Original Language Studio

Job 29:16

“I was a father to the poor: and the cause which I knew not I searched out.” (KJV)

Tap a word · read right to left

Lexical meaning

אָבʼâb · awb
H1 · Hebrew

Definition: father, in a literal and immediate, or figurative and remote application
Derivation: a primitive word;
KJV renderings: chief, (fore-) father(-less), [idiom] patrimony, principal. Compare names in 'Abi-'.
Grammar: אָ֣ב — common noun, masculine, singular, absolute
Code HNcmsa
Usage: Occurs 1,213 times in the Hebrew Bible.Genesis 2:24 Genesis 4:20 Genesis 4:21 Genesis 9:18 Genesis 9:22

Theological interpretation (AI)

The card on the left shows lexical data from published sources. Interpretation is separate: ask the Companion to explain how traditions read אָב here.

Verse 15 Verse 17

Hebrew text: Westminster Leningrad Codex (public domain). Morphology & lemmas: Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible, CC BY 4.0 (hb.openscriptures.org). Lexicon: Strong's Hebrew Dictionary (1894, public domain; JSON edition © Open Scriptures, CC BY-SA). Verse numbers follow the Hebrew text, which occasionally differs from English Bibles.