Lexical Summary ebeh: Desire, longing Original Word: אֵבֶה Strong's Exhaustive Concordance swift From 'abah (in the sense of bending toward); the papyrus -- swift. see HEBREW 'abah NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom abah Definition reed, papyrus NASB Translation reed (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs אֵ֫בֶה noun [masculine] reed, papyrus (etymology uncertain; = Arabic  , Assyrian abu DlW, AGI) אֳנִיּוֺת אֵבֶ֑ה Job 9:26 (craft made of reeds, light & swift, Heliod.Aethiop. X, 460) = כְּלֵיגֹֿמֶא Isaiah 18:2. II. אבה (perhaps at least formally justified as stem of אָב (construct אֲבִי), so Thes (compare below), but existence & meaning wholly dubious; as real √ BaZMG 1887, 609 ff. Ol§ 123 c; accusative to DlW p. 22 אבה Assyrian abû = decide, אָב = he who decides; Thes (so Rob Ges NöZMG xl, 737 & compare Sta§ 186 and others) makes אָב noun primarily biliteral, imitating infant's speech compare πάππας, pappa, papa (compare Ew§ 106 a); also Assyrian bab JenZA 1886, 404). Topical Lexicon Occurrence and Immediate Context Job 9:26 contains the single biblical use of אֵבֶה. Job laments, “They skim past like boats of papyrus, like an eagle swooping down on its prey” (Job 9:26). The term modifies “boats” (אֳנִיּוֹת), evoking craft made of lightweight reeds that dart swiftly across calm waters. Imagery of Speed and Ephemerality Papyrus craft displaced little water, gliding almost weightlessly; Job therefore couples them with a diving eagle to illustrate how rapidly his days vanish. The figure underscores life’s brevity—a theme echoed throughout Scripture (Psalm 90:10; James 4:14). אֵבֶה thus serves as a poetic device to intensify the sense of transience. Cultural and Historical Background Reed boats were common in Egypt and along marshy waterways of the ancient Near East. Their mention hints at Job’s familiarity with international commerce and technology (compare Job 1:3). The craft’s swiftness depended on skilled construction and the buoyant quality of papyrus, suggesting a milieu where trade routes and maritime imagery were well known. Theological Significance Job’s complaint is not mere despair; it directs attention to the human condition under God’s sovereignty. By comparing his fleeting days to אֵבֶה boats, he tacitly affirms that only the Lord provides permanence (Job 19:25-27; Psalm 90:1-2). The metaphor therefore magnifies God’s eternality against human frailty. Related Biblical Motifs • Swiftness of an eagle: Deuteronomy 28:49; Habakkuk 1:8. Collectively these images reinforce the teaching that life’s transience should propel repentance and humble dependence on God. Ministry Application 1. Mortality and urgency: Pastoral exhortation can draw on Job 9:26 to call believers to redeem the time (Ephesians 5:16). Summary Insight אֵבֶה surfaces only once, yet its vivid picture of fast-moving reed vessels amplifies one of Scripture’s central pastoral truths: human days, though swift and fragile, are held within the steady purposes of the eternal God. Forms and Transliterations אֵבֶ֑ה אבה ’ê·ḇeh ’êḇeh eVehLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts |
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