Lexical Summary kaab: To be in pain, to grieve, to be sorrowful Original Word: כָּאַב Strong's Exhaustive Concordance grieving, mar, have pain, make sad sore, be sorrowful A primitive root; properly, to feel pain; by implication, to grieve; figuratively, to spoil -- grieving, mar, have pain, make sad (sore), (be) sorrowful. NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Origina prim. root Definition to be in pain NASB Translation cause him grief (1), inflicts pain (1), mar (1), pain (3), painful (1), pains (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs כָּאַב verb be in pain (Aramaic כְּאֵב,  id.; Arabic  be sorrowful, sad; Assyrian in derivatives, ikkibu, pain ZimBP 67, kêbtu, ruin Hpt in KAT2Glossary i.) — Qal Imperfect יִכְאָבֿ Proverbs 14:13; יִכְאָ֑ב Job 14:22; Participle כּוֺאֵב Psalm 69:30; כֹּאֲבִים Genesis 34:25; — 1 be in pain, physical Genesis 34:25 (J, as result of circumcision); Job 14:22 (subject בָּשָׂר; poetic of body in grave "" נַפְשׁוֺ תֶּאֱבָ֑ל). 2 of mental pain Proverbs 14:13 (subject לֵב; probably also Psalm 69:30 ("" עָנִי). Hiph`il Perfect1singular suffix הִכְאַבְתִּיו Ezekiel 13:22; 2feminine plural הִכְאַבְתֶּן Ezekiel 13:22 ᵐ5 ᵑ7 Co (ᵑ0 הַכְאוֺת see כָּאָה); Imperfect יַכְאִיב Job 5:18; תַּכְאִ֫בוּ 2 Kings 3:19; Participle מַכְאִב Ezekiel 28:24; — pain, mar; 1 of enemies of Israel under figure of thorn causing pain (no object expressed) ׳קוֺץ מַכ Ezekiel 28:24 ("" מַמְאִיר סִלּוֺן); of שַׁדַּי, no object expressed, Job 5:18 (opposed to חָבַשׁ, "" מָחַץ. 2 of mental pain, object לֵב, Ezekiel 13:22 (subject false prophetesses, see above); compare Ezekiel 13:22 (subject ׳י). 3 (si vera lectio) of marring good land with stones 2 Kings 3:19, ᵐ5 άχρειώσετε (Klo תְּאַבְּדוּ). Topical Lexicon A Word of Pain and Wounding in ScriptureThe verb appears only eight times, yet its distribution across narrative, wisdom, poetry, and prophecy offers a full-orbed picture of pain—physical, emotional, and societal—under the sovereign hand of God. Violence and National Conflict • Genesis 34:25 depicts the Shechemites “still in pain” after forced circumcision when Simeon and Levi strike. The text ties bodily soreness to treacherous retaliation, illustrating how human sin multiplies suffering. • 2 Kings 3:19 forecasts Israel’s campaign against Moab: their forces will “hurt every good field with stones.” Here pain is inflicted on the land itself, portraying judgment that reaches creation (compare Genesis 3:17-18). Personal Affliction and Divine Discipline • Job 5:18 reminds sufferers that the Lord “injures, but His hands also heal.” Pain is acknowledged as real and divinely regulated; healing is not an alternative deity’s work but the same Lord’s gracious act (Hebrews 12:11). • Job 14:22 describes the dying person whose “soul mourns for him,” emphasizing interior anguish that continues even as the body deteriorates—pointing to the complexity of human personhood. Messianic Echoes in the Psalms • Psalm 69:29 “But I am in pain and distress; may Your salvation protect me, O God.” The lament of David foreshadows the greater Son’s agony, uniting bodily suffering with confident petition for deliverance (John 19:28-30). Wisdom’s Paradox of Joy and Sorrow • Proverbs 14:13 observes, “Even in laughter the heart may ache, and joy may end in grief.” Wisdom literature refuses shallow triumphalism, affirming that authentic joy coexists with the ache of a fallen world (Romans 8:22-23). Prophetic Concern for the Flock • Ezekiel 13:22 rebukes false prophets who “have caused the heart of the righteous to be grieved.” Spiritual leadership that distorts truth wounds the faithful, underscoring pastoral responsibility to heal, not harm (Jeremiah 23:1-4). • Ezekiel 28:24 promises that Israel will no longer endure “a pricking brier or painful thorn” from neighbors once the Lord restores her. National pain has an expiration date under God’s covenant faithfulness. Theological and Ministry Significance 1. Suffering is neither random nor ultimate. Each occurrence links pain to divine purpose—discipline, warning, or eventual redemption. 2. The same God who allows wounding is the God who pledges healing (Job 5:18; Psalm 147:3). This dual reality equips believers for balanced lament and hope. 3. Emotional and spiritual pain matter as much as physical pain (Proverbs 14:13; Ezekiel 13:22). Ministry that addresses only the body is incomplete. 4. Corporate sin can inflict collective pain (Genesis 34; 2 Kings 3), calling the church to corporate repentance and justice. 5. Prophetic hope assures that God will remove every “painful thorn” (Ezekiel 28:24; Revelation 21:4), motivating endurance. Pastoral Applications • Comfort the afflicted by directing them to a God who is present in wounding and powerful in healing (2 Corinthians 1:3-5). • Guard the flock from teaching that burdens consciences; false counsel causes spiritual pain. • Integrate lament into worship, allowing space for hearts that ache even amid communal joy. • Preach the ultimate removal of pain through the cross and future resurrection, assuring believers that their present groanings are temporary and purposeful. Conclusion Across its eight appearances, the verb presents a theology of pain that moves from human violence and folly to divine discipline and, finally, eschatological hope. The faithful are called to endure, comfort, and look forward to the day when the Lord Himself will heal every wound. Forms and Transliterations הִכְאַבְתִּ֑יו הכאבתיו וְכוֹאֵ֑ב וכואב יִכְאַב־ יִכְאָ֑ב יַכְאִ֣יב יכאב יכאב־ יכאיב כֹּֽאֲבִ֗ים כאבים מַכְאִ֔ב מכאב תַּכְאִ֖בוּ תכאבו hichavTiv hiḵ’aḇtîw hiḵ·’aḇ·tîw kō’ăḇîm kō·’ă·ḇîm koaVim machIv maḵ’iḇ maḵ·’iḇ tachIvu taḵ’iḇū taḵ·’i·ḇū vechoEv wə·ḵō·w·’êḇ wəḵōw’êḇ yachIv yaḵ’îḇ yaḵ·’îḇ yichAv yiḵ’āḇ yiḵ’aḇ- yiḵ·’āḇ yiḵ·’aḇ-Links Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Genesis 34:25 HEB: הַשְּׁלִישִׁ֜י בִּֽהְיוֹתָ֣ם כֹּֽאֲבִ֗ים וַיִּקְח֣וּ שְׁנֵֽי־ NAS: day, when they were in pain, that two KJV: day, when they were sore, that two INT: the third came pain took two 2 Kings 3:19 Job 5:18 Job 14:22 Psalm 69:29 Proverbs 14:13 Ezekiel 13:22 Ezekiel 28:24 8 Occurrences |
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