Lexical Summary avath: To bend, twist, distort, pervert Original Word: עָוַת Strong's Exhaustive Concordance bow self, make crooked A primitive root; to wrest -- bow self, (make) crooked., falsifying, overthrow, deal perversely, pervert, subvert, turn upside down. NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Origina prim. root Definition to be bent or crooked NASB Translation bent (1), cheat (1), crooked (1), defraud (1), pervert (3), stoop (1), subvert (1), thwarts (1), wronged (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs [עָוַת] verb be bent, crooked (Late Hebrew id., Pi`el, Nithpa`el; Aramaic עַוֵּית Pa`el; compare  ,  deceive PS3008); — Pi`el Perfect3masculine singular suffix עִוְּתָ֑נִי Job 19:6, עִוְּתוֺ Ecclesiastes 7:13; 3plural suffix עִוְּתוּנִי Psalm 119:78; Imperfect3masculine singular יְעַוֵּת Psalm 146:9; Job 8:3, יְעַוֶּתֿ Job 8:3; Infinitive לְעַוֵּת Amos 8:5; Lamentations 3:22; — 1. a. make crooked = falsify, scales Amos 8:5; pervert justice (מִשְׁמָּט, צֶדֶק) Job 8:3 (twice in verse); Job 34:12 (all God subject); with accusative of person subvert (i.e. deprive of justice), אָדָם בְּרִיבוֺ ׳לְע Lamentations 3:36, compare Psalm 119:78; so עִוְּתָ֑נִי Job 19:6 (׳י subject). 2 bend, make crooked, דֶּרֶךְ רְשָׁעִים Psalm 146:9 (׳י subject); in General Ecclesiastes 7:13 (God subject; opposed to תִּקֵּן). Pu`al Participle מְעֻוָּת Ecclesiastes 1:15 what is bent (opposed to תְּקֹן). Hithpa`el Perfect3plural consecutive וְהִתְעַוְּתוּ Ecclesiastes 12:3 and the strong men bend themselves. Topical Lexicon Semantic Field and Theological Nuance The verb עָוַת portrays the action of bending or twisting what ought to remain straight. In Scripture this image transfers from the physical realm to the moral and judicial: justice is “bent,” truth “twisted,” and a person or society becomes “crooked.” Every occurrence is negative, underscoring that any departure from God’s straight path is culpable and invites His correction. Occurrences in Job Job’s debate places the word under microscopic examination. Bildad’s challenge—“Does God pervert justice? Does the Almighty pervert what is right?” (Job 8:3)—treats the very suggestion as unthinkable. Job later asserts that his own calamity stems from divine misalignment: “Know then that God has wronged me” (Job 19:6), a desperate cry exposing the tension between appearance and reality. Elihu answers: “Indeed, it is true that God does not act wickedly, and the Almighty does not pervert justice” (Job 34:12). Thus the verb frames the book’s central issue: the trustworthy straightness of God in the face of a bent world. Ethical Ramifications in Wisdom Literature Psalm 119:78 pleads, “May the arrogant be put to shame for subverting me with a lie,” linking distortion of truth to arrogant hearts. Ecclesiastes explores the limits of human repair: “What is crooked cannot be straightened” (Ecclesiastes 1:15), and “Consider the work of God: Who can straighten what He has bent?” (Ecclesiastes 7:13). These reflections declare that once God has permitted a “bending,” human ingenuity cannot reverse it; only divine grace can. Judicial Overtones Lamentations 3:36 laments courts that “deny a man justice before the Most High,” exposing institutionalized perversion as an affront to God Himself. The psalmist answers with hope: “The Lord protects the foreigner; He sustains the fatherless and widow, but He frustrates the ways of the wicked” (Psalm 146:9). Scripture therefore declares that every judicial system, ancient or modern, stands under divine scrutiny. Prophetic Indictments Amos confronts merchants who plan to “cheat with dishonest scales” (Amos 8:5). Economic exploitation is labeled a twisting of righteousness, not merely bad business. Such prophetic use widens the term’s application from the courtroom to the marketplace, insisting that covenant loyalty governs all spheres of life. Pastoral Ministry Implications 1. Shepherding the flock involves straight teaching that resists doctrinal distortion (compare Titus 2:1). Messianic Fulfillment and Eschatological Hope John the Baptist’s call, “Make straight the way for the Lord” (John 1:23), alludes to a divine intervention that untwists what sin has bent. In Jesus Christ perfect righteousness is embodied; at the cross He bears the penalty for every distortion, and in resurrection He inaugurates the new creation in which nothing crooked remains. Revelation 21:5 guarantees the final straightening of all things: “Behold, I make all things new.” Conclusion עָוַת functions as a moral plumb line. It exposes human attempts to warp justice, truth, or compassion, while simultaneously magnifying the unwavering rectitude of God. Each occurrence invites sobriety about sin, confidence in divine governance, and hope in the coming kingdom where every crooked thing will finally be made straight. Forms and Transliterations וְהִֽתְעַוְּת֖וּ וּלְעַוֵּ֖ת והתעותו ולעות יְעַוֵּ֣ת יְעַוֵּ֥ת יְעַוֵּֽת־ יְעַוֵּֽת׃ יעות יעות־ יעות׃ לְעַוֵּ֤ת לעות מְעֻוָּ֖ת מעות עִוְּת֑וּנִי עִוְּתָ֑נִי עִוְּתֽוֹ׃ עותו׃ עותוני עותני ‘iw·wə·ṯā·nî ‘iw·wə·ṯōw ‘iw·wə·ṯū·nî ‘iwwəṯānî ‘iwwəṯōw ‘iwwəṯūnî ivveTani ivveTo ivveTuni lə‘awwêṯ lə·‘aw·wêṯ leavVet mə‘uwwāṯ mə·‘uw·wāṯ meuvVat ū·lə·‘aw·wêṯ ūlə‘awwêṯ uleavVet vehitavveTu wə·hiṯ·‘aw·wə·ṯū wəhiṯ‘awwəṯū yə‘awwêṯ yə‘awwêṯ- yə·‘aw·wêṯ yə·‘aw·wêṯ- yeavVetLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Job 8:3 HEB: הַ֭אֵל יְעַוֵּ֣ת מִשְׁפָּ֑ט וְאִם־ NAS: Does God pervert justice? Or KJV: Doth God pervert judgment? INT: God pervert adversary does Job 8:3 Job 19:6 Job 34:12 Psalm 119:78 Psalm 146:9 Ecclesiastes 1:15 Ecclesiastes 7:13 Ecclesiastes 12:3 Lamentations 3:36 Amos 8:5 11 Occurrences |
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