Lexical Summary ab: Cloud, thick cloud, darkness Original Word: עָב Strong's Exhaustive Concordance clay, thick cloud, thick, thicket (masculine and feminine); from uwb; 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. Compare abiy. see HEBREW uwb see HEBREW abiy NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom an unused word Definition dark cloud, cloud mass, thicket NASB Translation cloud (7), clouds (19), thick cloud (2), thick clouds (4), thickets (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs II. עָב33 noun masculineIsaiah 19:1 and (1 Kings 18:44 KöSynt. 103) feminine dark cloud, cloud-mass, thicket; — ׳ע absolute 1 Kings 18:44 +, construct Isaiah 18:4; Proverbs 16:15; plural עָבִים Judges 5:4 +, עָבוֺת 2 Samuel 23:4 + 2Sam 77:18; construct עָבֵי 2 Samuel 22:12; Psalm 18:12; suffix עָבָיו Psalm 18:13 (but probably strike out, see עבר Qal near the end); — 1 dark cloud: a. rain-cloud Judges 5:4; Isaiah 5:6; 1 Kings 18:44,45 9t. b. as high Isaiah 14:14; Job 20:6, + Ezekiel 19:11; Ezekiel 31:3,10,14 (reading בְָוֺת, see עֲבֹת). c. chariot of ׳י Isaiah 19:1; Psalm 104:3; covering his eyes Job 22:14. d. casting shadow Isaiah 25:5, compare 2 Samuel 23:4. e. as swift Isaiah 60:8, and transient Isaiah 44:22; Job 30:15 (all simile). f. disposed by God Job 36:29; Job 37:16. g. טַל ׳ע Isaiah 18:4 cloud of dew, dew-mist (simile). 2 (cloud-) mass, שְׁחָקִים ׳ע 2 Samuel 22:12 masses of clouds (enwrapping ׳י) = Psalm 18:12 (Psalm 13 see above). 3 thicket as refuge Jeremiah 4:29 (perhaps under Aramaic influence). — עַב Exodus 19:9 see עֲבִי below עבה. I. עָב see above Topical Lexicon Root Imagery and Poetic Texture עָב 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 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 in Psalm 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 in Leviticus 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 in Psalm 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 in Isaiah 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 in Joel 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. 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 veaVimLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Exodus 19:9 HEB: בָּ֣א אֵלֶיךָ֮ בְּעַ֣ב הֶֽעָנָן֒ בַּעֲב֞וּר KJV: Lo, I come unto thee in a thick cloud, INT: will come unto A thick cloud so Judges 5:4 2 Samuel 22:12 2 Samuel 23:4 1 Kings 18:44 1 Kings 18:45 2 Chronicles 4:17 Job 20:6 Job 22:14 Job 26:8 Job 30:15 Job 36:29 Job 37:11 Job 37:16 Job 38:34 Psalm 18:11 Psalm 18:12 Psalm 77:17 Psalm 104:3 Psalm 147:8 Proverbs 16:15 Ecclesiastes 11:3 Ecclesiastes 11:4 Ecclesiastes 12:2 Isaiah 5:6 32 Occurrences |
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