Lexical Summary
evel or avel or avlah or olah: Iniquity, injustice, unrighteousness, wrong, wickedness
Original Word:עֶוֶל
Part of Speech:Noun
Transliteration:`evel
Pronunciation:EH-vel or AH-vel or av-LAH or oh-LAH
Phonetic Spelling:(eh'-vel)
KJV: iniquity, perverseness, unjust(-ly), unrighteousness(-ly); wicked(-ness)
NASB:iniquity, injustice, unjustly, wrong, unjust, unrighteousness
Word Origin:[fromH5765 (עָוַל - deals unjustly)]
1. (moral) evil
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
iniquity, perverseness, unjustly, unrighteousness, wickedness
Or lavel {aw'-vel}; and (feminine) lavlah {av-law'}; or owlah {o-law'}; or.olah {o-law'}; fromaval; (moral) evil -- iniquity, perverseness, unjust(-ly), unrighteousness(-ly); wicked(-ness).
see HEBREWaval
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originfrom an unused word
Definitioninjustice, unrighteousness
NASB Translationiniquity (10), injustice (5), unjust (1), unjustly (2), unrighteousness (1), wrong (2).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
(opposed to ); —
Leviticus 19:15 +; construct
Ezekiel 28:18 (van d. H. , but see Baer Ginsb); suffix
Ezekiel 18:26;
Ezekiel 33:13; —
Leviticus 19:15,35 (H)
Deuteronomy 25:16;
Ezekiel 3:20;
Ezekiel 18:24,26 (twice in verse);
Ezekiel 33:13 (twice in verse);
Ezekiel 33:15,18;
Job 34:32;
Psalm 53:2 (""
Psalm 14:2);
Psalm 82:2;
Proverbs 29:27;
Psalm 7:4;
Jeremiah 2:5, read probably also
Ezekiel 28:15 (for );
Ezekiel 18:8;
Ezekiel 28:18; of God, ("" )
Deuteronomy 32:4;
Job 34:10.
Job 11:14 (?Malachi 2:6 Köii. 2, 453, § 345 dEzekiel 28:15 [; but only here Ezekiel, error for ] questioned by SS, see AlbrZAW xvi (1896), 117) ; —Psalm 37:1 24t., + 1.Isaiah 61:8 (read probably );Psalm 125:3;Psalm 92:16 (Qr) + 2 t.;Psalm 125:16 (Kt)Job 5:16; pluralPsalm 58:3;Psalm 64:7; —
violent deeds of injustice,2 Samuel 3:34;2 Samuel 7:10 =1 Chronicles 17:9;Psalm 89:23, compareHosea 10:9 (read Now);Psalm 43:1;Isaiah 61:8; ""Micah 3:10;Habakkuk 2:11;Psalm 37:1;Zephaniah 3:5,13;Psalm 58:3;Psalm 119:3;Job 36:23;Psalm 125:3.
injustice of speech:Job 13:7;Job 27:4;Isaiah 59:3;Job 6:30;Malachi 2:6;Psalm 107:42;Job 5:16.
injustice, in General,Psalm 64:7;Job 6:29;Job 11:14;Job 15:16;Job 22:23;Job 24:20, +Job 36:33 (for according to Di Bu Du and others,Proverbs 22:8;Hosea 10:13; of God,Psalm 92:16; 2Chronicles 19:7.
I. transposed from (q. v.)Hosea 10:9.
Topical Lexicon
Meaning and ScopeThe noun עֶוֶל (ʿevel) designates moral crookedness expressed in acts of injustice, unrighteousness, deceit, or fraud. It contrasts with צֶדֶק (ṣedeq, righteousness) and מִשְׁפָּט (mishpat, justice), underscoring a violation of God-given order within personal, social, and covenantal relationships.
Occurrences and Literary Distribution
ʿEvel appears about fifty-three times, spread widely across the canon:
• Torah – especially Deuteronomy, where covenant law warns against judicial ʿevel (Deuteronomy 25:16).
• Historical Narratives – highlighting the corruption that triggers judgment (2 Samuel 3:34;2 Samuel 19:28).
• Wisdom Literature – contrasting righteous living with the path of ʿevel (Proverbs 16:8;Ecclesiastes 3:16).
• Psalms – lamenting societal wrongs and seeking divine redress (Psalms 58:2; Psalms 64:6).
• Prophets – denouncing systemic oppression (Isaiah 10:1;Ezekiel 33:15;Micah 3:10).
This distribution reveals that ʿevel functions as a key diagnostic term for covenant infidelity in every era of Israel’s history.
Ethical and Theological Emphases
1. Judicial Integrity
Deuteronomy 25:13-16 strictly forbids unequal weights: “For everyone who does such things, everyone who acts unjustly, is detestable to the LORD your God.” Economic cheating is thus categorized as cultic offense.
2. Social Oppression
Isaiah 10:1-2 condemns lawmakers “who issue unrighteous decrees,” linking ʿevel with stripping the needy of rights. In the prophets, the word often appears with שֹׁד (violence) and חָמָס (oppression), showing ʿevel to be the invisible motive behind visible abuse.
3. False Witness and Deceit
Zephaniah 3:13 foresees a purified remnant: “They will commit no injustice and speak no lies.” Truthfulness is the opposite of ʿevel, making integrity a covenant hallmark.
4. Worship and Spiritual Authenticity
Psalm 125:3 warns that allowing “the scepter of wickedness” to rest on the land tempts the righteous “to put forth their hands to injustice.” Compromised worship leads to compromised ethics, and the two reinforce each other.
5. Cosmic Accountability
Job’s speeches continually protest divine fairness against accusations of ʿevel (Job 6:29;Job 19:7). Even in suffering, Job maintains that God Himself never deals in ʿevel (Job 34:10-12), embedding the concept in theodicy: God is righteous, therefore all apparent injustice will be resolved.
Representative Passages
•Proverbs 16:8 – “Better a little with righteousness than great revenues with injustice.”
•Isaiah 59:4 – “No one calls for justice; no one pleads his case with truth. They rely on empty pleas and speak lies; they conceive mischief and give birth to injustice.”
•Ezekiel 18:24 – “If a righteous man turns from his righteousness and commits injustice … he will die.”
These texts expose ʿevel as both personal sin and corporate contagion, inevitably inviting covenant sanctions.
Redemptive Trajectory and Messianic Hope
While ʿevel permeates human society, the prophets announce its removal in the coming reign of the Messiah.Isaiah 53:9 prophesies that the Suffering Servant “had done no violence, nor was any deceit in His mouth,” echoing the absence of ʿevel in His character. By bearing iniquities, the Servant provides the only ultimate cure for ʿevel.
New Testament Resonance
Though the Hebrew term itself does not appear, its concept is assumed in passages such asLuke 18:6-8 (the unjust judge) andJames 5:4 (cries of the defrauded laborers).1 Peter 2:22 citesIsaiah 53:9 regarding Christ: “He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in His mouth,” presenting Jesus as the antithesis of ʿevel and the model for believers.
Practical Ministry Implications
1. Preaching must expose both individual and systemic ʿevel, calling for repentance and faith.
2. Discipleship involves cultivating righteousness in economic dealings, speech, and relationships.
3. Church discipline echoes the prophetic stance, refusing to tolerate ongoing ʿevel within the covenant community.
4. Social engagement flows from the gospel: advocating for the oppressed, ensuring fair weights in modern commerce, and promoting equitable justice systems.
Conclusion
עֶוֶל highlights humanity’s bent toward injustice, the covenant’s demand for righteousness, and God’s unwavering commitment to establish a kingdom “where righteousness dwells” (2 Peter 3:13). In Scripture’s unfolding drama, ʿevel is exposed, judged, and finally overcome through the righteous reign of Christ.
Forms and Transliterations
בְּעֶ֙וֶל֙ בְּעַוְל֥וֹ בְּעַוְלָ֬תָה בְּעַוְלָֽה׃ בעול בעולה׃ בעולו בעולתה וְ֝עֹלָ֗תָה וְעַוְלָ֖ה וְעַוְלָ֣ה וּבְעַוְל֥וֹ ובעולו ועולה ועלתה מֵעָ֖וֶל מֵעָֽוֶל׃ מעול מעול׃ עַ֝וְלָ֗ה עַ֭וְלָה עַוְלָ֑ה עַוְלָ֖ה עַוְלָ֖תָה עַוְלָ֛ה עַוְלָ֥ה עַוְלָ֥תָה עַוְלָֽה׃ עַוְלָה֙ עָ֑וֶל עָ֔וֶל עָ֖וֶל עָ֙וֶל֙ עָ֝֗וֶל עָ֥וֶל עָֽוֶל׃ עוֹלֹ֗ת עוֹלֹ֪ת עול עול׃ עולה עולה׃ עולת עולתה ‘ā·wel ‘aw·lā·ṯāh ‘aw·lāh ‘āwel ‘awlāh ‘awlāṯāh ‘ō·w·lōṯ ‘ōwlōṯ avel avLah avLatah bə‘awlāh bə‘awlāṯāh bə‘awlōw bə‘ewel bə·‘aw·lā·ṯāh bə·‘aw·lāh bə·‘aw·lōw bə·‘e·wel beavLah beavLatah beavLo beEvel mê‘āwel mê·‘ā·wel meAvel oLot ū·ḇə·‘aw·lōw ūḇə‘awlōw uveavLo veavLah veoLatah wə‘awlāh wə‘ōlāṯāh wə·‘aw·lāh wə·‘ō·lā·ṯāh
Links
Interlinear Greek •
Interlinear Hebrew •
Strong's Numbers •
Englishman's Greek Concordance •
Englishman's Hebrew Concordance •
Parallel Texts
