What does עֶצֶב (etzev) mean in the Bible?
עֶצֶב (etzev): Pain and toil converge: physical labor's exhaustion and emotional suffering share one Hebrew word, emphasizing bodily cost.
Hebrew · H6089
עֶצֶב
An earthen vessel ; usually (painful) toil ; also a pang (whether of body or mind)
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עֶצֶב H6089
Pronunciation etzev
What does עֶצֶב (etzev) mean in the Bible?
עֶצֶב (etzev): Pain and toil converge: physical labor's exhaustion and emotional suffering share one Hebrew word, emphasizing bodily cost.
Full entry for עֶצֶב (H6089) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render H6089?
The BSB source-word alignment has 7 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include and your labors (1), but a harsh (1), in pain (1), labor (1), pot (1).
Where does עֶצֶב (etzev) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Genesis 3:16. Its strongest book concentrations include Proverbs (4), Genesis (1), Jeremiah (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 and your labors 1× Proverbs 5:10
but a harsh 1× Proverbs 15:1
in pain 1× Genesis 3:16
labor 1× Proverbs 14:23
pot 1× Jeremiah 22:28
sorrow 1× Proverbs 10:22
toiling 1× Psalms 127:2
Show sample aligned rows
Genesis 3:16 בְּעֶ֖צֶב to in pain Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular Psalms 127:2 הָעֲצָבִ֑ים to toiling Article | Noun - masculine plural Proverbs 5:10 וַ֝עֲצָבֶ֗יךָ to and your labors Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine plural construct | second person masculine singular Proverbs 10:22 עֶ֣צֶב to sorrow Noun - masculine singular Proverbs 14:23 עֶ֭צֶב to labor Noun - masculine singular Proverbs 15:1 עֶ֝֗צֶב to but a harsh Noun - masculine singular Jeremiah 22:28 הַעֶ֨צֶב to pot Article | Noun - masculine singular
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Genesis 3:16
Aligned rows 7
Books represented 4
Genesis 1 Psalms 1 Proverbs 4 Jeremiah 1
Source forms
בְּעֶ֖צֶב 1x bə·‘e·ṣeḇ Genesis 3:16
הַעֶ֨צֶב 1x ha·‘e·ṣeḇ Jeremiah 22:28
הָעֲצָבִ֑ים 1x hā·‘ă·ṣā·ḇîm Psalms 127:2
וַ֝עֲצָבֶ֗יךָ 1x wa·‘ă·ṣā·ḇe·ḵā Proverbs 5:10
עֶ֣צֶב 1x ‘e·ṣeḇ Proverbs 10:22
עֶ֭צֶב 1x ‘e·ṣeḇ Proverbs 14:23
עֶ֝֗צֶב 1x ‘e·ṣeḇ Proverbs 15:1
Parsing patterns
Noun - masculine singular 3x Proverbs 10:22, Proverbs 14:23, Proverbs 15:1
Article | Noun - masculine plural 1x Psalms 127:2
Article | Noun - masculine singular 1x Jeremiah 22:28
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine plural construct | second person masculine singular 1x Proverbs 5:10
Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular 1x Genesis 3:16
Evidence Summary
Hebrew word. Pain and toil converge: physical labor's exhaustion and emotional suffering share one Hebrew word, emphasizing bodily cost.
Source Gloss
an earthen vessel ; usually (painful) toil ; also a pang (whether of body or mind)
Extended definition Source: Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon + Brown-Driver-Briggs
Pain and toil converge: physical labor's exhaustion and emotional suffering share one Hebrew word, emphasizing bodily cost.
an earthen vessel; usually (painful) toil; also a pang (whether of body or mind) BDB: pain Usage: grievous, idol, labor, sorrow.
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
pain, toil, or grief
Showing 1 selected witness from 7 lexical occurrence verses.
Word Origins
עֶצֶב is built from this root:
Why This Word Matters
The term reflects the burdens often associated with wealth gained through anxious striving. Proverbs 10:22
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