Lexical Summary
havvah: Mischief, calamity, desire, ruin
Original Word:הַוָּה
Part of Speech:Noun Feminine
Transliteration:havvah
Pronunciation:hav-vaw'
Phonetic Spelling:(hav-vaw')
KJV: calamity, iniquity, mischief, mischievous (thing), naughtiness, naughty, noisome, perverse thing, substance, very wickedness
NASB:destruction, desire, calamities, calamity, craving, deadly, destructive
Word Origin:[fromH193 (אוּל - Mighty)3 (in the sense of eagerly coveting and rushing upon, by implication of falling)]
1. desire
2. (also) ruin
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
calamity, iniquity, mischief, mischievous thing, naughtiness, naughty, perverse thing,
Fromhava' (in the sense of eagerly coveting and rushing upon; by implication, of falling); desire; also ruin -- calamity, iniquity, mischief, mischievous (thing), naughtiness, naughty, noisome, perverse thing, substance, very wickedness.
see HEBREWhava'
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originfrom
havahDefinitiondesire, chasm, destruction
NASB Translationcalamities (1), calamity (1), craving (1), deadly (1), desire (2), destruction (8), destructive (1), greed (1).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
;
, figurative (compare
desire,
atmosphere, emptiness,
a deep pit, hell (compare below ); Aramaic
gulf, chasm (Luke 16:26 )) constructMicah 7:3 +, suffixJob 6:2 +, pluralPsalm 5:10 +; —desire (in bad sense)Micah 7:3 speakeththe desire of his soul,Proverbs 10:3 ,Proverbs 11:6 ,Psalm 52:9 became strong through his (evil)desire (but read rather with Lag Gr Bi Che Now "" ).engulfing ruin, destructionJob 6:2; QrJob 30:13 (compare Baer's note) of Job's great calamity; plural (intensive) , especially as wrought, or meditated, by one against another,Psalm 5:10 their inward part isengulfing ruin (Che),Psalm 38:13 ,Psalm 52:4 (compareProverbs 17:4 ), Prov 55:12 , Prov 57:2 tillthe storm of ruin (Che) pass by, Prov 91:3destructive pestilence, Prov 94:20 the seat (tribunal) of destruction (i.e. which ruins the innocent by injustice),Proverbs 19:13 a foolish son is ,Job 6:30 (compareJob 6:2 above)
Topical Lexicon
OverviewThe Hebrew noun הַוָּה (havvah) appears fifteen times across the Old Testament canon as an ominous thread binding together ideas of destructive craving, moral mischief, and tangible calamity. Whether rendered “destruction,” “ruin,” “deadly pestilence,” “craving,” or “mischief,” the word depicts a force that begins in the inner life of the ungodly and invariably flowers into outward devastation. The contexts range from personal lament in Job to national indictment in Micah, underscoring the comprehensive reach of this cancerous principle.
Root Imagery and Fundamental Idea
At its core havvah conveys a collapse—either of moral integrity or of physical wellbeing. The imagery is twofold:
1. A hidden appetite that consumes from within (Proverbs 10:3;Proverbs 11:6).
2. A public outbreak of violence, treachery, or calamity flowing from that appetite (Psalm 52:2;Psalm 55:11).
The inward craving and the outward ruin are not separate meanings but two faces of the same reality. Scripture therefore treats havvah as both the motive and the outcome of evil.
Usage in Wisdom Literature
Job and Proverbs provide the densest cluster of occurrences, portraying havvah as a diagnostic tool for discerning wickedness.
•Job 6:30 declares, “Is there iniquity on my tongue? Cannot my taste discern malice?” Job insists his conscience can identify the flavor of havvah, even as he suffers from it inJob 30:13, “They profit from my destruction.” The righteous may recognize havvah, yet the wicked exploit it.
• Proverbs drives the lesson home: “The LORD does not let the righteous go hungry, but He denies the craving of the wicked” (Proverbs 10:3). Again, “The righteousness of the upright delivers them, but the faithless are trapped by their own desires” (Proverbs 11:6). Divine justice starves the appetite that breeds ruin while rescuing those who walk uprightly.
Association with Speech
Several psalms link havvah to the tongue:
– “Your tongue devises destruction like a sharpened razor” (Psalm 52:2).
– “Their heart is destruction; their throat is an open grave; they flatter with their tongue” (Psalm 5:9).
– “A liar gives ear to a destructive tongue” (Proverbs 17:4).
Words become the delivery system for internal havoc. The consistent picture is that unchecked speech weaponizes havvah, spreading corruption through deceit, slander, and political intrigue (Psalm 94:20).
Threat versus Refuge
The same psalter that exposes havvah also proclaims God’s shelter from it. “Surely He will deliver you from the snare of the fowler, and from the deadly pestilence” (Psalm 91:3). The believer’s only guaranteed immunity is found “in the shadow of Your wings” (Psalm 57:1). Thus the term becomes a foil to highlight divine protection: havvah is real, but it is not sovereign.
Societal Implications
Micah 7:3 situates havvah in a corrupt judicial system: “Both hands are skilled at evil… the powerful dictate their desires—together they conspire.” When havvah governs leadership, the covenant community languishes. The prophetic warning implies that spiritual renewal must begin with confronting the covert cravings of the heart, or public structures will inevitably collapse.
Intertestamental Echoes and New Testament Fulfillment
While the noun itself does not carry over into Greek, its substance resurfaces in terms such as epithymia (lust) and apoleia (destruction).James 1:14-15 captures the same moral trajectory: “Each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then desire, having conceived, gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.” The cross stands as God’s definitive answer, absorbing the havoc of human sin and granting life in its place (Romans 6:23).
Ministry Significance
1. Heart Diagnosis: Pastoral counseling must move beyond visible crises to address the underlying havvah—destructive cravings and motives.
2. Guarded Speech: Teaching ministries should stress that words either foment or frustrate havvah; disciplining the tongue is spiritual warfare.
3. Intercession for Protection:Psalm 91 encourages believers to pray for deliverance not only from external calamity but from the internal seeds of ruin.
4. Ethical Leadership:Micah 7:3 warns church and civic leaders alike that institutional corruption begins with private appetite. Accountability structures are therefore a gospel necessity.
Practical Questions for Reflection
• Where might subtle cravings be preparing the ground for future ruin in my life or ministry?
• How do my words—spoken or typed—either devise destruction or promote edification?
• In what ways am I modeling refuge in God so that those I lead learn to find shelter from havvah?
Havvah pulls back the curtain on sin’s life cycle: desire becomes disaster unless redeemed by grace. The biblical witness exposes its workings, declares its judgment, and points to the One who saves “to the uttermost” from both the craving and the collapse.
Forms and Transliterations
בְּהַוָּתֽוֹ׃ בהותו׃ הַ֫וּ֥וֹת הַ֭וּוֹת הַוַּ֥ת הַוֹּ֣ת הַוֹּֽת׃ הַוּ֑וֹת הַוּ֥וֹת הַוּֽוֹת׃ הוות הוות׃ הות הות׃ וְהַוַּ֖ת וּ֝בְהַוַּ֗ת ובהות והות לְהַוָּתִֽי להותי bə·haw·wā·ṯōw behavvaTo bəhawwāṯōw havVat havVot haw·waṯ haw·wō·wṯ haw·wōṯ hawwaṯ hawwōṯ hawwōwṯ lə·haw·wā·ṯî lehavvaTi ləhawwāṯî ū·ḇə·haw·waṯ ūḇəhawwaṯ uvehavVat vehavVat wə·haw·waṯ wəhawwaṯ
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