70. oben

Lexical Summary

oben: Wheel, Disk

Original Word: אֹבֶן
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: oben
Pronunciation: OH-ben
Phonetic Spelling: (o'ben)
KJV: wheel, stool
NASB: birthstool, wheel
Word Origin: [from the same as H68 (אֶבֶן - stones)]

1. a pair of stones (only dual)
2. a potter's wheel or a midwife's stool (consisting alike of two horizontal disks with a support between)

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

wheel, stool

From the same as 'eben; a pair of stones (only dual); a potter's wheel or a midwife's stool (consisting alike of two horizontal disks with a support between) -- wheel, stool.

see HEBREW 'eben

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
from eben
Definition
a wheel, disk
NASB Translation
birthstool (1), wheel (1).

Brown-Driver-Briggs

[אֹבֶן] noun [masculine] wheel, disc — Du הָאָבְנָ֑יִם —

1 potter's wheel Jeremiah 18:3 (two discs revolving one above the other; name from likeness to mill-stones; see AW¹⁸).

2 ׳עַלהָֿא Exodus 1:16 probably = sella parturientis, = δίφροι λοχειαῖοι bearing-stool, midwife's stool (from likeness to potter's wheel; on custom of labor upon stool see Ploss^{Das Weib, 2nd ed. ii, 35, 179 etc. & Cesnola collective} from Cyprus, Metrop. Mus., N. York, No. 614, terra cotta figures from 4th or 5th cent. B.C.; Descriptive Atlas of Cesn. Collective^{l, plural lxvi. No. 435}; compare W. H. W[ard]^{PESoc. 2nd Statement 1873, p. 76}). Spiegelberg^{ZA xiv {1900}, 269 ff.; Randglossen 19 ff.} explained as the two stones [read אַבְנַיִם], i.e. bearing-stool of 'stones' = bricks, tiles.

Topical Lexicon

Occurrences and Contexts

אֹבֶן appears only twice in the Old Testament, yet each setting is weighty. In Exodus 1:16 it designates the “delivery stool” where Hebrew women labored, the point at which Pharaoh’s decree of death was to be executed. In Jeremiah 18:3 it denotes the “wheel” at which the potter shapes clay while the prophet watches God’s object lesson of sovereignty over His people.

Cultural and Historical Background

Ancient Near-Eastern birthing stools were simple seats or paired stones arranged so the midwife could assist from below. They symbolized both travail and anticipation. Conversely, the potter’s wheel—likely two stone disks linked by a vertical shaft—was an artisan’s tool for controlled creation. Both items were common yet carried profound associations with life: the womb brings forth a child; the wheel brings forth a vessel. Scripture takes these ordinary implements and sets them in moments of extraordinary theological significance.

Theological Themes

1. Preservation of Covenant Life
• At the birthing stool the future of Israel hangs in the balance. While Pharaoh plots extinction, God ensures deliverance—ultimately giving Moses, the mediator of the covenant, safe passage “on the delivery stool” (Exodus 1:16). The scene underscores divine providence when human power schemes against God’s people (Psalm 33:10–11).

2. Divine Sovereignty in Formation
• The potter’s wheel in Jeremiah 18 is God’s self-chosen metaphor: “Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel” (Jeremiah 18:6). The wheel spins under the master’s touch; nations rise or fall according to His purpose. Later revelation echoes the same truth (Isaiah 64:8; Romans 9:20–21).

3. Parallel Images of Labor and Shaping
• Both contexts involve hands-on shaping—midwives delivering a child, a potter molding clay. Each evokes effort, patience, and intentional design. Together they proclaim that life—whether human or covenant community—is not random but purposefully wrought under God’s watchful eye (Psalm 139:13–16; Ephesians 2:10).

Christological Connections

The birth narrative foreshadows Messiah’s own protected entrance into a hostile world (Matthew 2:13–15). The potter motif anticipates Christ’s authority to remake lives (2 Corinthians 5:17) and judge vessels of honor and dishonor (2 Timothy 2:20–21). In both, the Son fulfills what the images merely prefigure: the preservation of a redeemer and the remolding of a redeemed people.

Ministry Applications

• Sanctity of Life

The birthing stool text calls believers to protect the vulnerable, resist unjust decrees, and trust God’s preservation when obedience is costly (Acts 5:29).

• Submission to the Potter

The wheel challenges congregations and individuals to yield to God’s formative pressure, welcoming correction and renewal (Hebrews 12:5–11).

• Preaching and Teaching

Using everyday objects, Scripture communicates profound truth. Biblical communicators may likewise employ familiar images to illuminate doctrine for contemporary hearers (Mark 4:2).

Summary

Though אֹבֶן surfaces only twice, it bridges birth and craftsman’s work, suffering and sovereignty, man’s malice and God’s molding. From the blood-stained stool of Exodus to the spinning wheel of Jeremiah, the word invites trust in the Lord who both brings forth life and shapes it for His glory.

Forms and Transliterations

הָאָבְנָ֑יִם הָאָבְנָֽיִם׃ האבנים האבנים׃ hā’āḇənāyim hā·’ā·ḇə·nā·yim haaveNayim

Englishman's Concordance

Exodus 1:16
HEB: וּרְאִיתֶ֖ן עַל־ הָאָבְנָ֑יִם אִם־ בֵּ֥ן
NAS: and see [them] upon the birthstool, if
KJV: and see [them] upon the stools; if it [be] a son,
INT: and see upon the birthstool if son

Jeremiah 18:3
HEB: מְלָאכָ֖ה עַל־ הָאָבְנָֽיִם׃
NAS: he was, making something on the wheel.
KJV: he wrought a work on the wheels.
INT: something on the wheel

2 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 70
2 Occurrences

hā·’ā·ḇə·nā·yim — 2 Occ.