.com/Clear-Bible/macula-greek/, licensed CC BY 4.0; MACULA Hebrew Linguistic Datasets © 2022-2024 by Biblica, Inc., CC BY 4.0. Westminster Leningrad Codex (tanach.us). OpenScriptures Hebrew Bible morphology (hb.openscriptures.org), CC BY 4.0.

Sources

eRhema lexical overview, based on the UBS Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew and the UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament (© United Bible Societies, CC BY-SA 4.0) and Macula Hebrew and Greek (Clear Bible, CC BY 4.0); released under CC BY-SA 4.0