What does עִי (ʿiy) mean in the Bible?
עִי (ʿiy): Denotes physical devastation—a place utterly destroyed and overturned, often signifying divine judgment or abandonment
Hebrew · H5856
עִי
A ruin (as if overturned)
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עִי H5856
Pronunciation ʿiy
What does עִי (ʿiy) mean in the Bible?
עִי (ʿiy): Denotes physical devastation—a place utterly destroyed and overturned, often signifying divine judgment or abandonment
Full entry for עִי (H5856) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render H5856?
The BSB source-word alignment has 5 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include a heap of rubble (3), against a ruined man (1), to rubble (1).
Where does עִי (ʿiy) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Job 30:24. Its strongest book concentrations include Micah (2), Jeremiah (1), Job (1), Psalms (1).
Source Word Evidence
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders It a heap of rubble 3× Jeremiah 26:18, Micah 1:6, Micah 3:12
against a ruined man 1× Job 30:24
to rubble 1× Psalms 79:1
Show sample aligned rows
Job 30:24 בְ֭עִי to against a ruined man Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular Psalms 79:1 לְעִיִּֽים׃ to to rubble Preposition-l | Noun - masculine plural Jeremiah 26:18 עִיִּ֣ים to a heap of rubble Noun - masculine plural Micah 1:6 לְעִ֥י to a heap of rubble Preposition-l | Noun - masculine singular construct Micah 3:12 עִיִּ֣ין to a heap of rubble Noun - masculine plural
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Job 30:24
Aligned rows 5
Books represented 4
Job 1 Psalms 1 Jeremiah 1 Micah 2
Source forms
בְ֭עִי 1x ḇə·‘î Job 30:24
לְעִ֥י 1x lə·‘î Micah 1:6
לְעִיִּֽים׃ 1x lə·‘î·yîm Psalms 79:1
עִיִּ֣ים 1x ‘î·yîm Jeremiah 26:18
עִיִּ֣ין 1x ‘î·yîn Micah 3:12
Parsing patterns
Noun - masculine plural 2x Jeremiah 26:18, Micah 3:12
Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular 1x Job 30:24
Preposition-l | Noun - masculine plural 1x Psalms 79:1
Preposition-l | Noun - masculine singular construct 1x Micah 1:6
Evidence Summary
Hebrew word. Denotes physical devastation—a place utterly destroyed and overturned, often signifying divine judgment or abandonment
Source Gloss
a ruin (as if overturned)
Extended definition Source: Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon + Brown-Driver-Briggs
Denotes physical devastation—a place utterly destroyed and overturned, often signifying divine judgment or abandonment
a ruin (as if overturned) BDB: ruin Usage: heap.
Grammatical Forms
How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.
Selected Scripture Witness
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Old Testament Witnesses
A ruin or heap, describing a destroyed city reduced to rubble.
Showing 1 selected witness from 4 lexical occurrence verses.
Word Origins
עִי is built from this root:
Why This Word Matters
It signals total dismantling of what was once secure and prominent, underscoring the thoroughness of divine judgment. Micah 1:6-9
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