What does אָב · עַל · בֵּן mean in the Bible?
אָב · עַל · בֵּן is a Hebrew phrase meaning "father , in a literal and immediate, or figurative and remote application".
Hebrew · H1, H5921, H1121
אָבוֹת עַל־בָּנִים
Father , in a literal and immediate, or figurative and remote application · above , over , upon , or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applications · a son (as a builder of the family name), in the widest sense (of literal and figurative relationship, including grandson, subject, nation, quality or condition, etc., (like father or brother), etc.)
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Words in this compound — expand to study each participant
אָב H1 father , in a literal and immediate, or figurative and remote application
Pronunciation ʾāb
Father as both literal parent and figurative source/founder; extends to ancestor, chief, and originating authority
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עַל H5921 above , over , upon , or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applications
בֵּן H1121 a son (as a builder of the family name), in the widest sense (of literal and figurative relationship, including grandson, subject, nation, quality or condition, etc., (like father or brother), etc.)
Pronunciation ben
Son extends metaphorically to designate relationship, condition, quality, and national identity across kinship and covenantal contexts.
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What does אָבוֹת עַל־בָּנִים (avot ʿal-banim) mean in the Bible?
אָב · עַל · בֵּן is a Hebrew phrase meaning "father , in a literal and immediate, or figurative and remote application".
Full entry for אָבוֹת עַל־בָּנִים (H1, H5921, H1121) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How many biblical occurrences are listed for H1, H5921, H1121?
H1, H5921, H1121 is connected to 11,936 lexical occurrence verses in the lexicon data.
Evidence Summary
Hebrew phrase. father , in a literal and immediate, or figurative and remote application
Strong's H1, H5921, H1121
Lexical occurrences 11,936 verses Source Gloss
father , in a literal and immediate, or figurative and remote application
Grammatical Forms
How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.
Word Origins
אָבוֹת עַל־בָּנִים is a primitive word - no further derivation.
Sources
MorphGNT Strong's Dictionary XML — CC0 1.0 Public Domain
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible (morphhb/OSHB) — CC BY 4.0
Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon — CC BY 4.0
Berean Standard Bible (BSB) source-word alignment - CC0 Public Domain