What does עָצַב (ʿāṣab) mean in the Bible?
עָצַב (ʿāṣab): Carving/shaping transitions to causing pain; fundamental sense of imposing form generates emotional distress meaning.
Hebrew · H6087
עָצַב
Properly, to carve , i.e. fabricate or fashion ; hence (in a bad sense) to worry , pain or anger
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עָצַב H6087
Pronunciation ʿāṣab
What does עָצַב (ʿāṣab) mean in the Bible?
עָצַב (ʿāṣab): Carving/shaping transitions to causing pain; fundamental sense of imposing form generates emotional distress meaning.
Full entry for עָצַב (H6087) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render H6087?
The BSB source-word alignment has 17 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include grieve (2), and grieved (1), and grieved Him (1), and He was grieved (1), and wounded (1).
Where does עָצַב (ʿāṣab) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Genesis 6:6. Its strongest book concentrations include Genesis (3), 1 Samuel (2), Isaiah (2), Nehemiah (2).
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 grieve 2× Nehemiah 8:10, Nehemiah 8:11
and grieved 1× Isaiah 63:10
and grieved Him 1× Psalms 78:40
and He was grieved 1× Genesis 6:6
and wounded 1× Isaiah 54:6
be distressed 1× Genesis 45:5
from pain 1× 1 Chronicles 4:10
grief 1× Genesis 34:7
he was grieved 1× 1 Samuel 20:34
he will be grieved 1× 1 Samuel 20:3
in her image 1× Jeremiah 44:19
is grieving 1× 2 Samuel 19:2
may be injured 1× Ecclesiastes 10:9
once reprimanded him 1× 1 Kings 1:6
shaped me 1× Job 10:8
they twist 1× Psalms 56:5
Show sample aligned rows
Genesis 6:6 וַיִּתְעַצֵּ֖ב to and He was grieved Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hitpael - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular Genesis 34:7 וַיִּֽתְעַצְּבוּ֙ to grief Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hitpael - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural Genesis 45:5 תֵּעָ֣צְב֗וּ to be distressed Verb - Nifal - Imperfect - second person masculine plural 1 Samuel 20:3 יֵֽעָצֵ֑ב to he will be grieved Verb - Nifal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular 1 Samuel 20:34 נֶעְצַב֙ to he was grieved Verb - Nifal - Perfect - third person masculine singular 2 Samuel 19:2 נֶעֱצַ֥ב to is grieving Verb - Nifal - Perfect - third person masculine singular 1 Kings 1:6 עֲצָב֨וֹ to once reprimanded him Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular | third person masculine singular 1 Chronicles 4:10 עָצְבִּ֑י to from pain Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct | first person common singular Nehemiah 8:10 תֵּ֣עָצֵ֔בוּ to grieve Verb - Nifal - Imperfect - second person masculine plural Nehemiah 8:11 תֵּעָצֵֽבוּ׃ to grieve Verb - Nifal - Imperfect - second person masculine plural
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Genesis 6:6
Aligned rows 17
Books represented 11
Genesis 3 1 Samuel 2 2 Samuel 1 1 Kings 1 1 Chronicles 1 Nehemiah 2 Job 1 Psalms 2 Ecclesiastes 1 Isaiah 2 Jeremiah 1
Source forms
וַיִּתְעַצֵּ֖ב 1x way·yiṯ·‘aṣ·ṣêḇ Genesis 6:6
וַיִּֽתְעַצְּבוּ֙ 1x way·yiṯ·‘aṣ·ṣə·ḇū Genesis 34:7
וְעִצְּב֖וּ 1x wə·‘iṣ·ṣə·ḇū Isaiah 63:10
וַעֲצ֥וּבַת 1x wa·‘ă·ṣū·ḇaṯ Isaiah 54:6
יֵֽעָצֵ֑ב 1x yê·‘ā·ṣêḇ 1 Samuel 20:3
יֵעָצֵ֖ב 1x yê·‘ā·ṣêḇ Ecclesiastes 10:9
יְעַצֵּ֑בוּ 1x yə·‘aṣ·ṣê·ḇū Psalms 56:5
יַ֝עֲצִיב֗וּהוּ 1x ya·‘ă·ṣî·ḇū·hū Psalms 78:40
Parsing patterns
Verb - Nifal - Imperfect - second person masculine plural 3x Genesis 45:5, Nehemiah 8:10, Nehemiah 8:11
Verb - Nifal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular 2x 1 Samuel 20:3, Ecclesiastes 10:9
Verb - Nifal - Perfect - third person masculine singular 2x 1 Samuel 20:34, 2 Samuel 19:2
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hitpael - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural 1x Genesis 34:7
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hitpael - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular 1x Genesis 6:6
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Piel - Conjunctive perfect - third person common plural 1x Isaiah 63:10
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - QalPassParticiple - feminine singular construct 1x Isaiah 54:6
Preposition-l | Verb - Hifil - Infinitive construct | third person feminine singular 1x Jeremiah 44:19
Evidence Summary
Hebrew word. Carving/shaping transitions to causing pain; fundamental sense of imposing form generates emotional distress meaning.
Strong's H6087
Lexical occurrences 17 verses Word forms 2 forms 8 references Verse guides 0 guides
Study link Genesis 6:5-8 Source Gloss
properly, to carve , i.e. fabricate or fashion ; hence (in a bad sense) to worry , pain or anger
Extended definition Source: Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon + Brown-Driver-Briggs
Carving/shaping transitions to causing pain; fundamental sense of imposing form generates emotional distress meaning.
properly, to carve, i.e. fabricate or fashion; hence (in a bad sense) to worry, pain or anger BDB: shape Usage: displease, grieve, hurt, make, be sorry, vex, worship, wrest.
Grammatical Forms
How the stem changes the meaning of this verb across the biblical text.
This verb appears through different tense, voice, mood, or stem patterns. Those forms help readers see how the action is presented in context.
Form groups 2 Aligned forms 8
Niphal passive or reflexive — the subject receives or experiences the action 7×
Jussive Gen 45:5 · Neh 8:10 · Neh 8:11 3×
Imperfect 1Sam 20:3 · Eccl 10:9 2×
Perfect 1Sam 20:34 · 2Sam 19:3 2×
Piel intensive active — emphasizes thoroughness or repeated action 1×
Imperfect Ps 56:6 1×
Selected Scripture Witnesses
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Biblical Witnesses
God's emotional pain and displeasure at human wickedness and corruption
Winking or deceiving causes emotional hurt and distress to others
Wine and excess produce multiple forms of pain, sorrow, and suffering
Showing 3 selected witnesses from 17 lexical occurrence verses.
Word Origins
עָצַב is a primitive root - no further derivation.
Part of These Phrases
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
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