Lexical Summary
ab: Cloud, thick cloud, darkness
Original Word:עָב
Part of Speech:Noun Masculine
Transliteration:`ab
Pronunciation:ahv
Phonetic Spelling:(awb)
KJV: clay, (thick) cloud, X thick, thicket
NASB:clouds, cloud, thick clouds, thick cloud, thickets
Word Origin:[fromH5743 (עוּב - cloud)]
1. (properly) an envelope, i.e. darkness (or density, 2 Chron. 4
2. specifically, a (scud) cloud
3. also a copse
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
clay, thick cloud, thick, thicket
(masculine and feminine); fromuwb; properly, an envelope, i.e. Darkness (or density, 2 Chron. 4:17); specifically, a (scud) cloud; also a copse -- clay, (thick) cloud, X thick, thicket. Compareabiy.
see HEBREWuwb
see HEBREWabiy
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originfrom an unused word
Definitiondark cloud, cloud mass, thicket
NASB Translationcloud (7), clouds (19), thick cloud (2), thick clouds (4), thickets (1).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
II.
33Isaiah 19:1 and (1 Kings 18:44 Kö
Synt. 103) ; — absolute
1 Kings 18:44 +, construct
Isaiah 18:4;
Proverbs 16:15; plural
Judges 5:4 +,
2 Samuel 23:4 + 2Sam 77:18; construct
2 Samuel 22:12;
Psalm 18:12; suffix
Psalm 18:13 (but probably strike out, see
near the end); —
dark cloud:
Judges 5:4;Isaiah 5:6;1 Kings 18:44,45 9t.
Isaiah 14:14;Job 20:6, +Ezekiel 19:11;Ezekiel 31:3,10,14 (reading , see ).
Isaiah 19:1;Psalm 104:3; covering his eyesJob 22:14.
Isaiah 25:5, compare2 Samuel 23:4.
Isaiah 60:8, and transientIsaiah 44:22;Job 30:15 (all simile).
Job 36:29;Job 37:16.
Isaiah 18:4cloud of dew, dew-mist (simile).
(cloud-)mass,2 Samuel 22:12masses of clouds (enwrapping ) =Psalm 18:12 (Psalm 13 see above).
thicket as refugeJeremiah 4:29 (perhaps under Aramaic influence). —Exodus 19:9 see below . I. see above
Topical Lexicon
Root Imagery and Poetic Textureעָב consistently evokes a picture of thick, weighty cloud‐mass—sometimes bright with covenant promise, at other times foreboding with judgment. The term is often coupled with “darkness” (Deuteronomy 4:11;Joel 2:2), shaping a literary contrast between the veiled majesty of God and His blazing holiness.
Canonical Distribution (≈ 32 uses)
• Torah: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Deuteronomy
• Historical Books: Judges, Samuel, Kings
• Wisdom and Poetry: Job, Psalms, Proverbs
• Prophets (Major and Minor): Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Joel, Zephaniah, Zechariah
The spread from Genesis to Zechariah allows the motif to frame redemptive history—from the post-Flood covenant to eschatological rain.
Covenant Memory and Assurance
Genesis 9:13-14 inaugurates עָב as the backdrop for the rainbow: “I have set My rainbow in the clouds… Whenever I form clouds over the earth…”. The density of the cloud underscores the sheer grace of God—judgment waters had recently receded, yet the very element that once destroyed now hosts a pledge of mercy. The image resurfaces inPsalm 105:39, where a cloud both covers and guides, anchoring Israel’s collective memory to the Lord’s faithful leading.
Theophanic Veil at Sinai and in Worship
Exodus 19:9 introduces Sinai: “Behold, I am coming to you in a dense cloud.” The same word reappears inLeviticus 16:2; the Day of Atonement ritual is enacted with the reassurance that God “appear[s] in the cloud above the mercy seat.”1 Kings 8:12 reports Solomon’s acknowledgment: “The LORD said that He would dwell in thick darkness.” In each scene, עָב shields human frailty from consuming holiness while affirming real presence. The cloud is not absence; it is mediated proximity.
Divine Warrior Motif
David’s song (2 Samuel 22:10-12; echoed inPsalm 18:11) depicts Yahweh descending with “dark clouds beneath His feet… a gathering of water and thick clouds.” The imagery portrays God as a storm-riding warrior whose very approach changes atmospheric conditions.Job 37:11 intensifies this aspect by speaking of clouds laden with lightning, ready to fulfill divine bidding.
Guidance, Shelter, and Daily Provision
Psalm 105:39 summarizes the wilderness narrative: “He spread a cloud as a covering and a fire to light up the night.” The same protective nuance appears inIsaiah 25:5, where scorching heat is “subdued by the shade of a cloud.” For ministry, this underscores God’s tender leadership—He not only delivers but also shepherds through life’s deserts.
Prophetic “Day of the LORD” Gloom
עָב becomes an eschatological alarm inJoel 2:2;Zephaniah 1:15;Ezekiel 30:3: “a day of clouds and blackness.” The prophets leverage the image to announce imminent visitation—either in historical judgment (Egypt, Nineveh, Judah) or in the ultimate accounting. The density of the cloud mirrors the gravity of divine justice.
National Lament and Perceived Distance
Lamentations 3:44 mourns: “You have covered Yourself with a cloud that no prayer can pass through.” The same word that once housed promise now exposes the nation’s alienation. Yet even here, the cloud is temporary;Jeremiah 13:16 warns that refusal to honor God turns anticipated light into “thick darkness.”
Restorative Hope and Future Blessing
Zechariah 10:1 reassures post-exilic Israel: “The LORD makes the storm clouds; He gives showers of rain.” The dense cloud now bursts with life-giving water, reversing covenant curses and prefiguring latter-rain outpourings (Acts 2 echoes).
Typological and Christological Trajectory
Though עָב is an Old Testament term, its theological freight carries into the New Testament’s “bright cloud” at the Transfiguration (Matthew 17:5) and the ascension promise that Jesus will return “in the same way you have seen Him go into heaven” (Acts 1:11). The theme coheres Scripture’s storyline: God revealed, concealed, and finally unveiled in Christ’s coming with clouds (Revelation 1:7).
Practical Ministry Implications
1. Presence: Divine nearness often arrives veiled; believers should trust the God who hides yet guides.
2. Holiness: The cloud’s density warns against casual approaches to worship.
3. Memory: Covenantal signs (rainbow, sacramental ordinances) call the church to remember grace beneath threatening skies.
4. Hope: Even “days of clouds” (Ezekiel 34:12) include shepherding promises, urging pastoral care amidst cultural gloom.
Summary
עָב threads the Bible with a paradox—opaque yet revelatory, ominous yet protective. It frames covenant mercy, mediates holiness, announces judgment, and promises refreshment. In Christ the pattern peaks: the cloud that once obscured now becomes the vehicle of ultimate revelation when “every eye will see Him.”
Forms and Transliterations
בְּעַ֣ב בְּעָבִ֗ים בְּעָבָ֑יו בֶּעָבִ֔ים בֶעָבִ֖ים בַּעֲבִ֖י בעב בעבי בעביו בעבים הֶעָבִ֖ים הֶעָבִ֥ים הֶעָבִים֙ העבים וּ֝כְעָ֗ב וכעב כְּעָ֣ב כְּעָ֥ב כָּעָ֣ב כָעָב֙ כעב לָעָ֣ב לָעָ֥ב לעב עָ֑ב עָ֔ב עָ֛ב עָ֥ב עָב֔וֹת עָב֗וֹת עָבִ֖ים עָבִ֣ים עָבִ֥ים עָבֵ֥י עָבָ֥יו עב עבות עבי עביו עבים ‘ā·ḇāw ‘ā·ḇê ‘ā·ḇîm ‘ā·ḇō·wṯ ‘āḇ ‘āḇāw ‘āḇê ‘āḇîm ‘āḇōwṯ av aVav aVei aVim aVot ba‘ăḇî ba·‘ă·ḇî baaVi bə‘aḇ bə‘āḇāw be‘āḇîm bə‘āḇîm ḇe‘āḇîm bə·‘ā·ḇāw be·‘ā·ḇîm bə·‘ā·ḇîm ḇe·‘ā·ḇîm bə·‘aḇ beAv beaVav beaVim chaAv he‘āḇîm he·‘ā·ḇîm heaVim kā‘āḇ ḵā‘āḇ kā·‘āḇ ḵā·‘āḇ kaAv kə‘āḇ kə·‘āḇ keAv lā‘āḇ lā·‘āḇ laAv ū·ḵə·‘āḇ ucheAv ūḵə‘āḇ veaVim
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